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DANAEMERGENCY!!!!!

22 11:20:50

Question
i just bought a rex girl and put her in the cage with violet!!! violet is biting and wont stop!! we have to spank violet on the back but she does it again!!! also my rex(mandy) is thumping her back foot, what does that mean? and how do i get violet to stop!?!?!?!

Evie

Answer
Dear Evie,

SEPARATE THE RABBITS IMMEDIATELY!  You must never, never place a new, strange rabbit in a cage with a resident rabbit or there will be bloodshed without a doubt.  I hope no one has already suffered injuries that need to be stitched by a vet, but please check them both over.

Mandy is thumping because she is terrified and agitated at being attacked!  DO NOT let them fight.  If you ever hope for them to get along, you must not let them together until you're ready to take the long, arduous road to bunny bonding.  For now, keep them completely separated and hope that no lasting damage has been done.

First, both rabbits need to be spayed/neutered so that their sex hormones don't contribute to the natural aggression strange rabbits feel towards one another.

Let them heal for a week or so, and this time keep their cages adjacent so they can see/smell, but not touch/harm each other.

Once they're familiar with each other, you can use the tips in the many articles here to bond the bunnies:

http://search.atomz.com/search/?sp-a=00062824-sp00000000&sp-q=bonding

NEVER spank a bunny.  Unlike a dog, which is a pack animal who understands "dominance," a rabbit will see your spanking as an attack, and this will only lead to escalation of hostility and Violet turning on you as an enemy.  Rabbits fight to establish dominance.  They do not cooperate, as pack hunting animals do, and you must understand their natural behavior in order to help direct it.

Please write to behavior@rabbit.org for more information on how to communicate with your bunny and to facilitate bonding.

I hope this helps. Please write back if you have any other questions.

Dana