Bunny rejected by family

Question
Hi Lee,

When my two rabbits were eight months old, and (ironically)
a week before my buck was supposed to be neutered (this
having been delayed as his testicles were previously under
developed according to the vet) my doe gave birth to five
kits.  She was a great mum and the dad was a great dad too.  
I tried separating dad initially but he became very
depressed and sat in the corner staring at the walls until I
gave up and let him return to the others with careful
monitoring.  

Anyway, I rehomed two of the kits at age 3months and
intended to keep just two myself, but the third became too
attached to me, and the other two were very bonded to each
other and to their parents.  So I ended up keeping 5 bunnies
total - Mum, Dad, and three babies.  This was fine as they
have a very large double storey hutch and get lots of play
time in the dining room/garden.  

Unfortunately when I got Mum spayed a couple of months ago
the family dynamics changed. On her return her youngsters
(then aged 5 months and all boys as it turned out) started
to behave in a very sexualised manner and assault each
other, as did Dad who is neutered.  (At this point, can I
ask if the spay caused this by changing her scent/hormones?)  
Things seemed to settle down again but now the youngsters
are 7 months old and one of them has suddenly been rejected
by the others.  All of the others have started to bite him
and chase him and I can feel scabs on his back through his
fur.  I'm very sad about this as they have always been so
bonded as a family unit and he has always been very friendly
and affectionate with all of the others.  So that's the
situation.  My questions are:

1) Why would they suddenly reject him?
2) Can I do anything to correct this?  I was going to neuter
all the youngsters but don't know that this would help as
Mum and Dad are altered and also being aggressive...?
3) Is he likely to ever be re-accepted?
4) I love all my bunnies very much and am not willing to
rehome them.  If I separate this little one could he live
happily as a single house bunny or would he still need to be
in a pair?

Thank you very much in advance for your advice.  I await it
with anticipation as I would love to get my bunnies back on
track xXx

Answer
Hi,

sorry to hear about your situation.

First, I would separate the one that is being attacked right away, for his safety.  I would also get him to a good rabbit vet to check his bites and make sure they are not infected and he might need antibiotics to deal with that.

You can't really change them if they reject a bunny.  If they all were fixed the aggression would be down.  Perhaps the neutered ones are upping their aggression to stay on par with the youngsters that are still intact.  They will fight for dominance if they think they can win, so that might be why mom and dad are more so.  I would bet the aggression would go down if all were fixed.  But in any group, there is occasional fighting and dominance challenges periodically.

You could try to get them to bond with him after 6 weeks after the last one has been fixed.  If the youngsters were the first ones attacking him, it could have been hormonal behavior.  Once high hormone levels go down to new, lower levels, their personalities are allowed to operate more 'honestly' and if they don't like another rabbit, it's not hormones, but they really just don't like them.

So it could be possible, but I'd be ready to yank him out quickly if things go sour.

Rabbits can be just fine as a solo house bunny. Some have personalities that seem to prefer it.  My mom has one bunny that does not get along with her other two, they are kept separate, and mom is able to give her all the attention she needs and she's a very happy rabbit.  Your little guy could probably live just fine with you in your house, in his own space.  He will have to live that way until your others are fixed and you attempt to rebond, for his safety.  You don't want avoidable injuries, and you don't want them fighting because this just reinforces them not to try to get along with him.  You can't keep them together.  But they might live just fine in the same house, in their own areas.  And there may come a time in your large group where another rabbit seems to be getting picked on and attacked, and at that point you may need to try and bond him and your current little one together, and perhaps at that point they will get along.  I am thinking this might happen when the younger ones gain dominance over the parents, then the parents may need to be separated out for their safety, and they may get along okay with your current little one that's attacked.