Almost at my wit’s end

[Jen G]

I have 3 rabbits (Honey-tan, Pearl-white, Willow-white with dark gray/black nose, ears, and feet) that I got in May 2020. I adopted all 3 from a neighbor, whose kids were given them by a grandparent without permission.  All 3 were babies (approx. 6-12 weeks old) and female.  All 3 were spayed at the same time at approximately 5-6 months old in Aug. of 2020.  All are now about 8 lbs each.  All are litter trained. All will take treats from my hand.

Honey is smart, curious, confident, fearless, and typically the aggressor towards Pearl.  She chins everything she comes into contact with, and she will poop and pee around Pearl’s cage.  She will seek out Pearl and attack if she can. She is affectionate and playful toward Willow, but she has bitten her in the past.

Pearl is timid, fearful, socially awkward, but wants companionship, and likes her ears massaged.  She will defend herself against Honey and will go on the offense if she feels threatened by Honey.  She is playful and very affectionate towards Willow, but she attacked her after the big fight.  They are fine now.  Pearl does a lot of playful nipping with Willow.  Pearl has also purposely bitten my daughter hard (technically Pearl’s “mother” but away at college) and nipped me, but not hard. I think it’s fear based and possibly a get out of my way bite.

Willow is laid back, sweet, cautious, will do anything for food, and gets along with both.  She does not defend herself when attacked. She stays put or runs away.

In the beginning of September Honey and Pearl got into a fight, but it seemed minor.  I seperated them for a little while and then took them out together.  I corrected Honey every time she lunged or nipped at Pearl.  They seemed to have gotten over it until a couple of weeks later, they got into a major fight.  Chunks of fur were everywhere, and they each had scratches.  They have been separated ever since.

All 3 were living in a two story hutch (inside) about 4 feet long before the fighting.  Now Pearl and Willow are in the hutch, and Honey is in a small kennel placed right next to the hutch.  The 3 can see each other, and I try to place their food in a way that it feels like they are eating together.  They have play time every day.  Willow and Pearl are out for about 2 hours and Honey and Willow are out for about 2 hours.  I originally had Pearl in the small kennel, but she seemed lonely and depressed, so I swapped her with Honey, who does not seem to mind being by herself.  When Pearl and Willow are out, I put Honey in the hutch to sniff around.  I leave Honey’s kennel open so Pearl and Willow can go in and out and sniff around.

This is where I am.  I have not tried any stressing techniques because I’m afraid they will really hurt each other, but I feel like that should be my next step.  I would love some advice, help, thoughts, etc.  I really need them to get along so I don’t have to do everything twice.  Plus, I have a dog, who the rabbits don’t seem to care about, who has to go in her kennel while the rabbits are out.  It would be nice to shorten that for her.  Hopefully I haven’t left too much out.

Thank you!

Jen

 

[DanaNM]

Hi there,

Sorry I had a little trouble following (I’m also really tired right now though, apologies if I’m just slow). Are the fights you describe during actual bonding sessions? Or do they live together now but are fighting? Or were they together when young but had a falling out with puberty (that’s very common), and now just two live together? How long have you been trying to bond them, and how long as it been since the fight?

I think that regardless of the situation, you need to prevent all fights from happening. The buns that aren’t bonded shouldn’t interact at all unless it’s during a bonding session on 100% neutral territory. If they are interacting in a shared play space that would definitely contribute to the fighting.

Trio bonding can be tricky. Bonding girls can also be tricky. If there was a very bad fight where one rabbit was injured, they can hold grudges and it can make it very hard to bond them. It can be done, but will likely take a lot of time and patience.

I think to give this the best chance of success, I would separate the solo bun from the pair, and give them all a break to calm down and let them forget old grudges. Ideally out of sight and smell for several weeks.

Then, you can either work with all three, or individual pairings. Pick a location that is very neutral and somewhat stressful (like an unfamiliar backyard in a pen). Car rides can also be great if you have a helper to drive so you can supervise the date. Since Honey and Pearl seem the toughest match, you might choose to focus on them. With bunnies that are aggressive towards each other I like to do very short dates at first, and always end on a good note (even if it’s ignoring each other). I also pet them a lot when they approach each other to mimic being groomed by the other rabbit.

There are quite a few trio bonding threads on this forum currently, reading a few might help give you a sense as to how things can go.

 

 

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[Jen G]

Sorry that it was confusing.

Willow does not fight with either of them and therefore, she has her play time with both of them at separate times.  She has bonded with both of them.  Honey and Pearl had a falling out about a month after all three were spayed, last September.  Honey and Pearl have been separated since then, but their housing is next to each other.  They can see each other and eat next to each other, but they cannot touch each other, so no fights have occurred since then.

I’ve noticed that when Pearl is out roaming in passes in front of Honey’s cage, Honey will stare at her and try to bight her through the cage.  This is how I know there are still issues.

Separating the two completely would be hard to do.

I’ll try the car or the backyard, and the grooming trick.

I’ve seen some of the posts.  I’ll look for more.  Thank you.

[DanaNM]

Ok that is helpful! Rabbits can start to smell very differently once they hit puberty and are castrated, so falling outs can happen. If they are aggressive through the bars, sometimes it’s best to hang up a towel or another visual barrier so they aren’t constantly just like “LET ME AT EM” at each other.

Are you doing and side swaps or litter box swaps? That can also help.

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

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