Aggressive male

Hi new to the forum but looking for help, my male Nibbles who is a year was in the house but was growling at my son, in the meantime I rescued Daisy and she was in house, separate but close to each other, tried bonding but Nibbles seems scared and growls and bites, so now each in own home made hutch with tunnels to garden and they get a run about separately but I had gloves on that had Daisy’s fur and Nibbles bit and growled, he seems scared of her, i would like to try bonding again but he is crazy mad, he growls like a dog and bites without hesitation, then he’s a bit soft petted lump the rest of the time, how would I even think about starting again or should I just leave them, she is same age and always wants to play and be near him both neutered months ago and have been housed beside each other since March

Bump

If you want to try to bond them you will have to put them in a neutral space. Perhaps he has a problem with his eyesight? Doubt it but you never know.

Update

So I got Nibbles eyes checked and they are fine
Shame I never got any more ideas on this forum for help, my bunnies now live in the shed with home made seperate hutches with tunnels out to seperate runs,
I let them free run about at seperate times, Nibbles has started to go over and see Daisy with nose rubs if he is out, if its the other way round he will bite,
I dont have a neutral space, is it time to let them out in the garden together for a short time?

It is always best to introduce 2 rabbits in a neutral space and if that isn't possible is there somewhere they could go to be bonded. Some people use the bathroom. Do they have a big area outside so that if you were to put them together and the boy chased the female, she could run away from him. This way it usually takes 2 or 3 days before they start settling down.

Tonibun has given great advice, I hope the bonding works out for you all :thumb:

Thainy said:

So I got Nibbles eyes checked and they are fine
Shame I never got any more ideas on this forum for help, my bunnies now live in the shed with home made seperate hutches with tunnels out to seperate runs,
I let them free run about at seperate times, Nibbles has started to go over and see Daisy with nose rubs if he is out, if its the other way round he will bite,
I dont have a neutral space, is it time to let them out in the garden together for a short time?

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It doesn’t seem like Nibbles views the free run space as neutral, so I wouldn’t.

How does Daisy react to Nibbles? Does she try to groom him? Or does she bow her head and request grooming? It’s interesting he’ll bunny-great Daisy when she’s in her territory, thus in a non-threatening position.

There are some great, detailed videos on YouTube on how to bond bunnies and the bunny politics/body language involved.

Key points I’ve come across are:

Bunnies should always be introduced in a neutral space, otherwise we’re just asking them to accept a hostile, invading stranger to live in their home. Some people use a bathtub to bond bunnies. Be sure to line the floor with a towel or rug so they have foot traction. But it really must be somewhere neither has claimed as their own, so they can establish a dominance hierarchy without territory aggression and politics being a factor.

Put hay/grass and other favourite treats out for them during bonding sessions so they can diffuse tension.

Introduce them gradually over several sessions.

Humping and some aggression is normal, but keep a close eye for escalating aggression, as they can seriously injure each other. I have seen some people use dustpans to quickly separate fighting bunnies.

I think ultimately some bunnies are just not going to be compatible, it’s a matter of personality as much as it is dominance structure. Though it’s encouraging he’ll bunny-great her on his terms.

This is a good vid, though I’d personally use stress bonding as a very last resort.




P.S Why was Nibbles growling at your son? I’m wondering if it was through fear? Perhaps unintentional rough handling? Most bunnies don’t like to be picked up. Being prey animals, getting picked up means mortal danger to them and induces panic.