fighting bunnies please help?

i have 2 female bunnies 12 weeks old, who were when i got them all cuddled up and sweet and today i have come home to find fur all over the place and a messed up cage, when they got out they r still fighting and going for each other what do i do ?

Separate them for now and give them time to calm down. Can you pen them in separate areas so they can see and smell each other, but not attack each other? And preferably both away from their usual, shared living quarters?

i have no where else for them right now all i have is the one cage i have only had them a week and waiting for all the extras ie hutch and run coming

Oh dear, are they fighting really bad or is one just asserting dominance over the other?

i really dont know everytime they were near each other they were fighting they havent done that before so was a bit freaked,

Have they calmed down now?

It might just be a one-off, or they might have *really* annoyed each other.

I assume they are actually sisters? I wouldn't expect hormones to play a big part yet....

Do you have a water spray bottle? If they start on each other, say 'no' loudly and give them a squirt of water (away from the face). Not only does this distract them, it makes it more likely that they will want to wash, and grooming is a positive sign to the other bunny.

I would also try to make positive associations with them being near each other - i.e. they only get fed together (but under close supervision). Spread the food out enough that one can't hog it all, but they need to be quite close to each other to eat.

they are sitting at opposite sides of the room just now, i was told they are sisters, but to me they seem slightly diff looking one seems bigger than the other.

they have had a silly tiff before and made up quite quickly but they where fighting every time they got close.

im not sure if its possibly the fact they dont have a hugh space to play in right now till someone is in, as they chew the wires at the moment so waiting on my pet run for them so they can get out during the day all day full access etc.

x

You need them to be back together tonight if possible, if you only have the one cage.

I would take them to 'neutral ground' - somewhere they have never been before - and a fairly confined space. The bathroom, or even the bath with an old towel in the bottom, is ideal.

You need to 'force' them to interact, rather than just avoid each other as they are doing now. But they will need constant supervision during this time. They may settle back together. But it might be an idea to have a back-up plan in place for housing one of them overnight if you don't trust them being back together...

i will give that a go now, been waiting on a new hutch been so confused as to which type to buy for them.

ive heard of so many people giving up their bunnies when they fight and i dont want to be one of those. i know it will be hard as i have 2 toddlers as well but i gotta get them speaking again

i have took them both to the bathroom and put a towel in the bath and put them both in with a wicker ball, and they have not tryed to attack each other x how long should i leave them like this?

You need to keep a close eye on them, don't leave them if possible (I hope the kids are in bed!)

You want to see them start relaxing around each other - first they should start to wash themselves then, with any luck, they might start to groom each other. It might take a little time, and we have often found that they don't really relax while a human is watching them anyway. If you sit on the bathroom floor with a book, you will be out of sight but close enough to hear and stop any trouble that might start.

If they relax and get on ok in the bath, I would give their cage a good clean-out while they are not in it. You want to get rid of their smells so neither of them gets territorial when you put them back in. A solution of white vinegar or biological washing liquid / powder should do this. Then don't put anything in that might smell of either of them, or anything they might fight over. Make sure they both go back in at the same time, don't let one go in and 'claim' it first.

Good luck, I hope it was only a little tiff and they soon get over it. Let us know how you get on

(PS - they are more likely to fight as they get older until they are spayed - do you already have plans to spay them? Not personally, I mean - to have them spayed...)

Ok this is not great.

it is normal for girls to fight. As they start to become teenagers they will become territorial. Are you sure they are only 12 weeks?

Taking them to the bathroom was a great idea, leave them in there, let them calm down. There is likely to be a bit of chasing etc, this is normal. While they are in there is there someone that can give the cage a clean out this will perhaps help them not be so territorial.

Have you got a water spray bottle. Let them chase, but if they fight give them a squirt of water, not in the face or ears, just enough to stop them fighting.

Some people also take them on a car journey - this unsettles them so that the seek comfort in each other.

Good luck - hopefully someone will be along soon who knows more about this than me. x

one of them has groomed themself now, i have got them booked in for a check up and to discuss them being spayed thats on friday.

when i got them the girl said they were around 11 weeks old give or take a week (this was last week)

i have given their cage a good clean and they have been not bad in the bath they are actually sitting side by side in the bath just now x

That's good, it sounds like a little bit of a tiff that they might get over okay.

Leave them in there a good while, it won't do them any harm. You want to see them both grooming themselves and preferably grooming each other. Also when you decide to remove them, perhaps let them hop around the bathroom for a while so they have more space but it is still neutral territory.

Keep an eye on them again for a while when they are back on familiar ground, in case one of them is being territorial.

When you put them back in the cage, food is very good at distracting buns from fighting. My favourite thing ever is Plantain, so some of that would keep me busy for a while. Pop something they love to eat in with them when you put them back

I know it sounds right to put in the towel but normally in these situations you don't want it. The slippery bath will focus them on keeping their feet underneath them and stop them thinking about attacking each other. As Sparky said, a spray bottle is quite effective in these circumstances.

If one is bigger than the other is suggests that they could be from different litters. They might have the same parents but one be older than the other. I would be talking to you vet about neutering already and finding out from what age they are happy to do the op. There is not as much risk in spaying early as there used to be. The earlier the ops happen the less likely the buns are to show the unwanted behaviour such as territorial fighting associated with sexual maturity.

I would leave them away from their area overnight and give the cage a good clean to remove any scent and put them back tomorrow and see how they go.

everyone has given some great advice,i would defiantly speak to the vet about spaying earlier,my vet said if they start to fight a lot and draws blood then they would do the op,lucky for me they only had a few tiffs till i got them done

thank you so much got so freaked out as before i only had one rabbit so never had the fighting.

can i just ask, could the fight be because they have such a small living space when i am out ? they are out all night to play and only in if i got out as they chew wires at the moment and my run hasnt come yet.?

they have now had a fight in the bath too, they r not drawing blood but the amount of fur flying of it scary x

Crikey, i'm not sure what to suggest but oven gloves may be good if you have to pull them apart for whatever reason.

Did you squirt them with water?

when i squirted them they stopped x

Persist with that for now - you need them to know that every time they fight that is what will happen.

Rosie was soaked for hours when she first met me

You can allow a little bit of aggression or humping if one of them needs to establish dominance, but no proper fighting. It's hard to explain to someone where to draw the line

one of them is stamping in the bath just now. i must say sounds extremley loud lol not good, haha poor bunny bet she is super good now?x

I agree with Sparky it is hard to explain where to draw the line thats why I had to establish whether it was real fighting or just a bit of rough housing and dominance assertion.
I'm used to Tigger (girl) humping Jeeves (boy) and pulling a little of his fur out but it never gets to fighting, she just likes to show him who's boss.

Pair of little monkeys!