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Bonding problem

I have sisters that are now 14 weeks old. Ursula is bigger than Ariel. I really want to keep them together if poss. However Ursula has started chasing and humping Ariel. She also is biting her when humpping ,it pulls out fur but no blood. Is this normal or am I going to have to split them up. Ariel seems very unhappy when this happens and after running trying to get away, she gets caught ,bitten humped and lays there for ages after v unhappy looking.
 
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Jessica and Chloe (my two sister rabbits) did exactly the same!!

I had them both spayed and now they love each other. I didn't separate them at all, just took them to the vets soon after they started fighting and they had the op. Within about two weeks they were the best of friends again.
 
Have they been spayed? Spaying normally sorts out agressive behaviour in females, as well as eliminating the risk of ovarian cancer :wave:
 
they arent spayed. I wasn't planning to either:(
May I ask why?

female rabbits are at high risk of reproductive cancers if they aren't spayed and they are certain to get the point where you have to split them up unless their hormones are bought under control.

Our two girls started fighting a couple of days before they were due in for a spay and from the day they were done they were back to being the best of friends. No problems since.
 
May I ask why?

female rabbits are at high risk of reproductive cancers if they aren't spayed and they are certain to get the point where you have to split them up unless their hormones are bought under control.

Our two girls started fighting a couple of days before they were due in for a spay and from the day they were done they were back to being the best of friends. No problems since.

Yep, too true. I am rescuing the lovely Velvet who was in with her sister - neither spayed - and has turned into a bitey bunny as a result (Not that I mind ;)) http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?t=218229&highlight=velvet

Females reach sexual maturity at 4-6 months of age, and when they hit this it is extremely likely they will start to fight. Rabbits can do some very nasty damage to each other.

As already mentioned, preventing uterine cancer is a biggie. Around 80% of unspayed does contract this from 4 onwards, although it can be seen much much earlier. It's best to get your buns done as early as you can. Domestic rabbits routinely live to ten years, when you look at it that way 4 is very young to go.

I'm not trying to frighten you here, just pointing out that it is a very serious problem in does as most people have never heard of it (I hadn't) :wave:
 
I am going to breed them. I had asked a breeder and he says he has managed to keep some together and breed them . However it was normally mother, daughter. I thought it was worth a try. I knoow u are all going to bite my head off about breeding however i came on here to get advice on how to give my rabbits the best life possible. They are loved everyday, let out in runs, brought into my house to run and cuddle, litter trained ish , cleaned out and fed twice a day to the point I pick every poo out with my rubber gloves.
I know there are many rabbits that need rehomed however in my area the closest rabbit center is 4 hours, some people just are not willing to travel. The only other option is the sspca however they do not do any checks, the rabbits are not usually handled enough to be suitable for inexperienced rabbit keepers or children. I know first hand as I did rehome boo there for my daughter but she was aggresive (i know not her fault) ,she was also quite large so made it impossible for my daughter to care for her.
I will take any rabbit back from a home if they are unable to care for it and will rehome it. I love my rabbits
 
To answer your original question: fighting between unspeyed rabbits, even if mother/daughter or siblings is normal. Our two are siblings and had been together from birth. They started fighting when their hormones kicked in and had to be separated. I am pretty sure they would have killed or seriously injured each other if they had not been split up. I got some nasty bites breaking them up too.

Apart from preventing cancer, most owners say that speying improves temperament and makes rabbits more friendly and calm.

It sounds as if you really love your rabbits, but to be honest the 'best life possible' for a female rabbit is to be speyed and have a speyed/neutered friend to cuddle up to. Even if you manage to bond them, surely you would have to split them when one has babies anyway, in case the other adult rabbit harms them.
 
even related bunnies will fight. like tintin, my two were sisters and started fighting when they got to about 7 months. Luckily it was only two days before they were due for spaying anyway. Female bunnies get very protective of their space.

I'm not going to tell you not to breed because nobody has the right to tell you what to do but I wouldn't do that to my girls to be honest, particularly when there are so many rabbits in need of homes. Rabbits are happiest in pairs and it's virtually impossible to keep breeding rabbits in pairs. If you're going to do it I think the only possible way would be to get a neutered male to go in with her but there's no guarantee she'll accept one and he'll have to be taken out when she gets pregnant which means bonding all over again after the kits have left.
You say there isn't a rescue for four hours, have you considered starting one? it can be very rewarding and while it can be expensive, so can breeding if you're doing it properly.
 
I have considered starting a rescue but I do not have the initial money that would be needed to get it started and slight lack of space also. I only have 5 rabbits where most breeders would have 20 to 100.
The breeder I had spoke to had them together even through pregnancy, birth etc. However he said it might not work as they will start being hormonal at the same time where mother,daughter is diffrent as mother is used to it all and daughter knows its place anyway.
 
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