Questions please help

[emg103]

Hello everyone. My name is Ed. My wife Maureen and i have male rabbits.

Dash (brown) and Cole (black)

They are both under 6 months of age. Dash the slightly older one doesnot want anything to do with Cole. We have them in serperate cages. ButI let them run around in our very safe, very secure, backyard. WheneverCole runs up to Dash, he just runs away. But Cole persist. When theyfirst met, they did fight. I quickly broke it up. But it never happenedagain. They now run around the yard but Dash does avoid Cole. Do weneed to get them neutered? Or just keep them serperated. Cole is veryfriendly and sweet. Dash however does not seem to like being held. Hehas scrathed me with his feet because he kicks sometimes when I pickhim up. And the past two days, I havefound a pee stain on myshirt after I put in back in his hutch. Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance!

 

[naturestee]

It is harder to bond boys than girl pairs orneutered boy/girl pairs. Neutering is a must if you want totry to bond them. It will also solve the pee-stained shirtproblem. You're being marked as property. Take itas a complement!

It sounds like Cole is bullying Dash. This can be stressfulfor him, so you might want to consider keeping them separate if youdon't want to neuter them and try bonding them. I wouldn'twant to risk the chance of fighting.

Check out the Bunny 101 thread on bonding to learn the tricks of thetrade. It can be a long process, but it's worth it!

Bonding Bunnies

 

[emg103]

Thanks for your advice naturestee!

Any idea, why Dash kicks and doesn't seem to like to be held.

Cole is so much more outgoing and friendly.

Thanks!

 

[naturestee]

Many rabbits do not enjoy being pickedup. It's scary, and it triggers reactions related to gettingaway from predators. I wouldn't be too concerned- all of mineare hard to pick up, even though they constantly beg to bepetted. I give them a treat after I set them back down, and Imake sure they are held safe and securely with a hand on their back incase they kick. You do have to be careful with that- theyhave been known to hurt themselves.

 

[Lissa]

I have had Pristine since last July and she isthe tamest and friendliest bunny ever. But she does NOT likedto be picked up. We can pet her and kiss her and cuddle herall we want but when it comes to picking her up off thegrounds she FREAKS. I don't think she'll ever get over this.

 

[alfie and angel]

Hi,If Cole doesn't seem to mind being held thenyou're very lucky. Most rabbits don't appreciate being held and thekicking is a panic-reaction to a frightening situation which could bedangerous for Dash's back.For more info on holding rabbits properlythere are plenty of threads on the forum containing handling tips thatwill help him feel more secure. To be honest he probably won't enjoy itbut if it makes those times when it's essential to pick him up easier,then it's worth mastering the proper technique.Good luck with them both- at under 6mnths of age, you could very well find that dash calms downand becomes friendlier as he matures. Neutering also seems to help.

 

[emg103]

Thank you all for your great tips and advice! Iwill definetly look into neutering. I heard neutering rabbits isexpensive, is this true? As far as, Dash goes...he'S great. Other thanthat he doesn't seem too friendly. He doesn't bite or anything. Hedoesn't really seem to excited when we approach his cage. Which usuallymeans he's going to be fed. Cole on the other hand, stands up and"begs". I guess they just have different personality. Trust me we spoilthem, so they should be happy when we're around. I'll read up onhandling to make sure I'm not doing anything to hurt him. Dash justseems quite content being left alone.

Thanks again for all your help and by all means please continue to post your advice and tips! I greatly appreciate it!

 

[emg103]

One more question...based on this photo whatkind or breedof rabbits are Dash and Cole. I did notice thatCole seems smaller than Dash. Also, Cole's ears are shorter.

Thanks again!