Harvey_Rabbit
New Kit
Hi there,
Two days ago we picked up a new addition, a 3 month old mini lop x. Our current rabbit a 1-2 year old Old English x was neutured 2 and a half weeks ago. The new rabbit is a male, as when viewing ones for adoption we were told as ours is neutered and as the new one hasn't matured they will be fine, so long as he get the new rabbit neutered immediately.
The initial meeting was great, no aggression from either, Paul (new rabbit) ignored Harvey while Harvey sniffed around the cage and then proceeded to flop down next to it. Great! We waited 24 hours before first introducing him and it didn't go quite as amazingly as planed. Paul ignored Harvey but then Harvey mounted him, Paul allowed him to so again we thought great, Paul is submissive Harvey's dominant. But then when we pushed Harvey off, when he tried it a second time straight away Paul had clearly had enough and they started circling, Paul pulling hair out of Harveys side and Harvey desperately trying to mount him again. Harvey kept making a very quiet honking noise but while circling neither made any noise and haven't since. We haven't let them mix again, and we've gone back to square one, exchanging spaces, cages right next to each other, putting their food bowls so they're facing one another etc. They aren't bothered by each other at all, both eating and drinking, flopping down either side of the cage so they're close to each other. In general both very relaxed.
Then Harvey did a bit of a worrying thing this morning, there is a very small section where they can both fit their noises through that we had tried to blck off but they both got through. Paul put his head as far down as he could and at first it was like Harvey was grooming him, then all of a sudden he started scratching at the cage (what we now think was his attempt to try and get to Paul through the cage) and in retalisation Paul scartched back. Since then every time paul has gone up to anywhere near where they can see each other and put his head down Harvey's tail as stuck up and he has attempted to bite Paul through the bars. But then currently they have just flopped down as close as they can to each other next to the bars!
It's all very confusing, and we feel personality wise Paul is great, he is so laid back and submissive to Harvey bar that one time spinning but to be fair at that time we read that you can allow it (mounting) for up to 20 seconds it probably wasn't fair on him. Looking at other sources it says only 5-10!
Any help would be greatly appreciated, is it best to keep going but just give more time for the hormones in Harvey's system to flow out and for Paul to be neutured when he matures?
Thankyou very much
Two days ago we picked up a new addition, a 3 month old mini lop x. Our current rabbit a 1-2 year old Old English x was neutured 2 and a half weeks ago. The new rabbit is a male, as when viewing ones for adoption we were told as ours is neutered and as the new one hasn't matured they will be fine, so long as he get the new rabbit neutered immediately.
The initial meeting was great, no aggression from either, Paul (new rabbit) ignored Harvey while Harvey sniffed around the cage and then proceeded to flop down next to it. Great! We waited 24 hours before first introducing him and it didn't go quite as amazingly as planed. Paul ignored Harvey but then Harvey mounted him, Paul allowed him to so again we thought great, Paul is submissive Harvey's dominant. But then when we pushed Harvey off, when he tried it a second time straight away Paul had clearly had enough and they started circling, Paul pulling hair out of Harveys side and Harvey desperately trying to mount him again. Harvey kept making a very quiet honking noise but while circling neither made any noise and haven't since. We haven't let them mix again, and we've gone back to square one, exchanging spaces, cages right next to each other, putting their food bowls so they're facing one another etc. They aren't bothered by each other at all, both eating and drinking, flopping down either side of the cage so they're close to each other. In general both very relaxed.
Then Harvey did a bit of a worrying thing this morning, there is a very small section where they can both fit their noises through that we had tried to blck off but they both got through. Paul put his head as far down as he could and at first it was like Harvey was grooming him, then all of a sudden he started scratching at the cage (what we now think was his attempt to try and get to Paul through the cage) and in retalisation Paul scartched back. Since then every time paul has gone up to anywhere near where they can see each other and put his head down Harvey's tail as stuck up and he has attempted to bite Paul through the bars. But then currently they have just flopped down as close as they can to each other next to the bars!
It's all very confusing, and we feel personality wise Paul is great, he is so laid back and submissive to Harvey bar that one time spinning but to be fair at that time we read that you can allow it (mounting) for up to 20 seconds it probably wasn't fair on him. Looking at other sources it says only 5-10!
Any help would be greatly appreciated, is it best to keep going but just give more time for the hormones in Harvey's system to flow out and for Paul to be neutured when he matures?
Thankyou very much
Last edited: