Female rabbits not getting along suddenly

[oh84]

Hello all,

I need some advice.

I have three rabbits, one male and two female. I have had the male for over a year and introduced the females for companionship about six months ago. All three bunnies were neutered about four months ago.

All was well from the get go, everyone the best of friends. Suddenly, about two weeks ago, I woke up to fur all over the apartment and one of the rabbits had a gash on their face. It turns out that one of the females has turned on the other female and the other rabbit kicked her in self defence causing the detached fur and cut.

Ever since, the female rabbits have not been getting along. The instigator persistently chases the other female aggressively, she grunts while doing so. The other female is understandably quite scared (even though she is considerably bigger) and seems unsettled and twitchy due to the situation.

I have had to keep them apart while at work, they can be together when supervised though they do not sit together any more and the chasing will occur when they are close. The male rabbit seems to be unaffected by what’s happening and treats both rabbits equally well.

I have attempted bonding them again, I have a wooden trellis separator so they can be close but not together in the same room. I have also tried to feed them together to instil equality.

I am getting quite worried as nothing seems to have made any difference and it has been two weeks now. I would hate to have to let one of the bunnies go, they have a good life and it would be sad considering that they used to get along so well.

Has anyone experienced anything like this?

Most importantly, does anyone have any advice for fixing the situation on a long term basis?

All help and advice would be very appreciated.

[LittlePuffyTail]

Have you tried any stress bonding?

I’m going to move this thread to the Bonding Forum

[oh84]

Thanks for the reply.

No I havnt attempted stress bonding.

What is stress bonding?

How would it work?

[LBJ10]

You can give them a little break to allow them to calm down, then try reintroducing them. I like LPT’s idea of trying some stress bonding with them. Basically, it means you put the two bunnies you’re attempting to bond in a “stressful” situation and they turn to each other for comfort. You can do this by putting them in a carrier and taking them for a car ride. Or you can put them inside a box or carrier and place them on top of the washing machine while it’s running. Some people also swear by putting them in a box and dragging them around the house. If they start to fight, you give them a shuffle by shaking the box.

[oh84]

Ok, I understand now.

I will give those situations a go.

Thanks for your help.

[Author]

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