Incredibly aggressive to other rabbits

[Nam]

Hello,

I’m reaching out for some advice I can’t seem to get anywhere. I recently rescued a 4 month old lionhead rabbit named Ivy on Thursday (12/28/17). She was very timid and shy when I got her, which I assume is because she is adjusting to the new environment. She lives in a playpen with toys and hides and everything else she needs, but she doesn’t play and sits in one corner and doesn’t really move. She had been doing this for 3 days. I thought that she might be lonely since rabbits are generally social animals. So I adopted a 5 month old friend for her, a female holland lop named Alvin. I tried to introduce them on neutral ground and the lionhead was immediately aggressive. I’ve tried several times now to introduce them and Ivy immediately attacks Alvin’s face. Neither of the rabbits are spayed (I am calling a vet tomorrow to set up an appointment for them), so I assume a lot of her aggression is due to that. However, in the meantime I need to keep them separated. Alvin is very social and friendly and I feel terrible that she must be alone now since Ivy attacks her, especially since she lived with another rabbit with her previous owner. However, I am not in a position to get a 3rd rabbit. Do you have any advice on this situation? Is it okay for me to leave Alvin alone in the meantime and hope that Ivy becomes less aggressive? Should I send Ivy to a rescue and get a different rabbit friend for Alvin?

Thank you in advanced.

[sarahthegemini]

You need to let both buns settle in. You can’t just immediately start introducing them to one another. There’s a lot of steps that you’ve skipped. So the aggression you’re seeing is to be expected.

First things first, you can’t bond rabbits that haven’t been spayed or neutered. So they’ll need to be kept separate til they’ve been spayed, and enough time has passed for their hormones to disipate. You need to do pre bonding which means swapping litter trays, food and water bowls, toys etc and THEN you can think of physically introducing them.

[DanaNM]

I agree with everything Sarah says, and I just want to add that female-female pairings are often the most challenging as females are more territorial than males. Female female pairs can work, but they are not common and the bonding process may be very long and difficult.

Since you didn’t take your rabbit on “dates” to pick a friend, and neither rabbit is currently able to be bonded (since neither are spayed, and the recovery from spays takes months), it might be wise and easiest on you and both rabbits to rehome one rabbit, allow the one you keep time to heal, recover, and bond with you, and then try again by taking her on dates with already neutered/spayed rabbits.

. . . 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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