My rabbits just decided to attack WHY??!!

[solam]

I have to rabbits

Bedaine: 10 months and operated female

Babine: 6 months and not operated yet female.

They both have been living together for 4 months with perfect contentment.

Now today Babine tried to mount the eldest. Babine was always the dominated one. She was always shy and very discreet. Bedaine refused to be mounted and since then both fight and when I say fight I mean fight. I have to seperate them and sometimes I have to yell for Bedaine to stop bitting babine who is the youngest.



They live in the big condo cage since the begining. I bought it when I got the second rabbit. It was neutral territory at the time.



Now my question is why do they now fight when before they were the best of friends, and beside the operation which I will get as soon as possible what can I do? I want them back the way they were together. Before they would sit and sleep together they would lick each other and they would eat together. They were the best of friends.



Thanks for all your help

 

[kirbyultra]

This is fairly common teenage bunny behavior. When they're babies, everything is fine. Then one day one or both hit puberty and the hormones start to rage and they just get very aggressive or territorial. They'll attack best friends and bonds will break. Your best bet right now is to make sure they're separated so they don't hurt each other. Spay your other bunny and wait a few weeks... then try to put them together again. I think keeping them together may hurt the relationship more because your submissive bunny may feel very sad and angry that her friend has turned on her and continually attacks her.


You can keep them close enough to each other to smell and see each other so they don't become strangers, but keep them far enough apart that the naughty one can't hurt the other bunny until they are both spayed.

 

[jamesedwardwaller]

kirbyultra wrote:

This is fairly common teenage bunny behavior. When they're babies, everything is fine. Then one day one or both hit puberty and the hormones start to rage and they just get very aggressive or territorial. They'll attack best friends and bonds will break. Your best bet right now is to make sure they're separated so they don't hurt each other. Spay your other bunny and wait a few weeks... then try to put them together again. I think keeping them together may hurt the relationship more because your submissive bunny may feel very sad and angry that her friend has turned on her and continually attacks her.


You can keep them close enough to each other to smell and see each other so they don't become strangers, but keep them far enough apart that the naughty one can't hurt the other bunny until they are both spayed.

territorial,,yes...will require supervision if close enough..//....-helen-hows my kirby--doing??..sincerely james waller...order any meds yet??

 

[kirbyultra]

Sweet Kirby is doing just fine No need to administer any meds yet, thankfully.

 

[slavetoabunny]

We had two sister buns at the shelter that a person was considering for adoption, but wasn't sure because they had recently had to be separated for fighting. The adopter was unsure whether or not to get them both. I was able to convince her to adopt both, keep them separate but close to each other, and then bond once spayed.

I just talked to her about two weeks ago. She did as I recommended and now they are very bonded.