New rescue rabbit & existing rabbit – existing rabbit very aggressive

[Csmxo]

Milo – rescue rabbit

Lilly – I have had from a bunny.

Spay/Neuter
Are your bunnies spayed/neutered?

Yes. Lilly spayed May 17th 2024, milo neutered Feb 2024

Housing

Please describe your bunnies’ current housing set-up (living together, as neighbors, etc.).

lilly free roams and milo is in a large play pen separate from Lilly but in the same room

Bonding background
Did you allow the bunnies to “settle-in”?

I have done some pre bonding by swapping each others litter trays and toys etc. milo seems to have settled in well.

How would you describe your bunnies reactions towards each other (answer for each bunny): shy, scared, curious, calm, aggressive, excited, affectionate, etc.?

milo has been extremely affectionate and absolutely lovely. He is calm and not aggressive at all. Lilly, on the other hand, has been nothing but aggressive and territorial, pulling Milo’s fur out through the play pen. I have had to put further barriers up to stop this but she always finds a way.

Have you done any “pre-bonding” (cage or litter box swaps, etc.)?
If so, for how long?

Only a couple of days.

Have you started sessions yet?

no. Lilly would attack milo. Milo is a lot smaller than Lilly so I am protecting him from her.

How long have you been working on bonding your bunnies?

only a couple of days but I am already overwhelmed

How frequently do you have bonding sessions, and how long are they?

Have you tried any stressing techniques?

no because I’m scared Lilly will injure milo

 

please may I ask you guys for any guidance. I feel like giving up and just keeping Lilly alone. She is so aggressive. She’s also getting really stressed by Milo’s presence. Her poos are small and this has happened because of the stress as her diet has not changed. I fear I’m doing more harm than good… I just wanted Lilly to have a friend.

any advice? Should I just stop as they are clearly not a match?

[DanaNM]

I’m sorry you are having a rough start!

It is absolutely essential that she cannot reach him through the pen bars, so you will need to either add another fence to create a 6 inch buffer, or use small mesh panels to prevent the biting. It’s very normal for there to be a lot of aggression when not in neutral territory. The more biting you have across the fence, the harder things will be down the road.

I would recommend penning them both for now, in side by side pens. It will be important for Lily to stop viewing the whole space as her territory, which will take some time. You can start by adding a visual barrier between the pens as well, such as blanket or towel clipped to the pen wall. Don’t do any side swaps at first, and just give them a week or two to get settled into this arrangement. This will also help Lily’s stress levels because she will be able to get used to this new bunny in a more gradual way. You can alternate which bun gets out to exercise (I usually give one bun morning exercise and the other evening exercise when I’ve used this arrangement.

Gradually remove the visual barrier. Then once they seem OK with this set-up, start swapping which bun is in which pen every day or two. Continue this until Lily is not longer reacting strongly to Milo. Usually this takes a couple of weeks. It can really be a dramatic change from day 3 to week 2, so don’t despair just yet.

After all of this, once the buns are acting calmly around each other after the side swaps, you can start introductions in a very neutral territory. I would aim for a place that is somewhat stressful and do a very short session (set a timer for 2-3 min). Pet them a lot and do not allow any aggression. Continue that daily and start slowly increasing the amount of time if they are not immediately attacking. If you do get immediate attacks, I would try stressing with a car ride together, but don’t worry about that just yet.

I’ve had some very difficult bonds that ended up with VERY closely bonded bunnies that were inseparable, it usually just takes time and patience.

. . . 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.  

[Csmxo]

Thank you so much for the advice! As you can probably tell I’ve been a bit desperate for help. 🙂

I went out and bought another play pen when I read your reply and right now they are at opposite sides of the room in different play pens and I have blankets up so lily can’t see Milo (Milo isn’t bothered about lily). Is that okay or must they be side by side for bonding? The layout of the room wouldn’t allow for side by side pens unless I moved the furniture around too. I can do side by side but it may be too much for lily right now given she is biting her play pen trying to move it to get out. What do you think?

She is very unhappy with me right now. She snatches treats from me whereas Milo gently takes them. She got up on her hind legs and for the first time she was punching me when I took her toy from her. Is this a common experience when they don’t get their way or do I just have a delight of a bunny?

When I was doing the set up I put Milo in a different room and lily completely relaxed. She went over to the place where Milo was and lay down as if to assert dominance. I can’t see this dynamic changing as lily has always had quite an entitled personality for a bunny, especially when compared to sweet little Milo.

I’m really scared of introducing them as I know she will start to fight. I see a lot of info about how a rabbit needs another rabbit but she clearly doesn’t think so? I don’t want to get attached to Milo and then have to return him.

[DanaNM]

I think considering her reaction towards Milo it’s ok that they are on opposite sides of the room for now! Perhaps after a week or so she will settle a bit and you  then you can consider some rearranging.

Females can be very territorial. Rabbits also experience what’s called “referred aggression” where they smell or see a perceived threat and will attack whoever is closest to them. I do think she will calm in time! Some people have luck with getting a stuffy and swapping that between pens as it will have the other rabbit’s scent on it but won’t fight back. The best thing to help her calm down is time and a little reassurance. Aggression in rabbits is fear based, so she needs to learn he isn’t a threat.

My first pair was a tough bond. My original bun was very territorial and would attack the new bun on sight, but he did eventually (finally) come around and actually ended up being the submissive bun in the pair! So it can be very hard to predict and usually things do work out with enough time!

Did you happen to rescue Milo from a place that can provide bonding assistance? Sometimes it can be helpful to take the buns to the shelter and have an experienced bonder help with the first sessions.

 

. . . 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.  

[Csmxo]

Thank you. I am feeling more positive about things today as lily seems to be somewhat less stressed. Things have not gone to plan though. Lily escaped from her play pen multiple times. She plotted several escape routes (different ones each time) and eventually I just gave up as I don’t have a net to cover it. Should I try again or just leave her to the rest of the room? It is my fault as I have spoilt her since she was 8 weeks old and now she doesn’t even know what a pen is. I’ve put a barrier up so she shouldn’t be able to bite Milo anymore and I am also watching him on the pet camera. Even if I put lily in her pen successfully without her doing a prison break she grabs the fence with her teeth and rattles it until I let her out which is very loud and disturbs me from sleep (their room is right next to my bedroom).

How long did it take your aggressive bun to calm down?

They said they would help me with the bonding process but it is run by volunteers who work full time so it may be a little difficult. I will ask anyway.

[DanaNM]

You likely need a taller pen and/or you can clip a sheet to the top to prevent her from jumping out. Even when buns are used to being penned they will often try very hard to escape to “get at” the other rabbit. My concern is that she could get into Milo’s pen if she is that good at getting out of her pen, which could be very bad.

I’ve usually noticed big improvements within the first 2 weeks.

. . . 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.  

[Author]

Messages