Bonded Bunny Aggression

[ilovebunnies322529]

Hello, I have three bunnies, a one that is just over a year named Azalea, one that is around eight months named Roo, and one that is around six months named Fern. Roo and Azalea have been bonded for the past about five months and have never had any problems. We added the third bunny Fern about 4 months ago. For a while there were no problems but after we got Roo and Fern spayed (Azalea was spayed before we got either of the other bunnies) about a month ago, I have started to notice Azalea showing slight aggression to Fern, such as nipping her butt, and chasing her. A couple days ago I saw her push Fern off a bin. I am slightly concerned given a Fern nipping her butt, and chasing her. A couple days ago I saw her push ferns off of a thin. I am slightly concerned given that Fern  is smaller and much younger than Azalea. I have not seen that much aggression from Roo towards Fern other than slight anointment towards  her and sometimes nudging Fern away with her head. They live outside in a large space so I am not concerned about them having not enough room and getting irritated at each other because of that. They are all spayed and have been for the past month. I was wondering what I should do and what could possibly be causing this? Thank you!

[DanaNM]

Rabbits go through some major hormonal changes after spaying, so this is probably what’s triggering things. Because you bonded them before they were all spayed, their bond was also probably a bit unstable. Have you noticed an fur pulling? Do you still see snuggling and grooming between them?

If you haven’t seen any serious fighting, I would keep a close eye on them. If the bullying continues, you should do some bonding work with them in a neutral space and hopefully it will resolve itself.

If you have seen some fur pulled or start to see increasing scuffling, they need some more bonding work, potentially after a short separation to let their hormones fully settle down.

. . . 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.  

[ilovebunnies322529]

Thanks for your repsonse! I have seen fur pulling but also gromming in between. They are outside so I an not sure if anything else is going on when I am not there but I haven’t seen any signs of it other than fur on the ground. Do you think I should separate them? And if so should I separate the targeted rabbit (Fern) away from the other two? Will this cause any depression? Thanks!

[DanaNM]

If you are regularly seeing fur on the ground, that isn’t normal, and indicates there is an issue with their bond. I would start by checking over all the bunnies very thoroughly for injuries (feel for scabs, they can be hard to see).

Separating the one getting bullied is a good first step. if you can separate them in a way where they can still see each other, that will help. Since there is fighting happening, it shouldn’t cause depression if you separate, but you should still monitor closely to make sure they are all eating and pooping normally.

. . . 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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