Female bunny just started humping and biting other female bunny!

[Aspen and Oakley]

I have two bunnies. A holland lop, and a lion head. They live outside together in a big hutch and usually get along beautifully. We live in the south, so we have very mild weather. Whenever it gets too cold, rainy, or hot, I bring them inside. We had some snow this previous week so I brought them inside. They were together in this cage (a big dog crate) and doing fine. They are both small rabbits (under 3 pounds) so they had plenty of room. I went to feed them and as soon as I bent down to the cage, my lion head started humping my holland lop! I checked, and I’m pretty sure they are both females, but I know its hard to know. Anyways, I researched, and it said this was a dominance behavior and she may just be trying to be alfa. I went to clean there cage like i do normally, and Oakley (Lion head) started biting aspen, my holland lop, on the back. I pulled her off, and then she did it again. I separated them for a little while and let them back together, and she bit her again! I figured it was because the cage was smaller than there hutch so I separated them overnight. I put them back together in the hutch the next morning and she immediately bit her. I separated them again, and Oakley kept trying to get into aspens cage. I am not sure whats going on, so if anyone could help that would be great! Heres some extra info… Oakley bites her when she humps her, Oakley is also the bigger one and older by 1 week. Aspen is sweeter, and more friendly, and of course smaller. Oakley is letting her eat and drink normally, they have been together since they were 6 weeks, i have never had this problem, and they are almost 6 months. Thank you!

[Wick & Fable]

So unfortunately having two rabbits together is quite a process. Although the rabbits have been together since 6wo with no problems, hormones have emerged. The rabbits can no longer be put together until both are fixed. Once/if they are, you need to begin pre bonding and the bonding process, which will take months and patience. There’s a lot of information on bonding on this site so I recommend looking through the materials!

In terms of sexing, if neither have been spayed or neutered, it’s actually possible that one is male. Males can withdraw their testes into themselves, making the completely hidden. When young, people look for two fleshly nubs that will grow into testes but sometimes that’s hard to find. How old are your rabbits? It only takes a moment for a pregnancy to occur.

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.

[Wick & Fable]

Oops just saw you mentioned they’re 6mo! You need to separate them and have them fixed. Their hormones have developed.

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.

[Deleted User]

If they aren’t fixed they should not be together, especially if you are unsure of the sex. Unaltered buns can fight to the death if given the opportunity. You should keep them separated until they are 1-2 months post spay/neuter and then you can begin prebonding.

[tobyluv]

You need to keep your bunnies apart until they have both been spayed, or spayed and neutered in case one is a male after all. Then a month or so after their surgeries, you can begin the bonding process. They should not be together at all, not even for a few minutes. They have obviously reached puberty and are now dealing with hormones. Hormones can bring aggression and territorial feelings. With aggression you can have fighting, and rabbits can severely injure each other when they fight. They also may develop such a dislike for one another if there is humping and biting and they will never be able to bond. You also don’t want to take any chance on pregnancy in case one rabbit is a male. It doesn’t matter that they have been together since they were very young, when puberty hits, everything changes.

[Mikey]

Hormonal rabbits will fight to the death. You need to keep them separated until two to six months after they are both spayed.

[sarahthegemini]

Aside from the obvious aggression that you are witnessing, you should seperate them immediately anyway if you’re not sure on gender!

[Author]

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