How do you tell if my rabbits are fighting or playing? If your rabbits are fighting, then they will growling and hissing at each other. If they are playing, they will be making a squeaking sound. You can also try to separate them and see if they continue to play.
Bonded rabbits spend the majority of their days and nights together. They tend to visit the litter tray at the same time, eat together and groom together. A lot of time is spent simply snuggled up together sleeping. They can become competitive with each other over food and attention from us.
The whole bonding process can take as little as one day or up to several months – it all depends on your rabbits. Usually, it's a few weeks before your bunnies will be living happily together but it is well worth the wait.
Two bonded rabbits will show affection by grooming each other. Your rabbit might show his affection for you in a similar way, by licking you! A rabbit might also lick you to let you know he wants to be petted.
Rabbits often greet each other by pressing their heads together.
Licking is a way bunnies groom each other. If your bunny licks you, it's a sign of affection as you'll often see pairs of bunnies grooming each other this way. A bunny lick is a sign of a bond.
If your rabbits are mounting each other a lot, instigating fights, stop them, place them side by side. Pet them together and talk to them quietly. Do not let much chasing ensue. If they are persistently aggressive, separate them to prevent injuries.
Two baby rabbits (under 12 weeks of age) who are the same sex can live with each other immediately; however, in this case, desexing must take place before the rabbits reach sexual maturity as fighting may take place and this may lead to permanent incompatibility.
As a general rule, rabbits are bonded once they can spend 48 hours together without any chasing or aggressive behaviors. You also want to see positive signs such as grooming, sharing food, and sleeping next to each other to confirm that your rabbits feel safe around each other.
Nipping will most likely happen at some point during the bonding process. It is normal and isn't always a negative action. Sometimes a rabbit will nip the other because they want him/her to groom them.
Keep the area empty - during the first few introductions, the area should be completely empty so you can watch them at all times. If the introductions are going well, you can introduce toys, hiding places, tunnels and so on. Make sure there are enough for both rabbits.
When a rabbit nibbles or bites you softly it is often accompanied with licking, which is a sign of love. He is trying to groom you and is simulating the grooming process (however, you have no fur to build up knots in so it results in just a little nibble of the skin).
A rabbit who is angry will quickly twitch their tail up and down. Beware the rabbit holding their tail up, it is frequently followed by spraying. Rabbits who are not spayed and neutered will spread their scent by spraying everything in sight. They may also do this when they are upset or simply dislike a person.
The easiest way to tell which one of your rabbits is dominant is to watch their grooming. A dominant rabbit will groom the other rabbits far less and for shorter periods of time than the other animals. A dominant rabbit will often thrust their heads towards the other rabbits.
They will often be far happier and content with a mate. Rabbits are not that unlike humans, they also get bored, even depressed, and when they do, they often act it out with destructive behaviour. Take your time to get a new mate, or even better, buy two rabbits from the start.
Even if you have a pair of rabbits, 24 hours is the maximum time they should be alone. Like all pets, rabbits rely heavily on their owners. Domesticated rabbits lack the survival skills of wild rabbits. Your rabbit has basic needs surrounding food, exercise, and stimulation.
Sometimes happily bonded rabbits appear to fall out and the bond breaks down. There is almost always a reason for this: Maturation and the onset of spring, males fighting over territory and females fighting over nesting material. Underlying illness/pain.
Squeal. If your rabbit nips or bites you (sometimes rabbits nip when they want something or want your attention - it's not always aggressive): give a high-pitched squeal as soon as she nips or bites you. This will let her know that she hurt you and she should not nip or bite you.
Insider spoke to veterinarians about some things you should never do to your pet rabbit. Don't keep your rabbit's cage directly in the sun or pick them up by their underarms or chest. Always make sure your rabbit has somewhere to hide.
Often you can stop a fight before it begins, by separating or distracting your rabbits at the first sign of trouble. If a fight occurs during or shortly after the bonding process, you may need to start over from scratch. If your bonded rabbits are fighting, you may need to bond them a second time.
It's important that rabbits live with at least one other rabbit at all times, so that they feel safe. As they're social animals, they also enjoy eating together, grooming each other and lying down together to keep each other warm.
Mounting is a form of communication and a way of establishing dominance. It will likely stop or lessen over time as the rabbits' relationship solidifies. Less common, but possible, is love at first sight. The bunnies may groom each other or cuddle with each other.
It often indicates they are either hungry, upset, tired, cold, etc. Rabbits and other animals are essentially the same when it comes to this type of communication between animals and humans.