True aggression, but who is the aggressor here?

[Ellie from The Netherlands]

Hi everyone, the situation here has gone from bad to worse. Molly suddenly became aggressive the day before yesterday. She keeps attacking Owen when he’s nearby, and is aggressive towards me too.

At least, I think it’s her who’s aggressive. Can anyone confirm who’s the agressor here? Was she being provoked or is it all Molly’s problem? I took a video of one of the fights:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/1qbbdxiwxj5dwwh/20220910_024344.mp4?dl=0

 

They were already separated by bars because of her problems, but they were loving and gentle towards each other. They flopped together and groomed each other through the bars. Now I have to keep them in separate rooms because things go crazy when they see each other. 😢

We are already having her examined thoroughly by an expert clinic, and we’re waiting for the results of her hormone test now.

She doesn’t show other signs of illness, and I’ve given her Metacam to check if her aggression is caused by pain. Despite giving her a decent dosage, she’s still very aggressive.

We hope to get test results within a couple of days, and I’m continuing to monitor her health.

It’s awful seeing them like this, and I really hope that there’s a good explanation for her behaviour. She lunges at me too, and it’s horrible 😢

[LBJ10]

Molly is inside and Owen is outside? I’m not really seeing any fighting in the video. What I see is Owen actively trying to get to Molly from different angles. Molly meets him each time. At one point, it looks like he nips at her rear. She spins around and then there is a little bit of boxing through the bars. To me, it would appear that Owen keeps bothering Molly. This could be what is triggering the scuffles.

Nipping and chasing are normal during the bonding process. Owen is being very “forward” in the video, but not overly aggressive. He is enthusiastically trying to get to where she is and Molly is trying to defend herself and her area. I don’t think Owen is being overly aggressive, but it’s clear that Molly does not appreciate his advances.

To be honest, if I wasn’t aware of the backstory with these two, I would look at this video and see two rabbits that are just meeting for the first time.

[Ellie from The Netherlands]

Thank you for your insight! Yes, it’s Molly in the hutch and Owen was out for exercise. It sounded so aggressive to me because of the noise. She gets quite worked up, and growls and hisses at Owen, and at us.

Things are a bit calmer now that we’ve rearranged her space. They stopped eating when we separated them long-term.

Molly has a calmer spot now which is closed on 3 sides. The side that looks into the living room has a double barrier so Owen can’t get very close to her.

She seems to be fine with being at 10 cm from each other: I’ve seen them both flopped against the bars close to each other. She’s still lunging, growling and scratching at us though, and I really hope that it stops.

We’re trying to give her more exercise by putting Owen in the bedroom for a couple of hours. During that time he can blow off some steam there, and Molly can do zoomies and binkies in the living room.

It’s a crazy situation: can’t do without each other, can’t do with each other either 🙄

[LBJ10]

Noises are just noises. Some bunnies are very vocal.

Her biting and lunging at you sounds more like a cage aggression issue. Which would fit since it seems pretty clear in the video that she doesn’t like Owen invading her territory. You said she lunges and bites your hands. Is this only when your in her pen? Are you able to work out what might be triggering her? Food dish? Litter box? This article has some helpful tips: https://www.rabbitnetwork.org/education-resources/articles/rabbit-care-articles/taming-the-aggressive-rabbit/

[DanaNM]

I do wonder if the fact that they aren’t bonded could be the cause for a lot of the aggression you are seeing. I saw in the lounge that you added a buffer zone which I think is a good idea.

You could also hang a visual barrier along at least part of the fencing between their areas, so she doesn’t always feel she has to be on guard against Owen. A towel or blanket would probably do the trick.

In many cases unbonded buns can live happily side by side, but in other cases they will constantly run the fence and stir each other up. I think in this case that may be what’s happening, with the result of her then attacking you in a case of “referred aggression”.

. . . 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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