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Mini lop doe has become aggressive after giving birth

Tanman

New Kit
Hi

I am new here and this is my first post.

My mini lop doe used to live in a hutch with another doe. After mating her with a buck, I separated her during her pregnancy.

After giving birth (she is a wonderful mum),she is aggressive towards other rabbits. First she attacked her old room mate, who she used to live with for over a year. Then she attacked a new rabbit, who is only 3 month old. This was a vicious attack.

The attacks were not in a hutch, there were in the garden. Now, I can't have her running around with other rabbits.

She is perfectly fine with humans.

Has anyone else experienced this?

Thank you..
 
A lot of research needs to be done before contemplating breeding - and this is one of those situations.

Rabbits are very hormonal when they reach sexual maturity - at this point they often can't bond or current bonds can fail until they have been spayed or castrated, this is without even having bred or without having got a whiff of the opposite sex. This is because aggression comes with these hormones.

Your doe has a litter of kits - if they are still in the nest she is going to be highly aggressive because she is protective of her kits. Even if they are up and about, and coming to weaning, she is likely to be aggressive.

You also can not just plop two rabbits together (whether they are neutered or not, but especially if they are not) especially in a large space like a garden even if they previously lived together, after a period of separation. The separation sets back the bond, often even for neutered rabbits. Introductions need to be done slowly.

One of the many problems with breeding, is unfortunately it is almost impossible to give rabbits the company they need whilst keeping them as breeding 'stock' because of this aggression with hormones. Even if you managed to bond 2 hormonal rabbits (which is unlikely when they haven't been neutered), every time you separate for breeding you are ruining that bond and have to start from scratch. Unfortunately this means that many rabbits go without one of the 5 needs in the Animal Welfare Act 2006 - 'need to be housed with, or apart, from other animals'. As a social animal this means they really must have company, but as you've found out whilst breeding their hormones can be so out of control that they viciously attack each other. :(

Are you with the BRC since you're breeding?

Everyone is most welcome here for advice. However, this is a forum in great support of rescues (there are literally thousands of bunnies in rescues because of overbreeding) so unfortunately you would struggle to find members here who will support breeding. But advice with rabbit welfare is always given freely, no matter the situation :D

The only way to really calm your doe down is to have her spayed. This also reduces the very real, and high risk of uterine cancer. :wave:
 
Also, female rabbits are very territorial and will attack any other rabbit who is on "their" territory, unless she is already bonded with another rabbit.
 
Yes, she's just being a good mom and protecting her territory and her babies. It's very possible once the babies are grown and weaned, and her hormone levels return to normal, that she will return to her normal behavior. But it's also possible that she could remain aggressive towards other rabbits. Her bond with her previous companion was broken once they were separated for her pregnancy, and rebonding them may or may not work out.
 
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