HELP PLEASE

Little monkeys!

Are you going to bond them all together Ruffin?

Jay, I'd be very interested to hear Anne's views on referred aggression.

i'm sure they will settle eventually
i'd get her some tin knickers

[b]Who's Anne??

Ruffin wrote:[b]Who's Anne??

http://www.houserabbit.co.uk/?section=patrons.html

Third person down. She writes and edits articles for Hopping Mad and makes videos for us, which she's coming over here to do in an hour or so! Also wrote 'Why Does My Rabbit...?'

She's the only person to have ever done a PhD on Rabbit behaviour, I've seen it, it's Huuuge!

[b]Souns interesting is hopping mad on general sale as I only get rabbiting on at the moment

Ruffin wrote:[b]Souns interesting is hopping mad on general sale as I only get rabbiting on at the moment

Rob, its free! www.hoppingmad.org

Jamie has always been next to Murphy and Rosie but when we first bonded her with Chudleigh and he went into her play pen next to Murphy and Rosie Murphy was attacking Rosie and chasing her around. I think it's a touch of jealousy and territory. In the wild Murphy would have no doubt had a fight with the other buck and chased it off and all would be well but of course in a domestic rabbit in a pen they can't do much apart from keep their doe away from the other chappy. They all are fine now.

I spoke to Anne about this yesterday, and it is indeed redirected aggression, brought on by the situation that occurred. When a rabbit (and this is true of many animals) sees a situation that would normally require an action, but that action is restricted due to our intervention (inability to move freely and go and scrap, in this instance) the rabbit may take it out on the other rabbit - bonded chum or not, so the territorial challenges that Jazz was feeling weren't able to be expressed how he instinctively wanted to, so Fizz got it in the neck..glad they've settled and regained their bond

I have this with Stewie, when we have to clip claws and Burrito him, for example, he takes it out on my trousers! He has the 'Mad rag' towel that also gets a punishing, but this is no different to what Jazz was doing.

It's another example of how us keeping 'wild' animals affects them in a negative way, and this could have been worse, either Jazz or Fizz could had have gone into stasis with the episode, and the bond could have been completely broken. Wild buns don't get GI Stasis

The referred aggression is a real issue for me now as well. It's odd as when I was rescuing my rabbits were very tolerant of the never ending stream of new bunnies coming and going and all my runs were within sight & smell of each other. These days however, with just 3 rabbits, I have to place the runs out of sight or place a towel down the side to hide them from each other, or WW3 breaks out.

It is very annoying but not at all uncommon sadly.

[b]Thanks for that Jay I am still not sure how to procede as I am sure the same is going to happen each time they are all out together it worrys me that if I just let them all sort it out themselves one or other of them is going to get seriously hurt or worse. At the moment I am just letting them out for a short time each but to me thats not fare I want both groups to be able to be outside all day if they want so I think I will have to look at a complete redesighn of the run what we do for these bunns !

[b]Just to mention it must be the smell of the other bunns now as I have put a solid partition between them so they have no sight of each other. Also Ruffin after years of not wanting to go out yesterday decided to hop out of the back door and right in front of the run Jazz and Fizz were sat watching her but no trouble

Maybe a seperate run?

It's worth remembering that this was the first time they saw each other, it might have been more shock than anything, and if they become accustomed to each other being around, (which the smelling distance will help with) they may not react like that again, but you need to take things slowly and cautiously.

[b]Yes the first time was when they could see each other but then I put up the wooden block so as they couldnt and still got the same reaction I have grabed a bit of the garden next to the run that goes around a courner its only about 12ft x 7ft so going to turf and mesh that so as I can then put a 2ft no mans land between them and a screen I just want them, both groups to be able, if they want to be out as much as they want during the days