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Rabbits Fighting after rehoming and new hutch

Caz330

New Kit
I have just adopted two female ( we think!) rabbits, who are around a year old, we brought them home and noticed they are fighting when we put them in a playpen run, they have been fins when in their hutch, we have just moved to a much bigger hutch yesterday and I have come down this morning to find a load of fur in their bed area so they have been fighting overnight ( there was also a thunderstorm last night which probably hasn't helped) it looks like one of them is asserting authority over their bed area and not letting the other in, I have also noticed the more assertive one stockpiling hay in there also, the less dominant one is thumping and i can see she isn't getting chance to eat as much- any ideas welcome, I'm new to rabbit care and pet care in general!

could this just be a reaction to all the change or should we be more worried their bond is breaking
 
Are both Rabbits spayed? Have you had their genders confirmed by a Vet ? This is essential.
The least stable bond between Rabbits is Doe/Doe. Even if both are spayed scuffles can still occur, even fights.

You need to very carefully check the Rabbits over for any injuries. When they first occur bite wounds can be easily overlooked if under thick fur. Especially small on the surface but deep penetrating puncture wounds. Bite wounds frequently become infected if not addressed promptly. This can results in abscesses. Scratches to the surface of the eye can also occur during a scuffle damaging the cornea.

Bonded Rabbits do sometimes scuffle when they are moved to a new environment. Especially if it’s a larger area. But this should settle down within a few hours, during which time it is necessary to supervise them.

The Rabbit Welfare Association and Fund are the best source of information about all aspects of Rabbit care


On a different subject on the website you will find information about the need to vaccinate Rabbits, so if yours are not vaccinated then you need to get this done ASAP.
 
Check the bedroom area for babies as you will need to separate them immediately if there are any. It sounds as if you will need to re-bond them but check gender first and have them spayed.
 
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