Rabbit help please Desperate

[michelleice]

If this is in wrong forum TFC im sorry don’t know where to put it

We have owned to rabbits from pets at home since October I got them for my daughter, pets at home told me the cage was big enough , now have added problem of them ripping chunks out of each other found allot of clumps of hair! And one isn’t allowed in the covered bit. They have got on fine since we got them in October and only recently started humping each other constant which is now turned to fighting.

Was told castration may work(both boys) or separating them but was told they don’t do well on there own hence why I bought 2!

Anyone have any experience wit h this and can advise me what to do? don’t want 2 injured rabbits would break my daughters heart.

 

[Seahorse]

I would get them both castrated asap!

 

[michelleice]

will castration work? been told it didnt work for males fighting

 

[Cadfael&Coffee]

Castration might help, but the route I would go down for now is to maybe half the cage? I have used some chicken wire in the past, so they're still together, but one can't kill the other!!

I suppose it's the same idea as when you fence a horse off if they're battering each other

If you leave them though, it's likely one day you'll find a dead or half dead bunny they can be rather horrid!!

Castration might definitely be an option though?

 

[mcnaughty]

My understanding of bunnies is that they mount to show dominance but once they have decided who is dominant the bullying should stop.

Have you tried calling the vet or a local rabbit breeder? Castration might be a good option though.

 

[Booboos]

As far as I know two male rabbits are not a good combination. Mature male rabbits will display all sorts of unwanted sexual behaviour, including aggression, mounting and scenting (mine used to try to mount the cat to her complete horror!). I would separate them asap for safety's sake, they can easily kill each other and castrate them both. Then you may want to try them together again but under strict supervision.

 

[Chestnutmare]

I had my rabbit on his own for all his life and he was soo happy he had run of garden from morning til night when I went to bed, he was 'done' too, and was a very very happy bunny he must have been to last 9 years!

I would seperate them personally and get them done too

 

[Cadfael&Coffee]

My understanding of bunnies is that they mount to show dominance but once they have decided who is dominant the bullying should stop.

Have you tried calling the vet or a local rabbit breeder? Castration might be a good option though.

Unfortunately the key word here is 'should' stop!!

You need to be careful and not rely on that, I know bunnies who have killed guinea pigs, merely showing their dominance, which then even when they sorted out their pecking order they just kept bullying the pigs.

This may not be one of those situations, and the bullying may well stop soon, but please be aware!!

 

[Liviaa'x]

Either two hutches near each other, or the only hutch split.
Rabbits tend to live ok on their own, if they're able to see each other they may well become friends again. If not least they can't touch each other! x

 

[Seahorse]

Our rabbit has been on his own since we got him 3 years ago. He's fine and when I asked the vet about getting another rabbit to keep him company they said that he's used to living on his own now and getting another one wouldn't be a good idea as he would be very territorial now and would fight.
I got him castrated anyway as he was spraying up our legs whenever we went outside!

I looked after a friends rabbit for a while (it was a girl) and we let them out one at a time but the could sniff each other through the hutch.

 

[blueeyed20girl]

hi there as an owner/old breeder of rabbits and guinea pigs, all rabbits are normally ok at a young age together but as they get older start to dominate one an other, i think it would be better- and less expensive to split them up? maybe the vets fees could go on another hutch? rabbits live quite happily on there own, its guineas that prefer to live in groups? hope this helps! x

 

[jendie]

I'd seperate them. If they need company I'm sure they'd get on well with Guinea Pigs!

 

[Alexart]

They can fight out of boredom too as well as dominance - it's better really to have a neutered boy and girl of different sizes so there can be no doubt who is the boss! Also the commercial run of the mill hutches were only originally used to keep rabbits in for fattening for the table - they didn't want them running off weight, so kept them battery style, and now it has become acceptable to keep them in such a tiny space, which personally I think is way to small for even a hamster let alone a rabbit.
I would get a much bigger rat proof run - 12ft x 6ft is as small as I would go or bunny proof your garden, plus a small shed for shelter and to shut them in at night, castrate the 2 of them, provide lots of toys and tunnels for them to play in, things to chew and space where they can get away from each other. I have 3 bunnies left now - all kiddies rejects as they don't tend to make very good pets on average, I've been given 12 over the years!! - and they are on an acre in the summer and in a 24ft x 16ft stable in the winter with a couple of sheep - I wouldn't really keep them in anything smaller as they would get stressed, they do tend to fight occasionally in this space but I have places they can all hide so they tend to have their own patch and will defend it, especially if food is involved!!

 

[kiritiger]

Personally, I would separate them asap. I had two males (brothers) who fought. Got them castrated, made no difference and both (particularly one) were getting injured. They were much happier by themselves but they could still see each other through the wire. When one male died, we got a female thinking that maybe her and surviving male would get along. We were wrong! She didn't mind him but he was very aggressive towards her right from the word go. She is also spayed. It's funny really because they're the complete opposite with people - she tends to be more aggressive with people and he's a complete dope! So, yeah I wouldn't get two to live together again just because I ended up paying double for everything when it didn't work out and that's a lot of pocket money when you're 10!

 

[Natch]

Hopefully you have already seperated them temporarily, if not then do so pronto!

Are they in a run, or just a hutch? I'd get or make them a run each to be honest, its just not worth the risk of keeping them together. You can always position it so they can see each other.

A word of warning if seperating a run into two: we did, but our rabbits got through, and one nearly died as a result of an abcess from a bite. Both females, but both lived to a grand old age, although we had a guinea pig who took it in turns to keep each of them company.

 

[libertylou]

have PM'd you

 

[wipeout]

As previously suggested, I would split them up and have them castrated.

Also. Please DO NOT house rabbits with Guinea Pigs, although they sometimes get on fine rabbits can severely injure Guinea Pigs with no advance warning even if they have lived together for a long time with no issues. It's not worth the risk.

 

[jinglejoys]

Think of wild rabbits,they don't live in gender pairs in small spaces,they live in territories and the bucks will protect their territories fearcely tooth and nail (Lituraly!) Give them pleanty of space,castrate,and divide the run area

 

[Tickles]

Agree with all the advice to separate - asap. I've only ever known one pair of males (particularly placid brothers in a huge multi-story hutch with daily access to a whole garden) live together happily their whole lives. More commonly they get to a certain age and will fight until if not death, to far closer than you'd want!

If you separate there is no need to get them castrated. Personally I wouldn't as rabbit survival rates under anaesthetic are very poor compared to say cats/dogs. But many people do if they want to minimise behaviour such as spraying which is normal possessive behaviour (and ok if you have a breed of rabbit that can be acclimatised to living outdoors, do check your have enough fur (means lots of harder 'guard hairs' that are longer than the soft downy sort) and plenty of warmth/shelter/fox-proofing if you decide to do that though).

Either way they should be fine living near each other but without direct access to each other. you/your kids will have to provide the interaction - nose stroking generally more popular than picking up!

Good luck.

 

[michelleice]

Thank you for all the advice, i have one in the kitchen for now with food water where he will stay for now just incase on look for another hutch failing that i will rehome one and get a female once others been castrated.

 

[Wagtail]

Separate them immediately otherwise one will kill the other. Never keep two entire male rabbits together. Sorry, but you will need to invest in a new cage, but a big box will do temporarily. Better than keeping them together. The weaker rabbit will be highly stressed.

 

[Faro]

For over 20 years I used to breed and show judges and was a very well-respected small livestock judge. (Only gave up because couldn't fit it all in with the horses as well - something had to give).

I see in your most recent post you have now separated the 2 male rabbits. This is absolutely the best thing to do. They will be absolutely fine each in a hutch on their own. Personally, unless the staff at the pet shop where you first bought these two rabbits actually told you at the time to get them castrated, then I feel it was highly irresponsible of the pet shop to sell them to you (not because anything wrong with you - but simply because they let you take away 2 male rabbits without giving appropriate advice). Even if you were to get these 2 castrated, it will still be best to keep them separate, as even though castration would likely settle them down a little, one would always be dominant over the other.

PM me if you need any more advice. Might sound like I'm bragging a bit here - but there's not a lot I don't know about rabbits!

 

[michelleice]

For over 20 years I used to breed and show judges and was a very well-respected small livestock judge. (Only gave up because couldn't fit it all in with the horses as well - something had to give).

I see in your most recent post you have now separated the 2 male rabbits. This is absolutely the best thing to do. They will be absolutely fine each in a hutch on their own. Personally, unless the staff at the pet shop where you first bought these two rabbits actually told you at the time to get them castrated, then I feel it was highly irresponsible of the pet shop to sell them to you (not because anything wrong with you - but simply because they let you take away 2 male rabbits without giving appropriate advice). Even if you were to get these 2 castrated, it will still be best to keep them separate, as even though castration would likely settle them down a little, one would always be dominant over the other.

PM me if you need any more advice. Might sound like I'm bragging a bit here - but there's not a lot I don't know about rabbits!

PM you

 

[michelleice]

Update

i called pets at home after a long talk with my vet and explained that castration "may" and thats a big may calm them down but they need to be separated, then explained one is living in my kitchen and this is only temp.

After speaking to the duty manager they offered me a £52 poppy hutch for £25 as a sorry for selling me two boys. so were keeping both rabbits and they each have there own hutch where they can see each other and not get near each other.

roll on the extra cleaning

Thank you to all who offered me advice.

 

[topclass]

Get them neutered asap. I have two rabbits both boys and they dont fight at all and they sleep in the same 6foot x 2foot hutch and I have no problems.

 

[Tinseltoes]

So glad you have seperated the boys,best thing.Good advice from everyone. Keep them apart tho.

 

[smellsofhorse]

Boys will fight.
you need to get them castrated or yes separate them.
they like company but if you won't or can't castrated they need separating or they will cause serious injury