Bunny afraid of me because of her sister.

Question
QUESTION: I have two bunnies, Peanut Butter and Monkey. I got Peanut Butter first, so she's the ruler of the cage. I didn't think it would get this bad. Everyone said that bunnies interact well if other bunnies so I got another one to keep Peanut Butter company. They were good with each other at first. And I was very careful when I finally put them in a cage together. They really love each other. But Peanut Butter has to get everything first, and if Monkey is agitating her, she pulls the fur out of her rear end, her sides and her neck. I just recently bought a kennel so that I could separate the two of them, and I'm keeping Monkey inside with me for a few days. I want her to not be afraid of me. She cries whenever I put my hand near her. And she's bitten me once because she was so afraid that I would hurt her. She used to trust me. Do I just keep on coaxing her to let her know I'm not hurting her? What do I do?

ANSWER: This actually sounds like false pregnancies in both does. This is a common occurance that can be brought on by intro'ing a new rabbit, even of the same sex. The fur pulling sounds like nest building and the best way to get this to stop is to make sure you clean out all the hair as often as possible to keep the nesting instinct down.

Also with Monkey( which is a cute name btw) the crying and biting sounds like what happens when you have a pregnant doe.  This is probably a false pregnancy but I would check on where you got her to find out if she has been exposed to any males.  IF so check out this website to learn more about rabbits having babies
http://www.islandgems.net/bunbreeding.html

The biting could also be cage aggression which is fairly common in female rabbits around the age of puberty.

It really sounds like the only ways to get this taken care of is to spay both rabbits then introduce them again, or separate them permanently.

Good Luck
Amy

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks for the answer. But what I meant was that Peanut Butter pulls Monkeys fur out and leaves sours all over her. I've had Monkey for almost eight months already. In the beginning, Peanut Butter had mistaken Monkey for a male bunny and she tried doing stuff. She's over that now. I don't know if Monkey's too afraid to stand up to herself or what. I'm going to treat her soars. But what should I do about the crying? I'm already seperating them permanately. I'm only going to take them on walks together. Should I just let Monkey know that I'm going to love her and not hate her?

Answer
OH! Sirry I misunderstood what you had written.  Okay so I think your doing the right thing separating them, and keep in mind, sometimes as a rabbit ages they can mellow out and so keep in mind that you may be able to at some point house them together, for right now though separating them will allow you to help Monkey work through her fears.

It sounds like she is reacting like a scared animal, which can be rehabilitated. This will take time and a lot of loving.  But i am sure if you put your mind to it it can be done.

I think you should read this article written by a member of the house rabbit society, it is mostly about biting and aggressive rabbits, but the methods they use would be good for you to try with Monkey also.

http://www.wisconsinhrs.org/Articles/The%20Biting%20Rabbit.htm

Scared rabbits can turn aggressive if cornered so make sure you always move slow and talk softly when around her and try your best not to allow, any scary or sudden movements or sounds to happen while you are handling her.  Rabbits are smart animals and it will just take some time to get her back where she is  not scared.

Good Luck