• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.

Fighting boys

Jennie Wright

Warren Scout
Hi, I have two nuted boys, one seems to be very dominant and it was like world war 3 in the garden on Saturday, couldn't stop him from chasing the other and fighting!! It was awful ...... The chased one seemed to be nervous as soon as he approached!! Watched them a lot in the hutch/run yesterday. They were sitting together, washing each other, then another time, he would be chasing him again! What should I do? So don't want to split them and try and bond them as when they are happy, they do seem ok. Any ideas??? They are 8 and 9 months approx.

I didn't try telling them no etc but it was not working...
 
Hi, I have two nuted boys, one seems to be very dominant and it was like world war 3 in the garden on Saturday, couldn't stop him from chasing the other and fighting!! It was awful ...... The chased one seemed to be nervous as soon as he approached!! Watched them a lot in the hutch/run yesterday. They were sitting together, washing each other, then another time, he would be chasing him again! What should I do? So don't want to split them and try and bond them as when they are happy, they do seem ok. Any ideas??? They are 8 and 9 months approx.

I didn't try telling them no etc but it was not working...

Do you have any other Rabbits ?

Janex
 
2 of mine were like that, they were best of friends in their own shed but as soon as they went on the garden they fought.

If you do have other bunnies, they will smell them on the garden and that will be the reason for the fighting i expect.
 
Hi
No these are my only two. No other pets either One was nuted when I got him the other in May, June.
The garden fighting is bad enough but am so worried when I see him chasing around the hutch. Any more ideas???
 
Hi
No these are my only two. No other pets either One was nuted when I got him the other in May, June.
The garden fighting is bad enough but am so worried when I see him chasing around the hutch. Any more ideas???

thats my line of thought coem to an end then...a sit takes a while post nueture for the hormones to sort themselve sout, but not usually 5 months :-(
 
Well, its been over the last couple of month but it wasn't every time, it seems to have got worse over the last few weeks. Before they would be out and not do it, but then sometimes they would but for the last few weeks its been every time. Also, never seen it in the hutch/run before - so worried I am going to have to split them up.
Thanks
 
fighting boys - really need advise

Tonight has been awful, fighting continuously, sprayed water, put foot in, couldn't stop them. When I did, they started again. Split them up for 5 mins, one in hutch one in conservatory. Put back in hutch and all hell broke out, fighting again, bashing into stuff! Now got one in hutch and one in hutch in conservatory! What should I do????? Keep them like that or try again? Don't want to split long term but am thinking its likely. Any help would be SO gratefully recieved. New to rabbit owning so no experience!!! Thanks
 
Two neutered males don't always work. I'd separate them asap. Then maybe introduce them again slowly on netural ground in a couple of weeks. If that doesn't work, think about getting girlfriends for them.
 
You might be able to keep them together if you keep the territory constant e.g. no moving between garden/hutch/conservatory/run etc. as everytime they go to a new place it's likely to trigger a dominance battle over territory (doesn't matter if they were just there yesterday - they still have to settle it as new territory).

Unfortunately in my experience once males have started fighting in the majority of cases they don't stop :( Long term seperation may be your only solution.

Tamsin
 
I thought as much!!! Imust admit I thought once they were separated it meant they could not go back together. Will do as suggested, keep apart now and try in a couple of weeks and if no luck maybe looking for two lovely ladies!!!
 
Our boys started this last night - they have been fine until now just a couple of scraps, but last night they wouldn't stop. We didn't want to leave them all night in that state so seperated them. This morning we let them out together in their normal pen but the fur started to fly again.

Maybe over the weekend we can get them talking again!

Dave 'n' jo
 
Mine are apart now, hutch/run facing each other so they can smell and see each other. Swaping them into each others hutch so they keep the smell. Going to leave them like this for a week or so then try to put them together again. If not going girl bunny shopping for them both.

Good luck with yours, hope mine make up but if not - girlies will be on the way.
 
Good luck with your two too!

Ours are just over a year old - no new changes to the environment, they came in for a run round as normal (they have an enclosure but we let them run round the house for a while whilst checking them over, they are normally quite happy to climb on us and eat the sofa!lol) but for some reason they started fighting and we couldn't stop them!

Hope they will be okay as they have always been so good with one an other!

Dave an Jo
 
Mine are apart now, hutch/run facing each other so they can smell and see each other. Swaping them into each others hutch so they keep the smell. Going to leave them like this for a week or so then try to put them together again. If not going girl bunny shopping for them both.

Good luck with yours, hope mine make up but if not - girlies will be on the way.

Just remember that if you want to put them together again it will have to be on completely neutral territory (so somewhere where neither have been before), and you need to neutralise their living space.
I'd start them off in a car journey in a carrier together, as they look to each other for comfort, then keep them in the carrier for a good few hours, and take it everywhere with you. Once you put them together you might need to keep a very close eye on them for several days (I'd say a week if they've fought before).
They can cause some really nasty injuries, so don't risk it if you don't feel happy.
 
Thanks i will do. Not sure where I can start them off though as they have both been in the garden, hutch, run, conservatory. Even though they are outside chaps, would it be a good idea to try them in the house, as they haven't been therebefore? Thats if hubby will let me!! Mind you, he is getting used to them being in charge now. What do you think? Then if all goes well(????!!!!) I could let them in the garden as normal?
 
Well we have them back together and so far so good!

Saturday we put them on the sofa and trapped them there (we have done this since they were babie but usually let them jump down and run around).

At first there was total disinterest but then gradually Mow started to groom Barley and eventually vice versa - so we put them in a new pen and after a couple of chases they were back to normal.

We disinfected their hutch (using the pet disinfectant) and moved it into the new pen - most of Saturday we kept an eye on them - shut the hutch for a while to see if they were getting on ok before locking them in for the night.

Sunday was fine - no fur in the cage and all day they played and groomed one an other as normal! This morning was the same! Phew!!

Dave N Jo
 
Back
Top