Rabbits scen...view please? :)

Hey :wave:

I recently got a new bun, Phoebe, she has not yet been spayed (Thursday this week).

She she is on the patio close to my other buns (the runs face each other and the ends are about 2ft apart). My 2 buns had a scuffle today and Roxy ended up getting 2 nips on her ear. I'm guessing that they fought because they can hear and smell Phoebe.

I'm just wondering...do you reckon moving Phoebe's hutch further down the garden (a good 20ft away and out of sight) would be enough for my other 2 buns not to smell her?

I'm not sure but it might not hurt to move her. New rabbits in the vicinty can make bonded rabbits fight.

Bunnies do have a very strong sense of smell but the distance you suggest might be enough. Hope Phoebe's hutch isn't as heavy as the one Spenser has - I wouldn't fancy shifting it. Good luck. :wave:

Thank you

susie bun said:

Bunnies do have a very strong sense of smell but the distance you suggest might be enough. Hope Phoebe's hutch isn't as heavy as the one Spenser has - I wouldn't fancy shifting it. Good luck. :wave:

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:lol:..what hutch has Spenser got? Phoebe's hutch is not too heavy...I can lift and carry it about in short bursts :lol thankfully I have a lovely strong boyfriend who comes in handy with thngs like this :lol:

the fighting between the bonded pair is something called 'Referred Aggression'

Now they can smell her scent, it may be difficult to remove it, even if you move the hutch, but that certainly can't do any harm. You could neutralise the area where her hutch / run was with a water/white vinegar mix to try and help.

With redirected aggression the extent of another bun's presence is different for different rabbits. You may need to move the new bun out of sight only, or out of sight AND smell. Sometimes buns can settle down and get used to new neighbours and sometimes they don't. I have had issues with redirected aggression just from my pair using the lawn that had the scent of another bun on it and had to wait for about 2-3 weeks of rain to wash the scent away before they were able to use it again without lock-on fighting. But some buns will happily share an exercise space, it just depends. If your current pair are scuffling I would move the new bun.