Bonded pair being aggressive only in cage

[Sb1405]

Hey all, I’ve had my bunny Appa for just over a year and we decided in November to get him a friend. Went to the local shelter and he did some speed dating with a few of the ladies there and really hit it off with one so we brought her home. The cage is a 10’x4’section or our living room that is closed off with a puppy gate and a custom cut carpet for the area so we split the cage in half when we brought Luna home. She has been with us for about a month and a half, we started off slow with their time together in the begining but now they are together for 2-5 hours a day when they have their time to free roam the house. They cuddle together and groom one another and share their food and litter box when out of the cage so we felt it was time to give them a trial run in the cage. I vacuumed the floors and cleaned out the litter pans and water bowls and rearranged the cage but Appa is showing aggressive signs now towards Luna. We left the cage door open and have a pen set up outside the door so they have double the space for the time being so they don’t feel cramped but I’m just trying to figure out why he is being like this. He is definetly the more dominant between the two but he is chasing her out of both hide houses and charging at her. Is this normal or should I be worried? I was able to break up the fighting by scolding Appa and clapping my hands/ banging them on the ground when he stomped at me and now they are napping but I just don’t want to have it continue over night. Also they are both spayed/neutered and we have been switching them between the two halves of the cage every day so they get used to each other’s scent and what not. Any insight is most appreciated!

[DanaNM]

Hi there,

It sounds like you just went a bit too fast from semi-neutral to npn-neutral space. Don’t allow them to keep trying to chase or scuffle in the cage as it can set things back, so separate them for now.

Cages are very territorial places and are not neutral, so they shouldn’t be together in the cage until they have spent 24-48 hours together in completely neutral space. It sounds like they are doing well together in the free-roam area. Could you set up a pen for them in that area (or even a more neutral area) and have them in the pen together for a couple days (with supervision!)? Or start by having them spent the night together in the pen with supervision, and try this a couple nights until you are ready to try for 24 hrs.

Kinda like making a friend… you might feel happy to hang out with them outside your home, but it can take time to want them to move in with you!

. . . 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.  

[DarthVadar]

My recently bonded pair did this. They were great in the neutral x pen then i put them in Panda’s hutch and she was not too happy about it. After about 15 min or so she mellowed out, and now they’re doing fine. She is used to sharing a hutch with another bunny; that may be part of your problem. Appa is used to being the only bunny in his house. It is not at all an unsolvable obstacle.

[Sb1405]

So far since posting we haven’t had any more scuffles. We have the door to the cage open with another 4’x8′ xpen area attached to the cage so they can be in the xpen or the cage. I forgot to mention we did do an overnight the other night in the areas of the house they usually have access to in the house (they are free roam besides the bedrooms and kitchen) so I’m going to try them like this tonight and just sleep on the couch beside them in case anything arises. If there are any issues than we will definetly go back to trying another night or two in the free roam area and work our way up from there.

[DanaNM]

Glad things calmed down, sounds like a good plan.

. . . 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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