my two rabbits - please help me!!

Question
Hi there,
We have had a Holland lop for about three years and her name is Sugar.  She is wonderful, spayed and potty-trained.  We found an abandoned rabbit two weeks ago in our back yard.  WE have taken the stray to the Vet, clean bill of health.  She is a female, we named her Pepper.  She is not spayed, possibly pregnant due to being out in the wild.  The first week, Sugar and Pepper got along GREAT.  Sugar mounted Pepper the first day and everything was fine after that.  Please keep in mind that both rabbits run free in our house.  Well ever since last Monday, Sugar and Pepper are VERY aggressive to each other.  I cannot leave them with each other, the fighting is bad.  From the last fight, Sugar got a BAD bloody nose.  I am trying to figure out what steps I need to do to get them to be friends again.  AT this time, Pepper has a room to herself (which has all of Sugar's items in it, toys, potty box and runner cage).  I have tried to let Sugar in the room and she starts trying to bite Pepper thrum the cage!!!  Can you please help me.  I really don't want to get rid of Pepper. A

Answer
Hi Becky,

What you are experiencing is normal rabbit behavior.  They are very territorial even after being fixed.  Two unfamiliar rabbits have to be "bonded".  That is sometimes a difficult thing to do especially when both have not been fixed, they are of the same sex or one has been in an area for a long time.  Sugar sees Pepper as an invading rabbit into her area.  And if Pepper is pregnant, her hormone level makes things even worse as Sugar can pick up on that.

I would suggest keeping them separated until you determine if Pepper is pregnant.  I would suggest spaying her before attempting any bonding process.  Bonding can be a tedious and frustrating process and can take some time.  And honestly, bonding same sex rabbit even if they are fixed can be a real challenge to anybody.  It has to start in very small increments of time in truly neutral territory...an area where neither rabbit has been.  We usually start out under full supervision for only a couple of minutes and expand the minutes as we improve our "togetherness".  We have also put them in situations that add a little stress to their lives and force them to seek comfort in each other....a ride inside a carrier in your car or spending time in a carrier on top or your washing or dryer while you are doing clothes (of course they should be under constant supervision during these "dates").  You can sometimes create neutral territory by masking their territorial scents.  Since we can't smell them to find them, we use a bit of vanilla flavoring on the bridge of each rabbit's nose.  They smell only the vanilla and nothing else....you have created a level playing field.  But it will still be a challenge and take time to do.

As you have seen, rabbit fights can be brutal.  Watch Sugar's nose closely even though it's been a few days.  Rabbits are notorious for hard to deal with infections caused by fights.

You might want to do some reading on Bunny 101 from the House Rabbit Society.  They are a national group that's focus is on house rabbits.  Their site is www.rabbit.org  They have some very informative and in depth articles on bonding.  

Patience and understanding are the key.  Good luck.