Rabbit going for other rabbits private

[Cinnimon&Ollie]

My female rabbit is going at my male rabbits private. They are bothed fixed. About two months for the female and male. I am currently boding them. Please help I don’t want her to get him.

[Wick & Fable]

Bonding can be difficult. We have a bonding template that you can fill out to give people a better idea of your situation. You can find it here: https://binkybunny.com/forums/topic/bonding-template-read-me-for-bonding-help/

For the immediate future, if them being together is leading to fast and intense fights, I would stop all bonding attempts right now and make sure they are separated from each other. Any safety concerns deserves at least a step back and separation so you can reflect on what’s the most wise next step in bonding

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.

[DanaNM]

Agree, the bonding template would be helpful so we can get a better sense of what you have tried and not tried so far.

It’s important that you prevent fighting in bonding sessions, so you should be ready to intervene before things escalate to biting. Wearing thick gloves is important so you can get your hands on them if needed.

. . . 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.  

[Wick & Fable]

Completed by OP:

Spay/Neuter
Are your bunnies spayed/neutered? YesIf so, for how long (for each)? Both for 2 months
If not, why not?
Are you aware of reproductive cancer risk in females? If not, please read about it here.

Housing
Please describe your bunnies’ current housing set-up (living together, as neighbors, etc.). My female is in a xpen and across the room is my male in a c&c cage, they can see each other. They interact when I have one out and one in the cage, though the cage bars.

Bonding background
Did you allow the bunnies to “settle-in”? Yes
How would you describe your bunnies reactions towards each other (answer for each bunny): shy, scared, curious, calm, aggressive, excited, affectionate, etc.? Calm and curious
Have you done any “pre-bonding” (cage or litter box swaps, etc.)? No
If so, for how long?
Have you started sessions yet? Yes
How long have you been working on bonding your bunnies? Coming on a week
How frequently do you have bonding sessions, and how long are they? Once a day for about a 30-45 minutes
Have you tried any stressing techniques? No I don’t want to do stress bonding.

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.

[Wick & Fable]

Thanks for filling out the template! I moved your response over to this topic.

I notice two things that are missing/not mentioned which tend to be fundamental in the beginning of any bonding, which is pre-bonding and using neutral space.

Pre-bonding is an important step prior to starting bonding dates and throughout the bonding process. It means switching the rabbits’ possessions or cages so they become more accustomed to the other rabbit’s scent and living in it. I highly suggest you begin pre-bonding measures and continue it throughout.

It sounds like (though perhaps you just didn’t specify) the bonding sessions are happening in the free-roam space they both share in that room– that is not a good set-up for success. That is considered semi-neutral space and can bring up a lot of territorial-ness for both rabbits, since they both have “laid claim” to that space. Instead, the dates that are happening at the beginning stages of bonding should be in a neutral space where neither rabbits have been. People commonly use their bathtubs/bathrooms for the short dates in the beginning of bonding.

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.

[Cinnimon&Ollie]

Sorry for being unclear but I bond them in a neutral space ( a closet ). I didn’t do pre bonding because my dad didn’t want me to. They have interacted though cage bars like I put in my first post though.

[DanaNM]

I agree with Wick! I think that since you have only been doing sessions for a week, and didn’t do any pre-bonding (and they are fighting in sessions), then I would slow down a bit and do some pre-bonding. It isn’t always necessary, but since your buns are very tense during the bonding sessions it may really help. You just swap who is in what cage/pen every day or two for a couple of weeks, then resume sessions in neutral space (but continue to do the swaps during the whole process). You can also swap just dirty litter boxes, but I’ve found swapping sides completely seems to work better.

 

. . . 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.  

[Cinnimon&Ollie]

They are not tense during bonding sessions. They are calm. Cinnimon my female grooms Ollie my male during the sessions, but she randomly goes for his privates.

[Wick & Fable]

Rabbit body language can be difficult to read and there may be things that we humans might not even be able to discern/perceive. The fact that she is “randomly (going) for his privates” is a sign that tension is there, regardless if it’s perceived or not– attacking another rabbit is not something that occurs when a rabbit is calm. Something is happening between her grooming and then attacking. Based on that snippet, I’d say perhaps she gets frustrated that he is not grooming her back and thus she attacks him as a result.

I would suggest pre-bonding measures. I’m unsure if your dad was making a recommendation based on perceived workload of switching stuff or his own experience with rabbit bonding, but every bonding process is different, and adjustments should be made if there doesn’t seem to be promising signs towards progress.

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.

[Cinnimon&Ollie]

Okay. My dad didn’t want to because they are used to there own cage, but after a ton of explaining he is on board to switching them into each other’s cages daily.

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