FIGHTING FEMALE BUNNIES

[Smoggy]

I am hoping you can help please -Wehave two female house rabbits and got themat 8/10 weeks old from a reputable petstore. They are exotics - lop eared, semi dwarf, semi harlequin, beige. They are sisters named Meadow and Willow and were bothspayed at 6 months. They have reached sexual maturity nowand are roughly a year old. Both bunnieshave a 'free range' lifestyle...They live/sleep inour living room which opens into a dining room (converted playroom)They also have the run of the garden which we have bunny proofed. Webought a large second hand hutchoutside so as they canshelter there if they wish.

Recently they have begunto fight (almost two weeks ago), at first it was hard to see who was chasing who and both bunnies had lacerations to head and body, I am certain now however that it is Willow who is the aggressor. I have been conversing with our vet and she has only come across spayed female fighting in one other bunny couple and this pair are separated to this day. She says however that she knows lots of female couples which are happy together.

As soon as our Bunsstarted to fight I separated them, one had to sleep in the outdoor hutch and one inside alternating and also one in and one out at all times during the day.We introduce them to each other every day to try to keep the bond alive and as long as they are supervised and in a confined space this goes very well, they have startedto groom each other but its mostly Meadow grooming Willow. We unite them mostly on their little bed (a wooden dolls bed which they have adopted)in the kitchen where they feel insecure and seek each others comfort, the floor is tiled and they hate that. Bringing them onto neutral ground in this wayseems to work well...

As a result, todayI have decided to try moving them into the kitchen. I put a bit of carpet down under a counter...their bed, baskets, chew stuffand litter tray...It is working well so far, although they are still a bit jumpy & have circled each other a couple of times.I feel that at night we should continue to keep them apart as I am still concerned that fighting may begin again. I am hoping however thathousing them on neutral ground for a while and letting them into the garden separately (they were fighting out there as well asindoors)that in time their instinct to try to dominate and fight forterritory might pass.

Meadow and Willow werea very loving pair, together much of the time (less as they got older) butthey have always slept together in the middle of our carpet anddolls bed and lovingly and constantly grooming. Willowhas lost a lot of weight and they both are possibly depressed. Willow doesn't show much of an interest in the garden anymore and I haven't seen her frolicking and running around or grazing for a while. Meadow seems quiet but is OK, if they get a chance in the open...fighting begins with thetail sniff, a chase, then fight with fur flyingeverywhere, they thump, tails are up and I have heard some squealing in pain during one fight. It is all so distressing andtheir 'routine' has been turned upside down to say the least. I dread having to separate them permanently, I feel thiswould be tragicand I cant imagine finding an owner who would give one of them a life with completefreedom in safely...I amagainst caging any animal.

They are great characters, like cats in many ways. They lick my face and groom myhairand tolerate our children very well(the kidsare continuously coached in handling them and have a special affinity with animals) We have learnt that the Buns prefer not to be held but are very affectionate with us in general. Is it possible do you think for us to work this out without having to keep them separated? Have you come across this type of fighting before? I would appreciateyour advice or guidance...


Thanks for taking the time to read this.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

We had a bonded pair of females for 5 years--one day they started fighting, seriously, so we had to separate them permanently as we didn't want the vet to get too dependent on us.

 

[ZRabbits]

So sorry to hear about your girls and the split in the their bond. As someone who had a similar experience with two of my bonded pair, I can understand your sadness of the split and the anxiety of trying to get them back to the bond they had before.

Dobby and Kreacher, were bonded at 4 weeks and had a very good relationship until they both hit 4 months. That's when the circling and humping started, continuously. After their neutering at 4-1/2 months, they settled in, the humping started to decline, but the tolerance level of the one having it done was shorter. Things escalated and at times they would rush each other in their crate. Removing Kreacher during those escalating times, allowing them to settle down and then putting him back seem to work. But unfortunately woke up one morning to find that Kreacher had "barbered", meaning pulled hair from Dobby's face. I was lucky Dobby did not retaliate. They have been split ever since. They are now 1 year old.

My Rabbit Savvy warned me, along with the breeder, that this bond might not last. That rabbits aren't intended to live together, very much independent individuals, and these independent ways sets off territorial and dominance, even after the removal of hormones. Some of the stories my Vet told me, was not to scare, but were honest. Think cat fights are bad, rabbits fight to the death. And they don't forget anything, whether done deliberately or accidentally by another.

Keeping the girls in a neutral setting will be your only way, I would think too, to try to get that bond back. With the weight loss and lethargic behavior, the stress level for your girls is really high, which is not good for bunnies. Also, the sad fact is, they may never bond again. You can't force bunnies to bond. They either fight and hurt or kill each other, or the stress will kill them.

K

 

[Smoggy]

Thanks for your reply, i understand your reason for separating your bunnies.You must have found it very sad.The fighting is horrendous and iam told that they can actuallykill each other! I am going to keep trying to work on keeping them apart indoors and outdoors in hope that the situation will resolve itself...The supervisedbonding sessions are going very wellso this is giving me much hope...

 

[Smoggy]

...Thank you very much for your reply, i appreciate your honesty - It saddens me even more to read your response. I will take the Buns to the vet tomorrow for a check up. I like to think that despite the stress/confusion/frustration that things have improved. I was told about bunnies fighting to the death at the pet shop where i bought the bunnies, but this was only a few days ago while loking for informative.You are the second person to inform me indetail of this fact.

They are reallyloving together during their bonding sessions and are clearly more relaxed. A new 'hutch' on neutral ground has gone very well indeed. I am scared by what you have told me however, i had no idea that getting two bunniesmight end this way. I specifically got twothinking that the company would bebeneficial. Ihave to carefully consider the risksif we do decide to keep them together.

Thanks again...

 

[MyBabyHasPaws]

So sorry to hear this, I hope all goes well.

 

[Smoggy]

Thank you, i am amazed so far at how well the kitchen is working, i have set up a great little space for them and although they have circled eachother a few times and Meadow is definetly nervous at times of getting bitten, it has gone extremely well. They are completely relaxed on their bed, both grooming, lounging, sleeping and content. I let them out separately into the garden and one is in the outdoor hutch at night just in case. But it is like at present that because they are confined to a small space, where they cannot chase theres nothing to fight for or to drive them to fight...I left them alone today while i nipped out which worried me, but they were wrapped up together sleeping and i hated to disturb them and thank God when i got back it was the same. They definetly seem to be in better much better form all around and more energetic. It would be so cool if this works, i know they say bunnies don't forget but i am hoping that if i give them enough time to bond again in this way, that they will let go of their instinct to fight. I am off to the vet now...Fingers crossed!

 

[ZRabbits]

Fingers crossed!

K

 

[Smoggy]

The vet said that the Buns are fine, Willows weight is down yes but i know shes been gradually fattenning up over the past week - we've all been helping her to eat and giving her praise and she seems content.
I am glad that they are fine medically, i am certain now that this is a behavioural isssue about dominance. It is amazing however to see how RELAXED and loving they are in eachothers company in their new 'hutch'. It is really wonderful to see them back to normal, i am so tempted to let them out into the garden together and i am very tempted to leave them together cuddling at night but i know that i must be very patient and wait for as long as possible until i do this. One day at a time i guess and as my vet said it is most likely that when we get to this stage and they are settled together, it is a possibility that fighting will start again but that if this is the case, i will know or get the warning signs and have subsequently will have time to separate them.

 

[ZRabbits]

Glad to hear bunnies are healthy,

Time and patience is the key.

Wishing you continued success with the bonding.

K

 

[Smoggy]

...Thank you very much indeed!

 

[Smoggy]

Good news on The Buns...
There has been tremendous excitement in the house and i would not have had the courage to let bunnies together again if not for advice from a breeder on an 'irishrabbits' forum...
The kitchen continues to go well but now the Buns are wandering boldly back into the living room having mastered the slippy floors and this is where Willow trys to show who is boss. There was one mouth full of fur yesterday morning but with loads of coaching and encouragement we've made so much progress...
Willow gives Meadow the sniff and that sends her running, so then there is a chase but that seems to be what it is reduced to now. Meadow is really nervous of getting bitten but is sticking to her guns and is not going to let Willow evict her!
I plan now to let them settle back into the living room...their old stomping ground and will move their food back in soon. I will tackle the garden next. They have been fighting just as much outside unfortunately...Willow is marking everything she comes in contact with and is on the prowl. However I do think that she is responding to 'be nice', 'no fighting' and then loads of praise when a connection is made without aggression...And they are grooming, relaxed and affectionate together at times in the living room despite the nerves! Heirarchy is being established but please God with a lack of 'blood' at long last!
I may let them out into the garden later and see what happens, the dreadful wet weather we've been having hopefully will be a bit of a distraction! I long to see them grazing together again!...
As said the vet was very pleased with the girls and although she has cautioned me about letting them sleep together again and about keeping them apart while fighting...I have been working hard at trying to unite them, researching and taking calculated risks which seems to be working well.
The bond is very strong between them and my vet agrees that it is likely that i will get ample warning if serious fighting sparks up again.
I will continue to cross my fingers, keep at it and be careful!

 

[Smoggy]

...Based on the great results we've had with the bonding, this afternoon i let the Buns out into our garden together...It was fantastic, despite the threatening tail sniff and chase there has been nothing more and they are so much happier. Willow is much happier, Meadow understandably is still very jumpy but Willow looked cheerful outside, I haven't seen that in her for ages. And at last they are hanging out as a pair. Wow!
...I am moving them back into the living room which is where they want to be based and i think they are clearly united again...Long may it last.