I think my new baby bunny is a bully - I think he scared my 9mo old bunny

[Tweetiepy]

I got Peaches around easter - so he's about 9 months old. We got Popcorn (also male) to keep him company later - however, now they're separated in different cages in the basement and they have separate run areas too. They can however sniff each other through the bars - their noses are almost touching. When we first got Popcorn, we put him near Peaches - I thought it was Peaches who lunged (I may be mistaken), Now when Popcorn stands on his hind legs in his Xpen, Peaches can reach over his 14" grid to actually touch him. Now maybe 3 times, I heard a sound (like growling) and Peaches and Popcorn separate. Today I found out that the sound is coming from Popcorn - is it possible that he's a bully?

He's only 9 weeks old maybe, could he really be mad about sharing his territory? He seems so eager to sniff out Peaches and have him nearby (everytime Peaches comes close to the edge of the cages, he runs alongside him. I'm not sure if it's an actual growling noise or just some sort of noise, could he look like he wants to get close but be a bully when he does? He seems so small to act like this. Could it be that Peaches is indifferent to the bunny that's frustrating the baby?

AND, does it mean that when I try to bond them, he'll be the dominant one? Peaches is such a softie!

 

[elrohwen]

Growling can also be defensive. I think, as humans, we often misinterpret animal behavior as aggressive that is actually defensive. It's very possible your new baby bunny is just very nervous around this new older bunny and is growling to tell him to stay back. Actually, in my opinion, the majority of aggressive behavior comes from a place of fear, not a place of dominance or bullying. Dominance is typically displayed in humping or chasing away from resources - often the bunny doing the growling or lunging is the one who is scared and doesn't know what else to do.

It could also be a noise that's unrelated to aggression or defense - it could be a honking or something out of excitement.

I think at this point it's way too early to tell which bun will be dominant. Bunnies don't ac the same way with us as they do with other bunnies, so they can surprise us when put with another rabbit. Also, baby bunnies change quite a bit with neutering and age, so how he acts now may not indicate how he will really act once neutered and re-introduced to Peaches. It's just so hard to say.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

When Lilli is excited she honks--treats, food, etc. Usually when I first open her hutch she will come over and growl then start grooming me. Rabbits are silly. You need to catch them in the act and see what their body language tells you to really interpret their actions.

 

[Luluznewz]

I would try to avoid thinking about one of the rabbits as a "bully". I think as people we tend to project our own feelings onto animals, and oftentimes those emotions are way more complicated then the animal actually is capable of feeling. Also, sometimes we just misinterpret.

Even if it is the young rabbit making the noise, that doesn't make him a "bully". He is either afraid, excited, or territorial, and all those emotions are perfectly justified in animals mind.

I would avoid making any judgments until both of the animals are neutered and healed. How they feel about each other after that will probably change, so its not really worth worrying about now anyway.

That being said, it sounds like it would be a bad idea to put them together now, so it seems like you are doing the right thing keeping them separated.

 

[Tweetiepy]

Actually, today the young bunny was stretching up the side of his cage, his little front paw was out, then Peaches moved in - way too fast for me to register what happened but I think he went for the paw and he might have tried to bite. The sound may have come from Popcorn, it might have been oinking now that I think of it. I'm keeping them separated but close until Popcorn gets fixed.