Food aggression in rabbits

[OverthinkingBun]

Hi, I haven’t posted in ages 🙂  I have a bonded pair of rabbits, M/F, both fixed, who have been living together for about a year and a half after meeting at rabbit speed dating.  They are devoted to one another, and are constantly cuddling and grooming one another.  It was a pretty easy bond, because professionals at the shelter got us started and they were snuggling and grooming before we brought the second one home.

The problem is that they get a bit snippy about special “high value” foods, mainly their nightly pellets and any treats they get.  There’s some chasing.  This seems to have some to a head the other day after they got into a squabble after I put them in a carrier and gave them treats before taking them to the vet.  They are now considerably more aggressive when I give them treats.  (I use the treats after calling them back into their x-pen after free time).  The funny thing is, once they are sure all the treats are gone, they immediately make up and start grooming/cuddling again.  Any ideas here?  (they do not fight over territory or access to hay, ever, and they always have access to hay.  They aren’t really hungry, they are just super excited over snacks)

[PurplePineapples]

How serious are the squabbles? As long as they are still getting along afterwards and they don’t get hurt, it’ll probably be okay if that happens. But you could try petting them to calm them down, or you could give them treats when they aren’t near each other. You could also guide them away from each other with a treat in each hand. With the pellets, you could have two separate bowls, maybe on opposite sides of their enclosure if they still are aggressive.

[DanaNM]

Scatter -feeding pellets (instead of using bowls) can help with the pellet squabbles. As for the treats, I usually try to have one in each hand and feed my pair the treats at the exact same moment. It would prob be good to only give treats in an open area so the don’t get upset in a confined space.

. . . 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.  

[Celia & Clover]

My rabbits are also well-bonded, and also have some food aggression (particularly with their evening pellets). Now if I’m training them to do tricks, I separate them first. Other than that I scatter feed at night which totally solves the issue. I can also feed them in separate bowls pretty successfully, but whoever finished first normally shoves their face in the other’s bowl.  🙄

I have tried hand-feeding them simultaneously using separate hands, but they both get really nippy and I’m not a big fan of it.

I think you could also solve the issue by feeding them as many pellets as they want so they’re not such a scarce resource, but it wouldn’t exactly be a balanced diet. Probs not a good idea.

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