bonded females.

Question
Last Thursday I took on two neutered female dwarf lops from a rescue centre.They are 18months old and have lived together all their lives.At present they are living in a 2 storey hutch in my hallway and were due to move in to my garage this weekend.One rabbit, Lottie was very timid when we got her and would not move.Her sister Lola was the complete opposite.On monday I took them for their jabs - everything went fine.On tuesday the problem started, lola started mounting lottie but lottie didnt mind.Now last night they had a terrible fight.They pulled out lots of fur and both were left tired and shaky.Lola even lost a claw and there was blood everywhere.Could this be due to Lottie's new found confidence?The rescus centre has said that there had been no problems with them in the past and since the Thursday they had been ok.Last night I seperated them but their cages were opposite each other (touching). This morning they both seemed ok and tonight i plan to take them out in the car and then reintroudce them in a neutral room.Do you think their antics was just a regular fight or something more serious? i tried shouting athme to stop and chucking water but this didnt work. i am now worried about what to do. do i just reintroduce tonight and if things go ok put them back in their hutch? do let me know.

Answer
Hi Kelly,

first, thanks for adopting two gals from a shelter.

Changes and events can set the stage for dominance shifts or increased stress (leading to a fight).  Lola may have just gotten tired of being the submissive rabbit and decided to challenge that.  It could also be (or a combo of both) that the new living arrangement has something to do with her behavior change.

Also, keep in mind even the most well-bonded pairs will occasionally fight.  We expect our pets to get along much better than we do with our own family.  

It was okay that you separated them, but I would not use water on fighting rabbits.  I would try smacking the ground with your hand hard (a thump!) as this is something rabbits understand, whereas water they don't.  Whether the thump makes them pause or not, the next immediate thing to do is grab one of them and secure them in their house, and get the other one and do the same, unless either have injuries and then you would need to deal with them (or get to a vet).

Get some styptic powder or gel from your local pet supply store so that you can stop nail bleeds quickly and prevent infection.  You will need to probably have the nail looked at to make sure it is healing okay (I only recommend this because it was from a fight).  You don't want her getting a blood infection.

Do a re-introduction in the neutral area (smaller area like a bathroom - also easier for you to get to quickly if you have to).  Be in the room with them.  Let it go on for 10 minutes or so, if going well.  Let it end on a positive note around this time - like a lick, etc.

I'd keep doing this every night for a couple weeks, extending the time if they can handle it.  If not and they fight, take a longer separation break (a few days) and then start from the beginning (10 minutes), and begin again.

You can also go to the House Rabbit Society web page and do a search on their large collection of articles for 'bonding', 'fighting' articles.  They are very useful articles.

Lee