They're fighting...again!

[Topaz]

This is the third or fourth time, and I'm really getting scared they may seriously hurt each other. I have 3 rabbits - Jasper (black dwarf mix,) Marlowe (agouti dwarf mix,) and Gypsy (french lop mix.) They're all spayed/neuterd. The boys were neutered 6 months ago and not sure when Gypsy was spayed (she's from a shelter.) Jasper is the main issue. He's always the one to start fighting...out of the blue! I have no idea what's causing this, and today I actually saw him and Marlowe laying on their sides pulling fur off each other's faces and kicking like crazy. When my fiance gets home, we're going to divide the pen, but I really don't know what to do now. I can't keep two separate bun cages this this apartment, and it'll kill me if I have to give up Jasper. I'm going to try re-intro's again...but if it fails and they fight again, I may not have a choice :cry2

 

[NorthernAutumn]

First off, you will not likely be able to bond these 3 rabbits together.
It seems to happen very rarely,and only between the most docile creatures.

You don't need to have two separate rabbit cages if you are using NIC cubes. Build a joined rabbit house, with a partition.

Who does gypsy belong to? Jasper or Marlowe? Put her and her mate in one side of the house, and put the remaining bun in the other half of the cage.

Rotate how you let them out. Don't bother having Jasper and Marlowe interacting again unless you are going to be doing it in foreign territory; ie. a room they are never allowed in.
I would not let them out to play together at all. If they intend to get along they may lay up against the dividing wall; unfortunately, this is a hard, long road to bunny friendship, that may never happen.

It sounds like there is a major battle for territory, and potentially over Gypsy. Neutered or not.

(I have a pair of rabbits, and a solitary male. The two males don't get along at all. Thus, I let the male out for half the day in the exercise area, then put him back, then take the pair out. I don't have the time to work on improving the rabbit relationships right now, and I don't have the money for a spontaneous vet trip if someone is severely injured. Thus, they are not together.)

Hope these suggestions are helpful Have you checked each one over for wounds?

 

[Topaz]

I've check them all for wounds, and there's just a couple scratches and lots of fur missing. I'm using an exercise pen and NICs joined for a cage that's about 6 ft long and 3 feet deep with no top. I'll just have to do what you said and divide them. Originally, Jasper and Marlowe were bonded, unneutered males. They were together when I got them (they were dump offs from a local breeder who didn't want them anymore.) I got them neutered, and a couple months later intro'ed Gypsy. Even before Gypsy came into the picture, every once in a great while Jasper would start a fight with Marlowe, then things would calm down and everyone would be right as rain. It seems to be random when they fight (at least to me.) Looks like Jasper will just be on his own for good, which is pretty heart breaking...but way better than giving him up. I was worried that having a split cage would still allow him to pull fur out and bite at the other two. Gypsy gets along best with Marlowe, and she often mounts Jasper, but he always seemed to just shrug it off. Last night the fighting started with Jasper chasing and kicking Gypsy, which was a new one on me.

 

[NorthernAutumn]

Slightly overlap two grids to make the holes smaller on the dividing panels, to reduce ability to bite and grab.

I'm sorry to hear about the un-bonding... that's really rough
I'm sure you know about putting polysporine on the scratches, and not using hydrogen peroxide

 

[Topaz]

Yeah, I have to use it on rats whenever they get too rough with playing.

Thanks for your help. If I have any issues with this, I'll be sure to ask it here.

ETA: I am going to offer him for adoption, but not immediately. He'll always have a home here, but I would like to be on the look out for anyone who could give him an awesome home where his play time won't be cut so short due to not being able to be with the other two buns. This is breaking my heart, but I don't feel it's fair to him to be kept in a smaller pen with shorter play times.

 

[NorthernAutumn]

I build my NIC condos up, vertically, to give more room.
I split play time in half. no one gets short-changed.
Sorry, but I think you should give this a chance to play out.

 

[Topaz]

I am giving it a chance first to see how things go. I just want to open his options some. I just hope I have enough NICs to do this...

ETA: After my initial panic, I talked to a fellow bun owner who has multiples as well as the fiance, I think we found the right solution so my Jasper will stay. Such a huge relief

 

[jamieg25]

my kids fight too if they are together so i know what you are going through

what i do is use seperate cages and i just put the cages next to each other so there is a side that is against the other cage

i do take them to neutral territory once in a while but the fighting still happens there