Unbonded rabbits accidentally in the same cage

[April]

Today when I came home from work my unspayed 4 month old female (Ellie) had gotten into my neutered 1.5 year old male’s (Harry) pen.I have been keeping them in separate cages until I get her spayed and start the bonding process. I have no idea how she managed to get in there unless she jumped out of her pen and into Harry’s pen. There was fur everywhere and hay/toys/beds thrown throughout the pen. They were each in opposite corners just staring at each other when I discovered them. I checked both of them for any injuries and they both seem to be fine. After a couple minutes Harry started to grunt at Ellie and chase/mount/head butt her. She wanted no part of it and ran the opposite direction. I removed her and put her back in her own pen. Will this ruin their chances of bonding later on after she is spayed? And I thought usually it was the female who was more dominant, not the male? Any advice is greatly appreciated! Thank you. 

[Mikey]

Theyre going to try to kill one another if you leave them in there. Rabbits dont fight and just stop when they get hurt, they fight more and often fight to the death if left alone.

Theyve faught and continue to fight. Your next step is putting them in separate rooms for atleast two months. They will continue to fight when they see one another as rabbits love to hold grudges. You need them to forget about one another and the only way to do this is to move them completely out of sight, smell, and hearing distance. Different rooms for them both, asap. If they cannot forget the grudge, they likely will not bond in the future.

She needs to be spayed. Theyre not trying to be dominant. Shes hormonal. Hormonal rabbits have two things on their mind: fighting for territory, and breeding. A fixed rabbit will act hormonally when around a hormonal rabbit as they “feed” off of the hormones coming through their scent. You cannot think about bonding them until she is spayed.

[sarahthegemini]

Oh goodness, rabbits can be very determined! How long ago was your boy neutered? Males can remain fertile for upto a month after neutering so if it’s within that time frame, your doe could be pregnant. If it’s been longer than a month, phew

Hopefully that isn’t a concern. Because they’ve fought, and quite badly by the sounds of it, they’ll need to be placed in separate rooms for a while to give them both a chance to forget the other. This is really important because bunnies can hold grudges towards one another so if they are able to forget the other one you still have a good chance of bonding them further down the line

[joea64]

You know, with all the stories I hear of un-altered rabbits of opposite gender going at it hammer and tongs, I sometimes wonder how, even with the hormones running, they manage to tolerate one another long enough to mate…

[Mikey]

@Joea, all I can think of would be angry one night stands LOL. “I must fight everything that enters my territory!” *sees another rabbit* “Oh right, I must also breed” *mates* “Now get out, this is my home, not yours!” *fights until one leaves the territory*

[DanaNM]

I’ve read that in the wild, when the female is ready to mate, she will go into the males territory (and then leave once the deed is done). And she will fight any males that try to come into her territory! 

. . . 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.  

[April]

Thanks everyone for the responses! My male was neutered over a year ago so no chance she is pregnant. I plan to have her spayed as soon as I can. I will definitely separate them for now and try to reintroduce them after she is healed. From the sound of DanaNM’s post maybe my female is ready to breed, therefore ready to be spayed very soon.

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