Hi everyone!
So me & my partner have 4 rabbits (two separate pairs) in our 1 bed flat. One pair we have had since babies and they are the sweetest, cuddliest bunnies you could imagine. However we are having some issues with the other pair. They are rescue bunnies, Bugs and Kitty. We adopted Bugs first and he was really friendly, no problems. Then we adopted Kitty, kept her in a separate room, again no problems - we could handle and pet her fine. Bonding them was difficult because Bugs could be quite aggressive with poor Kitty and kept biting her. But eventually we got to a point where they could live together without too many scraps.
Now Kitty is acting like a completely different rabbit. She lunges at everything, bites everything that moves. She is a house rabbit and we only have 2 proper rooms in our flat, she & bugs are in the kitchen, but if I go in the kitchen it takes me about 10 minutes to cross the room! It is becoming very difficult to live with her. She has drawn blood from my feet many times, she grunts, I am scared to pick her up. I have tried petting her and giving her treats to show I am a friend, she doesn't mind my hands so much but hates my feet. I do not want to put her in a cage, but it is getting to the point now where I can only enter the kitchen with a long cardboard stick, a towel to distract her and wearing thick footwear.
We have tried to quad our four rabbits so they have more space, so Kitty is aware there are other rabbits around. I wonder if it is their smell on my clothes that makes her so angry. Aside from changing my clothes every time I need to go in the kitchen, what can I do!? I have tried being overly nice to her, stomping my foot to show her who's boss, making squeaking sounds, pushing her away... I also try to ignore her but when she sinks her teeth into my leg it is a jerk reaction to pull my leg away, which makes her even more mad. She also doesn't seem to get along very well with Bugs, so I wonder if his biting has made her so defensive (although now it is Kit who bites Bugs).
It is perhaps also worth noting that she has been spayed and is about 2 years old. She was such a lovely rabbit before so I don't think this is what she is really like. I am worried that she will never be happy when she can smell 2 rabbits next door, or as long as she continues to live with Bugs who she doesn't get along with well. Any advice would be welcome because I have even considered taking her back to the shelter, although I am so attached to her and feel so sorry for her so obviously this isn't an option. This has been going on for a few months and is only getting worse.
So me & my partner have 4 rabbits (two separate pairs) in our 1 bed flat. One pair we have had since babies and they are the sweetest, cuddliest bunnies you could imagine. However we are having some issues with the other pair. They are rescue bunnies, Bugs and Kitty. We adopted Bugs first and he was really friendly, no problems. Then we adopted Kitty, kept her in a separate room, again no problems - we could handle and pet her fine. Bonding them was difficult because Bugs could be quite aggressive with poor Kitty and kept biting her. But eventually we got to a point where they could live together without too many scraps.
Now Kitty is acting like a completely different rabbit. She lunges at everything, bites everything that moves. She is a house rabbit and we only have 2 proper rooms in our flat, she & bugs are in the kitchen, but if I go in the kitchen it takes me about 10 minutes to cross the room! It is becoming very difficult to live with her. She has drawn blood from my feet many times, she grunts, I am scared to pick her up. I have tried petting her and giving her treats to show I am a friend, she doesn't mind my hands so much but hates my feet. I do not want to put her in a cage, but it is getting to the point now where I can only enter the kitchen with a long cardboard stick, a towel to distract her and wearing thick footwear.
We have tried to quad our four rabbits so they have more space, so Kitty is aware there are other rabbits around. I wonder if it is their smell on my clothes that makes her so angry. Aside from changing my clothes every time I need to go in the kitchen, what can I do!? I have tried being overly nice to her, stomping my foot to show her who's boss, making squeaking sounds, pushing her away... I also try to ignore her but when she sinks her teeth into my leg it is a jerk reaction to pull my leg away, which makes her even more mad. She also doesn't seem to get along very well with Bugs, so I wonder if his biting has made her so defensive (although now it is Kit who bites Bugs).
It is perhaps also worth noting that she has been spayed and is about 2 years old. She was such a lovely rabbit before so I don't think this is what she is really like. I am worried that she will never be happy when she can smell 2 rabbits next door, or as long as she continues to live with Bugs who she doesn't get along with well. Any advice would be welcome because I have even considered taking her back to the shelter, although I am so attached to her and feel so sorry for her so obviously this isn't an option. This has been going on for a few months and is only getting worse.
