hare cuts

Question
Hello Alice,
We have a pair of lionhead rabbits which we generally keep seperated.
we have found that the male is pulling the fur from the back of the female when they are together. He has chewed her fur in about a four inch strip down the center of her back.  Her fur is about 1/2 inch long in this area instead of the rest of her which is about 4 inches long.  Is this normal?  Is this part of the mating process or is he
a latent hare stylist?

Please advise.

Thank you for your help.

Caroline

Answer
Hi Caroline
Your subject line made me laugh. Refreshing. Are your rabbits fixed? This is absolutely the mating process at its best. The male will often grab hold of the female with his teeth holding onto the fur on her back. Often it will rip out as he slides off. Alternatively, a doe may begin mounting the buck and ripping the fur out of his back. At this point the bunnies need to be separated. A pregnant doe does not want the buck around any longer, especially as she gets closer to delivery. She'll fight with him and try to ward him away from her and her nest because he is a threat to her kits. Some males have been known to kill them. The shorter fur suggests that the fur was bitten off, but were there any bite marks on her back? Where was the fur left? Was it scattered throughout the floor or were they lining a nest? just prior to delivery the Mother rabbit will pull fur from her abdomen and chest to line her nest. Could your buck have been assisting her? (I.m kidding)
I would suggest keeping your rabbits separated because if the doe is pregnant, the aggressiveness is going to get worse. I think they are fighting and the fur was pulled. With my two bunnies, who grew up together, about half way through my does' pregnancy, she began mounting him, lunging, biting, chasing him. I had to separate them. This was whenever he came around her cage. Sometimes rabbits who once liked each other forget about each other when separated for awhile. They get accustomed to living alone and get to like it that way, so to speak. They become anti-social like dogs sometimes do with other dogs. A true indication of pregnancy is by palpitating her abdomen. There are videos on youtube on how to do this correctly. I will also explain, you can put your rabbit on her back 'hypnotizing' her by rubbing her belly and petting her head and cheeks. She will relax and her eyes will slant slightly and she will be still for a second. Some rabbits who are pregnant do not like this one bit. If she doesn't, then don't try to force it. Instead, put her on your lap and try to reach underneath. Run your fingers down the center of her abdomen. If she is pregnant then she will have solid marble shapes underneath the skin. The further along, the bigger the marbles. A pregnant rabbit certainly will avoid a buck. If they have mated too many times the doe may be pregnant with an especially large litter. Rabbits can be pregnant with two separate pregnancies (two separate litters) at a time. Sometimes when this happens, the rabbit will have two litters a couple of weeks apart. The rabbit will often go into labor and deliver both litters at once. This isn't a good thing though because the first litter has been in utero too long exposing him to feces etc too long. The other litter sometimes is too small and still premature. This happened with one of my does in my earlier years of keeping rabbits and she became intensely aggressive because she wasn't feeling well. It takes a toll on them too and she behaved oddly throughout her pregnancy biting me whereas she never did before nor ever did again. An animal in pain will react. She was vocalizing the day of her labor as well grunting. The next day she had stopped but the litter was gone, no evidence of it other than my skinnier rabbit. A rabbit with this will become exceptionally large. If he is unfixed, I would separate them for good. You don't want to re-introduce them now and end up with a split litter. It is hard on any doe going through the normal process let alone when things are complicated. He is happy around her but right now she could really hurt him. She will act out and bite him and could seriously injure him, so for his safety, leave them separate. If this passes as a normal or abnormal process then you may re-introduce them later separate from the babies in a neutral room. Putting the buck in the does cage will set her off to act aggressive. Does are extremely territorial and they may start demonstrating that the cage or room is theirs by spraying (the doe will too) or pooping all in front and around the cage to claim the territory. Males, and sometimes females too will rub their chins on things to leave their scent on things as there's a scent gland under the chin. If anything right now, put the cage side by side. The rabbits will interact with each other. However, if the doe is distressed by his presence then separate them. If she is pregnant you don't want her to be nervous because she could hurt her young inadvertently. Hope this helps! Alice