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How to break up a fight?

Jayniekinns

Young Bun
Hello,
So all going well I am adopting a Husbun for Maisy on Sunday (3.1kg blue rabbit, similar weight but 3 years old younger).
I've read different things I how to bond them however if they do fight how do you break it up. DoI just pick one of them upstraight away or just separate them? Or what? That's the bitI'm not sure of.
All going well they will be moving into Maisys current residence (a playhouse and run) but I'll do the bonding in a seperate run then scrub Maisys playhouse out before they both go in.
My only other concern is feeding them together, as Maisy is a bit grumpy and growls if I get too close (seems to be if I touch her whiskers by accident) would it be better to have more than one bowl?

Thanks
Jaynie
 
usually I just throw a towel over one or use a dustpan to push them apart and then separate.

for me, I always do x1 per animal. so for two rabbits I'd have two bottles, two food bowls, twice as many toys. it stops the dominant taking all the food or toys and so on. it also stops fights. I've always done it for all animals I've owned in pairs from gerbils to rabbits.

and having two means they both get the right amount of pellet, not one bunny takes all :lol:
 
Just don't put your hands in! You might get bitten by accident!
A towel or separating them with a broom works and so do loud noises such as banging a ladle on a frying pan or starting up the hoover.
X
 
spraying water on them worked for me .. and the hoover trick ... both picked up from advice here and elsewhere .
 
Thanks for the tips guys, fingers crossed all goes well.
I did think about a seperate food bowl for them, just hope Maisy doesn't finish hers then go for his, she's a greedy one bless her :)
 
Wear really thick leather gloves and physically stop them by hand. Picking one up.
Or use a towel to throw over one, or just use the back of a dustpan to separate to stop the fight.

If there are no physical injuries requiring veterinary attention I continue bonding.

If you using the dates method I'd always advise ending on a positive. I.e. not right after a fight.

Fur pulling, a little chasing and humping are all okay and I'd avoid stopping unless one bun is getting incredibly stressed.

In terms of food, if she's very territorial I'd personally without pellets while bonding as these are normally high value and could cause fights.
For veg I'd scatter it on the floor in hay so they have to forage together which is a normal social behaviour for rabbits and will help to strengthen their bond.

For water I always have a couple bowls provided they don't take up the whole bonding space. (I use a large dog crate)

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I got the male (still not renamed as I'm not keen on his current name) on Sunday, was going to try some bonding yesterday but it rained all day so didn't get a chance.
Only concerns I have now are whether he is really male (as he appears to have a dewlap but ive voiced my concerns on that on another post) and ive noticed that he doesnt eat half as much or quickly as Maisy. He's had some pellets in his bowl since Sunday whilst she always cleans her bowl. That and she straight away eats all her veg treats and hes not bothered so I think she may steal his food.
They both had treat sticks yesterday and Maisy now has a bit of wood left and he has most of it.
The previous owner did say he was partial to a Ritz cracker which I tried a little bit and its the only thing he's eaten straight away, are they okay to give him as an occasional treat? (Here's to hoping Maisy doesn't like them!)
 
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I think I would want to get my vet to check the rabbit before you attempt bonding him with Maisy. I've read your other thread and I would want to get the dewlap examined, the sex confirmed and the reluctance to eat discussed with the vet.

It could be that he's not feeling settled yet and that is the reason for not eating very much. Are you feeding him the same pellets as he had in his previous home? Is he eating a lot of hay? I certainly would not give him any Ritz crackers. They are inappropriate as a rabbit feed (or treat) and I would think the salt content would not be good for him.

Did you ask his previous owner what his daily diet consisted of?

ETA Has this rabbit come from a rescue? If not, you may wish to consider quarantine for him for a couple of weeks before bonding.
 
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No it didn't come from a rescue, it was private adoption but he is in a seperate hutch from Maisy and it's not right next to her.
My plan now is to find the sex out before trying to bond, i just hope it's a male.
She did leave me with some of his food, which is the same I have the excel pellets, she said he didn't say many of them as he eats more hay.
He is eating more than he did Sunday so I thinkhe's settling down now, he also had started coming up to me when I open thehutch up so the confidence is there.
 
Agree with what Omi has said.

I'd want to do a two week quarantine and have a full vet examination before attempting bonding.

As Omi has said, ritz aren't a suitable treat as they're high in salt and I'd be worried about the carbohydrates and other ingredients.

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