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Rabbits fighting!

moi

Mama Doe
So I swapped the bunny's homes... outside ones came in and vice versa. All was going well and all seemed happy. Today I let Bunny and Benji out for some fresh air. Benji spent a lot of time trying to make friends with Peggy and Tonic through the bars. Tonic just slapped him but Peggy likes him. Anyhow... about 5 mins after after bring them in Benji went for Bunny. Should I not allow them out while Peggy and Tonic are in the run? Should I be worried? All is calm again... feel bad though as I grabbed Benji in a panic x
 
So I swapped the bunny's homes... outside ones came in and vice versa. All was going well and all seemed happy. Today I let Bunny and Benji out for some fresh air. Benji spent a lot of time trying to make friends with Peggy and Tonic through the bars. Tonic just slapped him but Peggy likes him. Anyhow... about 5 mins after after bring them in Benji went for Bunny. Should I not allow them out while Peggy and Tonic are in the run? Should I be worried? All is calm again... feel bad though as I grabbed Benji in a panic x

Referred aggression. It is very likely to happen again if they see the outdoor Bunnies and the outdoor Bunnies may kick off against each other too xx
 
So I swapped the bunny's homes... outside ones came in and vice versa. All was going well and all seemed happy. Today I let Bunny and Benji out for some fresh air. Benji spent a lot of time trying to make friends with Peggy and Tonic through the bars. Tonic just slapped him but Peggy likes him. Anyhow... about 5 mins after after bring them in Benji went for Bunny. Should I not allow them out while Peggy and Tonic are in the run? Should I be worried? All is calm again... feel bad though as I grabbed Benji in a panic x


Hi Moi :wave:

I know you swapped the bunnies' homes, and sometimes seeing other rabbits can cause bonded rabbits to attack one another. It's called referred aggression, because instead of being able to attack the perpetrator (as they see it), they attack their bonded friend. The 'referred' bit is because they can't get to who they really want to attack.

Bit like, I suppose, when you've had a bad day, then come home and take it out on your partner :)

Don't worry! If you can't block the sight of them, then yes, you better not let them see one another for the time being. Not all rabbits are like this, and some are worse than others. However, in my experience it tends not to get better with time :)
 
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