Rabbit fight :-(

Hi all my rabbits had a fight 2 days ago and my smallest bunny got his tail bitten off :-(

I feel so bad, they had been fine together until penny turned on bam bam :-(

I have used various antiseptic creams etc and bam bams bum wound is starting to scab over, I am keeping him inside until it fully heals and change his litter tray and keeping him on newspaper not wood shavings so the wound does not get infected...

Just wondering if anybody else has experienced this or if anybody has any advice?

Thank you
Andrea

Rabbits who aren't neutered will usually start to fight once they reach sexual maturity. How old are your rabbits? If they are around four months old, you can try getting them neutered and re-bonding them after a couple of months when their hormones have settled down, but some rabbits will never get along. As for the wound, if it is scabbing over, that is a good sign. I would continue to keep him indoors as you have been until it is completely healed.

Agreed. Many who are new to bunnies are surprised to know that it can be quite difficult for bunnies to actually get along. I think this myth is perpetuated when people see baby bunnies altogether at a pet store. The natural assumption is that all bunnies get along. The reality is that nothing is further from the truth.

Once those hormones kick in, rabbits can get nasty. Usually both rabbits (regardless of gender) need to be fixed before true bonding can begin. Once hormones have had time to settle after surgery, then the process of bonding can begin.

You are lucky that you were able to prevent further damage. Some fights end up far worse.

If you'd like more detailed advice from members here, then please let us know the ages and genders of your rabbits and how long you have had them together.

Hi thanks for your replies, penny has been speyed and is 1 years old, bam bam is 3 months old and they have been out in neutral ground together and seemed fine then I tried again and penny really tore into bam bam :-(

His wound is healing over and scabbing, I'm going to keep an eye on it but I don't think he will ever have a tail again :-(

I guess they will never get along unfortunately

Andrea
Xx

Bonding rabbits can be tricky. It may still be possible to bond them, but you should wait til your male is neutered and wait 4-6 weeks for the hormones to fade. If he was mounting and harassing your female, that could very well be why she attacked him. Mounting isn't only a hormonal behavior, but is also a dominance behavior, and with your female being spayed, she would see such a thing as this boy bun trying to be dominant over her and not just a frisky hormonal boy, which could have lead to irritation and then aggression on her part. I would suggest checking out this link as it has some good bonding advice, and make sure to check the info about bonding the groups, as there is helpful bonding info in them.
http://www.wheekwheekthump.com/2013...rs-guide-rabbit-bonding-everything-need-know/

He wasn't trying to hump her she actually chased him and he was frightened and before I could stop her she bit off his tail :-(

I don't think I want to risk trying to bond them again

Andrea