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Bonding/Fighting youngsters

willow123

Young Bun
Just to set the scene.....

I started off with Willow, my male dwarf lop, and after a while bonded him with another dwarf lop female, Gertie, this was about 1 1/2 years ago.

A couple of months ago, I got another dwarf lop female and a Nethie cross female. They have lived happily together since I got them, with the exception of a squabble one day, when I seperated them, but let them continue to play outside together. After a few days, they were back together and have been fine since. The babies, Martha & Matilda, are 5 months old now. Willow my soul bunny is just over 3 years and Gertie is 1 1/2 years.

I bought a 10x8 foot shed, have made runs and ramps in it, and have a cage in one corner, toilet trays, toys, you name it! It is a bunny palace! I put them all in after they had bonded, and they have been fine together. I hear the odd comotion, and I know it is Gertie chasing and fur pulling Matilda a bit, but I hardly see anything fur wise in there and this has got less & less. Martha bonded perfectly with the older 2, and is mothering them, grooming and loving them all! Now, I love my lops, but my partner picked the Nethie cross, and she seems quite skitsy and feisty.

They have reached 'that' age, and I have recently acquired a 11 week old dwarf lop..... she is very sweet natured, and I can see she'll fit in with the lops fine. So, today, I brought Willow and Martha out, as they are the soft pair, and they ignorded my new baby, Winnie, apart from the odd sniff. I then brought Matilda out, the Nethie cross, and she instantly went after Winnie, they were up in the air and Winnie, bless her, lost a few chunks of fur. Matilda instigated it all.

I am looking for advice on if this will get worse? Or is this normal and will it subside? I am getting both the 5 month olds spayed in a couple of weeks, will this help on the hormone front and improve bonding?

When I bonded Gertie with both the 5 month olds, she chased, grunted and fur pulled at Matilda, the Nethie cross for a couple of weeks, but never bothered Martha. Martha ALWAYS bowed her head and never ran, yet Matilda ran and Gertie chased. The 4 of them now happily live in their luxury pad, and I often see them all grooming each other and lied all over each other basking in the sun rays coming through, even Gertie and Matilda seem to have struck up quite a bond.

So, I am going to continue with the bonding, but may try the taking them both out in a car in the same carrier together tomorrow first. Any advice on if this is a bad idea? Will I get there with the 2 of them?

Thanks in advance,

Liz, willow, Gertie, Martha, Matilda and Winnie woo woo! x
 
Spaying and neutering should help :) I think the scuffles are down to their hormones. I would keep a very close eye on them and try and get them all spayed as soon as possible. If you are going to bond your Nethie into the group it needs to be done on neutral territory :) Perhaps a run and when bonded the shed would need to be neutralised with white vinegar and move some things about so it looks different to how it was, before the bunnies are put back inside. Im sure Janice will be along soon to advise too :) Mainly girlie groups can be hard to do.
 
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