Doe Rabbit Is Aggressive

We went to the state rabbit show and had a hard time finding a mini rex rabbit to buy but got one from the top rabbit shoe contestants in the state, not that it matters. Little Moonlight, the fellas 6th grade daughter said "she is such a ciuddler and so sweet". She cuddled the whole way home on my lap mellow as can be. She was introduced to her step brother who is 4 y/o I guess Moonlight is 7 months. We let them feel each other out and it was an instant meelee on the carpet my wife and I jumping up to rescue them both. So now when the 7 m/o doe is in the cage the older buck(very friendly bunny otherwise) will put its face up to the cage and they both just scrap at each other thru the cage like boxers BOTH aggressive. Now recently even reaching into the cage with kale the young doe will jump out at me and not bite but very aggressively saying stay away, I am just trying to feed her and she is very allusive even trying to get her to simply hold her.

They are now seprated we picked the 7 m/o doe up saturday so today is wednesday

Whats going on I called about getting the doe fixed the buck was fixed at 6-7 months and again is now 4.

She needs to be spayed and have time to heal before introducing her to your male. She is in full hormonal mode and isn't likely to be happy -- about anything.

Once she's spayed and has had time to heal, she should calm down considerably. In the meantime, keep the two rabbits totally apart, be extra patient with her and read, read, read all about bonding rabbits.

Don't bother trying to hold her. She needs time to adjust to her new home. If she were already spayed, the settling in could take several weeks. But since she's hormonal, everything will be out of whack for her.

Since they are now super aggressive toward each other (probably because of her hormones) just separate them - each in their own room. They need to forget that they don't like each other for any hope of them bonding after she is spayed.

Thank you from the reading I did I kind of figured but you have helped me Blue Eyes. So 7-8 months is about right time to get spayed? I have only had males are does considerably smaller when adults size wise? I gues she is born Jan4 so 8 months. What does hormonal mean? Thanks

Again the male is the sweetest lil guy but they will be kept apart.

If there is any chance she is pregnant, that could also cause her to be abnormally aggressive to another rabbit, or even people.

In regards to age of spay- most vets CAN do it as young as 2 months (although most prefer to wait a little longer). I personally recommend doing it around 4-6 months of age depending on breed (for the giants, I recommend waiting quite a bit longer, however). Female rabbits are sometimes very aggressive to to fluctuating levels of estrogen and (particularly) progesterone. These hormones can make any female animal quite grumpy. Spaying often helps (but not always) because it removes the source of the estrogen and progesterone (both in the ovaries) as well as alleviates any pain caused by adenomas and adenocarcinomas (benign and neoplastic tumors respectively).

7 months is a good age to spay if the rabbit is healthy. I would do it now. She's acting completely normally for an hormonal doe - putting rabbits in contact when one of them is intact is a big nono, the hormonal rabbit is often agressive and territorial and, for whatever reason, it tends to awaken 'phantom' hormones in the neutered rabbit and make them act as if they were intact. So, separate, spay as soon as possible and try an introduction (by the book, in a neutral controlled space!) when she is healed. Considering how agressive they are toward each other right now, I wouldn't even let them see each other until then to let things calm down - creating bad memories together and a habit of lunging at each other's throat really isn't going to help the bonding process later on.

Thanks so much for such caring information! Great information When I do reach down to lift hermid torso she makes quiet whimpers like it bothers her but she is eating just fine and drinking. I will call the vet today. I have had males before she is really a little p nut if she is 8 months old. Are bunnies fully grown at 8 months? Yes I need to keep observing this forum for good overall information and reading

So I did separated them last night and this morning Moonlight let me reach into the cage and pet her and I gave her a couple raisins. So she is still skitterish but this am approachable. Snoopy the older male is hoping around like nothing matters exploring climbing sniffing so maybe a happy family after all. Will talk to vet. I understand now hay a little pellets is really what they need to thrive with a small cup of leafy greens daily. What about veggies to much convertible sugar? What are good safe treats nothing from the store per say? I value this forum so much great group great solid kind information, I love bunnies from a 58 year old baby boomer!

Separated them into different rooms I meant

Treats depends on who you ask. Safest bet is nothing from the store but I personally use some Oxbow treats (baked little biscuit things- but I break them up into quarters). Even small pieces of fruit can be used if the rabbit is otherwise healthy (rabbits LOVE bananas ) Pieces of carrot have a lot of sugar, but are totally fine to be used as well (as a treat- sparingly of course!). You can also just use pellets AS treats (I have one rabbit who gets fat by just looking at food- so he only gets pellets as treats) or different 'flavors' of hay (e.g. if you normally use Timothy, use a bit of Orchard or Oat).

Thanks. Wife was home for lunch and lil moonlight let her pet her though she is still getting used to new home and is anxious. Vet appt Wednesday Great input to move em to different rooms

Moonlight has turned into a little cuddler. She will pop up onto the couch lie down in our laps and roll to have her belly petted. Snoopy the male barged thru the gate on the steps and chased her as we clamored to intervene however. So we will be patient and keep reading. I will get some picks Moonlight. Say what works best to keep the Moonlight from feasting on furniture is there a best spray for the furniture thats safe?

Making little noises and whimpers is also normal for a hormonal rabbit - they tend to do it when they get a bit agitated. Aki did before her spay and was completely silent ever since except for the 'that's sooo good' mumble she makes when eating a piece of carrot or something she really likes.
For treats, I'm personnally partial to dried apple slices. It's super cheap and easy to make (you cut thin apple slices, put them on a tray and then on the heater during the winter or in the cooling oven after cooking something in it and turning it off... when it's dried, you store them in a box and that's it). I'm leary of store bought treats which are generally full of things rabbits shouldn't eat and I avoid anything too sugary as Aki is the kind of rabbit who will gain a pound eating a leaf of lettuce.

For the furniture. Er... sorry, there isn't a single repellant that works and I advise you against trying tips you can sometimes find on the internet like putting tabasco / vinegar on things because you might make your bunny really sick (I remember someone who had put tabasco on the stairs because their rabbit used to eat them and found the rabbit gleefully licking the stuff a few hours later - I don't remember if an upset tummy was involved but that's a real possibility, the bottom line being that it didn't deter the rabbit at all from eating anything anyway ^^). Rabbits do calm down as they get older, but the first year or so is kinda hard. I've lost countless things to my rabbits' sharp teeth. Managing by 'bunny proofing' as much as you can the rooms they have access to without you watching over them is the only thing you can do. Don't forget to put hard plastic covers on ALL the electrical cords she has access to. Redirecting by providing destroyable things is also a good idea: carboard boxes, cisal mats, apple tree / hazelnut tree branches are all good things to keep Thumper occupied without killing your furniture.

I seem to remember you asked about when they are fully grown. It depends on the breed, but generally 7-8 months is considered to be the ideal age for a spay as pet breeds of rabbits (dwarf lops, nethies...) will be fully grown or almost which make them able to bear the anesthesia better, but it's early enough that no tumor will be there yet. That way, the vet can take out only the ovaries and not the whole uterus (plus tumors) which makes for a much lighter operation and a less painful and quicker recovery.

I had a bonded pair of females, an English Spot and a Dutch. I also have a female Himmie and a male Palomino who are bonded and live together. My Himmie and Dutch did not like each other and were kept separate. I have two outdoor pens so each pair lived in one pen each. Sadly my Dutch died and I want to put the Spot in with the Himmie and Palomino. But the Himmie does like the Spot and chases and tries to bite her bum. So they are apart. I do not know their ages but think the Spot is about a year older. I think that because the spot lived with the Dutch the Himmie has a grudge against her although I wish they could all bond. If I put the Palomino with the Spot they are fine but when I put the Palomino back with the Himmie she gets mad at him. If I could put them all together I could remove one of my 60 square foot pens.