My Mini lop just got a Friend!!!

[Addicted]

I just brought my Mini lop to the person i bought her from about two weeks ago to have it sexed and get her a buddy.I got one of her siblings,Both females and so far they seem to be getting along great.I’m so excited!!,I left my camera at work but i will get some pics of the fuzzballs tomorrow!

Jason.

[Addicted]

Dammit,They just started brawling…Furr flying!!!,The lady told me they would be fine!!!.What the heck do i do now!

[Sarita]

I would separate them – they need to be reintroduced. When you say brawling are they chasing each other or are they actually fighting?

[Addicted]

They were spinning around in circles biting each other,fur was in the air.They seem to alright now Maybe my existing bunny was just trying to say..”Hey,This is my cage…My rules!”..Hopefully they Don’t fight again tonight,I don’t have another cage.

[Sarita]

You could be right – keep us updated.

[Addicted]

I will,I’m sure they will work it out,I might let them run around on the floor and see how they act.Man that cought me off gaurd!

[Addicted]

Alright now I’m in trouble,they just did it two more times!,Why are they so mean?.The lady that sold them to me said they would be fine,I’m in a bad spot now!

[Floppy]

hmmm I would consider talking the the lady and asking her
why they aren’t doing as fine as she thought they would.

[MooBunnay]

Hello – a good way to get rabbits to start getting along is to take them on a car ride together in a carrier. This is easier if you have another person with you to break up any fights. You do not have to drive fast or anything – just being in the car makes them a bit nervous and more likely to snuggle together.

[Addicted]

Things seem to be going better now,my existing bunny left the cage and ran around for a while then went back to the cage with no problems.They have been sharing food and water for a little while now with what seems like no tension between them.I’m trying to decide over a few millers(needed to calm my nerves now…LoL)wether or not to sleep on the couch to keep an eye on these two.

[BinkyBunny]

I know in another post, you stated that the person that gave you the new bunny said they would be just fine. That’s a ridiculous assumption that person made. And the person obviously did not send you home with any bonding techniques.  I’m sorry their ignorance is now your problem. There is no way to know for sure if two rabbits will get along. Bunnies can be very territorial – especially same sexed bunnies that are not neutered/spayed. Females have hormones that are telling them to claim a territory where they will raise their young. (even if they will never raise young, their instincts tell them this)

Bunnies can really hurt each other, so keep an eye on for abscesses that can form at bites on the skin. They can become serious and require vet care, but the sooner you spot them, the easier they may be to treat.

For now, do not leave them alone unsupervised. I really would recommend you separate them and start a real bonding process.  Read the Bonding section to get good tips. But for now I can tell you introduce them in a neutral territory – like the bathroom. Your bunny will not like the new bunny coming into her territory right away, and so that is probably what the fight was about. Now even if they end up getting along, when they both reach sexual maturity, you may have some challenges on your hands as the "instincts" I was talking about earlier will go into overdrive.

Also, it would be a good idea to double check the sex of your bunnies with a vet as many people have had surprise litters due to bunnies that were miissexed.

I know this can be really stressful.   Have a Miller for me!   Keep us updated! 

[Addicted]

Thanks,I guess i should have listened to people here,You people were spot on,with the bunny lady being way off!!I have no choice as of now to keep them together and it seems they have worked things out.there have been no fightes for a while now and they are sharing food and space with no problems.

Keeping snakes is so much less stressfull,some pigs and rats to fill them up is so easy,Frozen food BTW for the reptiles.

[BinkyBunny]

I just caution you to be careful in leaving them alone unsupervised. Rabbits can be very viscious to each other. Some can even fight to the death. And just because they are okay now does not guarantee they will get along. Especially since they are both reaching sexual maturity. Also, the worry of if they are missexed. Can you keep one in the bathroom until you get another pen or cage? If you are near a target, you can get the “organize it” cubes and make a fence rather cheaply. Otherwise, if you are willing to spend the bucks, xpens make great homes.

[Addicted]

Well they seemed alright last night,I stayed up untill two,It was Miller time…LoL.So i took a chance and went to bed mindfull to listen for noise coming from downstairs incase i had to wake up and pull them apart,There were no problems!! I wathced them for a little bit before i was off to work and they did great together,came home from work today and all is well still!! they have been sleeping next to eachother and eating out of the same bowl together with no signs of agression,I think they figured out Who’s boss!

I do want to make a big cage soon,I was thinking 4 feet square with 4 levels,can i do that with the cubes?

BTW thanks for all the help.
Jason.

[Gravehearted]

Despite that they are doing well, I really would encourage you not to leave them together unsupervised right away. It is not worth the risk of very serious injury. A fighting rabbit can literally can disembowel another, this is serious stuff. It does sound like they are making very good progress, but I would still be cautious until I felt like the bond was very stable.

Yes, you can make a cage like you’re describing with the cubes.
There’s a helpful post entitled Cube Enclosure Questions, where Osprey shares some great directions on constructing cube housing.
https://binkybunny.com/Default.aspx?tabid=54&forumid=2&postid=14733&view=topic

[Addicted]

Thanks for your concern,I’m sure it’s well waranted but they seem to be doing great.they have been cuddling,grooming and hanging out without a problem.i’m keeping an eye on them and coming home on my lunch break to check on them.I think they have started to bond very well as of now.

Here are some pics of their two level dog crate,their slide to get out(It’s funny to watch)and them.

 

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[Sarita]

They are gorgeous! I’m glad they are getting along better now.

[Scarlet_Rose]

Oh my what an adventure I missed. I would have been making friends with Glenfiddich (scotch whiskey) myself! LOL Oh I know it’s not funny, wow it is very stressful for all those involved.  Can you make one NIC cube caeg so you can house them seprately for a little while for the bonding? I would really hate for something to happen while you are at work. You are right, bunnies take a lot of care and attention, they are such complex creatures.  I bet if anyone tells you how timid and shy they are, you know better now. They can be very vicious.  Have you checked for open wounds?  I think that would be a very good idea if you haven’t already and if there are, clean them with diluted peroxide and use some ointment (non pain killer kind) on them to prevent infection.

[Addicted]

They are gorgeous! I’m glad they are getting along better now.

Thanks!! I think so too!

Oh my what an adventure I missed. I would have been making friends with Glenfiddich (scotch whiskey) myself! LOL Oh I know it’s not funny, wow it is very stressful for all those involved. Can you make one NIC cube caeg so you can house them seprately for a little while for the bonding? I would really hate for something to happen while you are at work. You are right, bunnies take a lot of care and attention, they are such complex creatures. I bet if anyone tells you how timid and shy they are, you know better now. They can be very vicious. Have you checked for open wounds? I think that would be a very good idea if you haven’t already and if there are, clean them with diluted peroxide and use some ointment (non pain killer kind) on them to prevent infection.

I can get a little chuckle out of it now…lol..I was so stressed.If i had to i could seperate them now but by watching them i have a good feeling,i really think they are fine now.watching them drink at the same time from one bottle was so cute!…the bun i had before the new one just came out and did binkies like i have never seen her do before!..She was spinning around in the air and jumping on and over stuff like a crazy bunny!…I have look them over and there are no wounds that i could see,they just pulled some hair out and made a lot of noise!

[Addicted]

Update,my new bunny just slid down the slide and is checking out the house,about 5 minutes later the one i had before slid out too.the existing bunny is doing binkies all over and the new one just checking the place out.every now and then they follow each other around with my first bunny nudgung the new one a little(Get’s nervous)is that a precurser to a fight or just playing?

[MooBunnay]

My boy and girl bunny do this to each other as well – usually its because my boy bunny wants more attention than the girl is giving him. For my two – it usually just ends up in a game of *poke* then *chase* then *poke* then *chase* so I think they are just playing around. Still keep an eye on them though if it turns into agression, usually the way it will turn into agression is the nudger will get more aggressive and mount the other bunny (girl or boy it usually doesn’t matter, they both mount to show aggression!) and thats when the other one will get mad and turn around and lunge and start a fight.

[Author]

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