Territorial?

[Moniluv]

We adopted two holland lop sisters, at 10 weeks old, about a month ago. They have completely opposite demeanors. One pretty laid back, the other very curious and isn’t a huge fan being held. Within the last week I’ve noticed quite a bit of pee on the wall of their hutch and on the large tile we have under their feeding tray, as well as the diy ‘tent’ we made them. I’m starting to wonder if they’ve begun fighting with each other?? One morning last week I went out early to water my garden and noticed quite a bit of hair, in chunks, in their cage. I mentioned it to my husband and he said he had heard a commotion in the cage as he was leaving for work. They’re typically pretty cuddly with each other but it seems like they’re resting more and more apart. They are also rubbing their chins on everything, like everything. They have not been altered. Is that our issue? We have them just for pets, not show or anything like that. Is there a way to stop their ’fighting’ ? Or is there anything I can use to make them stop spraying?

 

[Mac189]

First things first, I'd check to make sure they are both females. While females certainly can and will spray urine to mark their territory, it is a much more common trait in male rabbits. You will want to figure that out ASAP and separate to prevent an unwanted pregnancy if one is a male.

They are also likely fighting, especially if you are finding chunks of hair around the cage. Typically bonds in baby rabbits do not last through the teen years and you will need to rebond post spay. You probably want to separate them for now and get both spayed as soon as you can rebond and alleviate the spraying and hormonal behavior. Altering normally stops spraying and should stop fighting, although only after you properly bond them 4-6 weeks following the operation. Hope this helps!

 

[Blue eyes]

Agreed! They are turning hormonal and that can lead to fighting -- even severe, injury causing (or worse) fighting. They should be separated until they are old enough to spay. Once spayed, they'll need some time to heal and then they would need to be re-introduced (as if they are meeting for the first time). Bonding can be a process. Some go easily. Some do not. You can read more about bonding in the interim so you'll know what to watch for.