Petal bit me after smelling ted on my fingers

Petal bit this weekend, really was going for the bone, then attacked my legs. I was late home on saturday night and thought i'd get them out for a bit, so husband looked after petal in the living room and i brought ted into the hall way(the seperated till they get nutured after my failed attempt at bonding them which ended in ted being attacked and in the vets to get it stitched). so eventually put ted to bed and went in to see petal and give her a cuddle (didn't wash my hands silly me) so sat down and petal poked her head out from under the sofa, so put my hand down to stoke her head and she just attacked me. Everyone in my family is telling me i'll never be able to put them together even if their nutured. do you really think this is the case? surely once their done their harmones will calm down? my dad said i should have thumped petal, i was dad it's not a dog, i didn't pet i just put her into the carrier and took her out to the hutch. really annoyed bought the whole thing, first time my bun's have drawn blood. am i doing something wrong with them?

Can you remind us. Are both these bunnies spayed and neutered, and what ages are they?

They are both girls unnetured and live seperately. Petal is 6 months and Ted is 7 months, petal is more harmonal than ted.

Its difficult to predict if it all will be okay. Some bunnies, who have bitten each other, go on to be bonded with each other - others not. My boy will lunge and bite if I have visited a rescue. Its outside his normal behaviour and I have to make sure I change and shower ahead of seeing him. Sometimes rabbits bite if they have been startled, or have poor eyesight, or are ill. She could have just got a wiff of unneutered boy off you.

The only way you are going to know if this is going to work is to have them neutered and try and bond, or to board at a rescue centre and get them to bond for you.

Im glad you realized that hitting a bunny is wrong and never changes behaviour, and Im sure your father was just concerned for you. I understand it is unnerving when they have bitten you and I was really nervous of touching TJ after it, but it has only happened twice in four years and he is such a doll I have forgiven him.

yeah thats it just worried for ted's sake (lol she's a girl orginal thought she was a boy) well hopefully by christmas they'll both be nutuered. My dad was going on bout rabbits need to be shown whos the dominant one which is true in one way, but not by making her fear me either, he's a bit old fashioned that way, well i'm getting her out tonight first that way no smell of ted and hopefully she'll have calmed down. i do love her and would never do anything to upset her. she seen it as self defense. just worried for ted. not sure if theres a rescue centre that does bonding here but will maybe look into it. thanks. :wave:

I didn't realize that they are two girls. My two girls, who were litter mates and together since birth, were very cranky with each other when i got them at a year old. I think having my male neutered boy around, made them squabble with each other. Getting them spayed helped them.

Once you get them spayed, there are lots of threads on here about bonding etc.

yeah too girlies, right okay hopefully nutuering will happen before christmas. thanks for your help.

Ted an Petal said:

? my dad said i should have thumped petal, i was dad it's not a dog,

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I hope you wouldnt thump a dog


Ohh Im dreading mine geting hormonal, so far none are thank god lol. Both my lads are being nuetered next tuesday so im hoping there done before hormones kick in. Dreama will be done November, so far she isnt hormonal yet either.

Well i wouldn't deni that i've never smacked my mum's dog, not in the sense of hurting her but just as a telling off, she's a jack russell and can be very dominering so a tap on the bum was what she got if she really misbehaved or she got sent to her bed. i would never hurt an animal.