How to know if one bunny is trying to harm the other bunny?

[knnguy]

I’m trying to put a 6 month neutered male with a 2 month old female. The male bunny would sometimes go over to the female and try to sniff or lick or bite her. I’m not sure. It seems like he’s digging his face into her fur. I don’t know what he’s trying to do. She sometimes just sits there or runs away. Is he being aggressive? Is he trying to bite her or lick her? I don’t know

[Sunny]

i’ve never bonded rabbits before, but everyone else here will tell you the same – you shouldn’t put the two together until they’re both spayed/neutered and have had time to let their hormones die down. serious aggression can rise up out of nowhere and the two can actually end up killing each other. they should be kept separately as of now.

[Deleted User]

It is probably aggression. They meed tp need completely separated at all times until they are spayed and neutered. They could get into a fight and seriously harm each other.

[Mikey]

They will not bond until she is spayed. Once she is spayed, you can try to bond them. Right now, its likely aggression. Hes likely biting her because she is not showing submission, and shes not showing submission because shes not old enough to understand dom/sub and not spayed.

[Deleted User]

Definitely separate, you can’t put them together until she is spayed and has recovered for AT LEAST 2 weeks, but up to 1 month is safest. If you keep these rabbits together, they will fight when she reaches sexual maturity, which can happen around 3-4 months. After both are spayed and neutered, you have to go through the bonding process, you can’t just put them together.

[Deleted User]

Also, why have you put them together? In your pervious post, someone advised you that you cannot bond them until both are spayed/neutered.

[joea64]

I don’t want to seem like I’m piling on here, but I agree with the others; you need to have both buns spayed and/or neutered before you can proceed to bonding them. Your female bunny, at 2 months, is still too young; she needs to get to sexual maturity, which is usually around 4 months, before she can be safely spayed by a rabbit-experienced vet. Until then, the two rabbits need to be kept separated. They can be kept in cages close enough so that they can see and smell one another (but NOT so close that they can physically reach one another), but they must not be allowed out together in the same space until the female has been spayed and the bonding process can start properly. At this point, even if one doesn’t cause serious injury to the other, you’re risking engendering a longstanding grudge between the two which will make bonding very difficult if not outright impossible.

I really recommend reaching out to your local animal shelter/welfare organization, or better yet, your local rabbit rescue organization if there’s one. Rabbit rescues, in particular, very often have people who are knowledgeable about the bonding process and will help you be able to do it right.

[Author]

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