Emily.Rose
New Kit
I have 4 rabbits (it's a long story)- a bonded boy and girl who live outside, and an un-bonded pair who are currently inside. I'm having some unexpected problems with aggression.
To set the scene, the outdoor buns are happily bonded and live a pretty luxurious life for rabbits - a huge 6' x 15' rat-proof run on grass with two 6' insulated hutches with Perspex windows and cat flaps... hedgehog heaters, too. They eat well and are happy (though the boy is a bit of a grumpy old man sometimes). They are approx. 3 years old and have been bonded half a year or so. While bonding, the boy was more often the aggressor, but that they are bonded, this doesn't normally happen, although the girl is a bit skittish and runs away from the boy sometimes. I think it's more out of habit due to his past behaviour. Most of the time they are happy as clams together.
Problems arose when we added two indoor rabbits to the mix. We started giving the indoor girl some time outside on sunny days, in the spare 6'x8' outdoor run, and she absolutely loves binkying on the grass and grazing. Unfortunately, when the outdoor boy got a whiff of the strange rabbit, he would turn on his poor mate and chase/nip her aggressively. The runs are separated by half a metre and we put up a blanket so they could not see each other, but they can still smell each other.
The indoor boy was adopted the most recently, and will be neutered tomorrow. When we tried putting him outside in the spare run, our outdoor boy would smell him and start to attack his mate truly viciously - much worse than he did with the girl. It was so bad, I was in the run with them trying to physically keep him away from her, and he just kept chasing and biting - he wouldn't let it go, and his poor mate (who adores him) had no idea why she was suddenly getting attacked. I had to lock him in a hutch, and he knew he'd been naughty. He acts like he is possessed by an evil spirit, and she is a sweetheart and she always forgives him, poor thing.
So, obviously we have had to stop letting the indoor buns go outside to protect the outdoor girl from unprovoked attacks. Where do we go from here?
We want to have the option of all 4 rabbits living outdoors in side-by-runs, or at least the indoor buns getting to enjoy the garden during the summer, but this is not looking like an option unless the male's behaviour can be resolved. Do we need to bond our aggressive male to the indoor buns, while keeping his mate safely separate from him? Do we bond the indoor buns to each other, then wait a few months to introduce them to the outdoor boy?
I know group bonding is a challenge, but I was not expecting new attacks within an already-bonded pair. Has anyone experienced this?
To set the scene, the outdoor buns are happily bonded and live a pretty luxurious life for rabbits - a huge 6' x 15' rat-proof run on grass with two 6' insulated hutches with Perspex windows and cat flaps... hedgehog heaters, too. They eat well and are happy (though the boy is a bit of a grumpy old man sometimes). They are approx. 3 years old and have been bonded half a year or so. While bonding, the boy was more often the aggressor, but that they are bonded, this doesn't normally happen, although the girl is a bit skittish and runs away from the boy sometimes. I think it's more out of habit due to his past behaviour. Most of the time they are happy as clams together.
Problems arose when we added two indoor rabbits to the mix. We started giving the indoor girl some time outside on sunny days, in the spare 6'x8' outdoor run, and she absolutely loves binkying on the grass and grazing. Unfortunately, when the outdoor boy got a whiff of the strange rabbit, he would turn on his poor mate and chase/nip her aggressively. The runs are separated by half a metre and we put up a blanket so they could not see each other, but they can still smell each other.
The indoor boy was adopted the most recently, and will be neutered tomorrow. When we tried putting him outside in the spare run, our outdoor boy would smell him and start to attack his mate truly viciously - much worse than he did with the girl. It was so bad, I was in the run with them trying to physically keep him away from her, and he just kept chasing and biting - he wouldn't let it go, and his poor mate (who adores him) had no idea why she was suddenly getting attacked. I had to lock him in a hutch, and he knew he'd been naughty. He acts like he is possessed by an evil spirit, and she is a sweetheart and she always forgives him, poor thing.
So, obviously we have had to stop letting the indoor buns go outside to protect the outdoor girl from unprovoked attacks. Where do we go from here?
We want to have the option of all 4 rabbits living outdoors in side-by-runs, or at least the indoor buns getting to enjoy the garden during the summer, but this is not looking like an option unless the male's behaviour can be resolved. Do we need to bond our aggressive male to the indoor buns, while keeping his mate safely separate from him? Do we bond the indoor buns to each other, then wait a few months to introduce them to the outdoor boy?
I know group bonding is a challenge, but I was not expecting new attacks within an already-bonded pair. Has anyone experienced this?
