Editor’s note: This article is about male-male pairs. A male-male pair is the most difficult pairing there is. While female-male and female-female pairs are more likely to bond tightly, male-male pairs are a looser relationship. They may be buddies, but they have more spats.

Are your bunnies brawling? Does Thumper bite his companion rather than groom him? If you are experiencing a fight with your rabbit pair, here are some suggestions that you may want to consider in helping them through their disagreement.

In January 1998, I adopted Smoke and Shadow, a father and son pair, who were bonded and were generally kind to one another. But just as the seasons change, and rabbits have their molting periods, and change their hierarchy of who is “top bunny,” they also can have “arguments” that can range from short spats to full blown “this is MY territory and you are NOT welcome here” fights.

Smoke and Shadow had their first fight in the spring of ’98. Huge tufts of fur were all over my living room floor and I found each bunny hiding under a table or chair at opposite ends of the living room. When I saw the fur, I was terrified that they might seriously wound or eventually kill one another. So, I decided to segregate them – one rabbit would occupy the guest bedroom while the other rabbit occupied the living room. Once in a while, I would allow the rabbits to see each other through a box fan that sat in the doorway of the second bedroom. Other than that, they had no interaction together, which was a BIG MISTAKE! I do not advise anyone using this method since it took the rabbits MUCH longer to end their fight – about 4 months! Instead, I recommend that you immediately begin supervised “bunny dates” to re-bond the rabbits. These can take place in the bathroom, car, kitchen or other neutral area of the home where they are not accustomed. Our bathroom “bunny dates” proceeded like this: every night, I brought each bunny to my bathroom, removed all carpeting from the floor, and observed the interaction between them for about 15 minutes. Since the tile floor made them insecure, they either huddled together or scuffled towards the closed door in an effort to escape. After about a week or two, I would allow them to interact on the carpeted surface outside the bathroom. If they started to fight again, I would spray one or both with a water gun to separate them and, once again, segregate them to their rooms – hoping that the next night would be more productive.

Car dates occurred less frequently, but were more effective. I would place each bunny in a separate animal carrier and carry both to the backseat of my car. I placed a large, old towel on top of the seat for any bunny “accidents” that might occur. Then, I opened the entrances of the carriers towards one another so that the bunnies were facing each other. Next, I would start my engine and drive around my neighborhood for about 10 minutes. Both Smoke and Shadow dislike the sensation of movement they cannot control, and would usually huddle together for emotional security during the entire ride. In my personal experience, the car dates proved much more useful and efficient in the bunny re-bonding process.

So, why do rabbits fight? Since I have no formal animal training to offer an educated guess, I can only offer my personal opinion. When I am going through a particularly stressful time in my life, the rabbits seem to sense my heightened anxiety and react to it by behaving negatively. For example, when I was preparing to move to another residence, Smoke and Shadow fought. When I was going through a divorce, they fought. When I have had an argument with someone, they picked up on that too.

However, I do not believe this is the only explanation for their behavior. Other stresses could cause an argument. For example, mine seem more prone to argue during molting periods. This sometimes seems to coincide with the change in season (i.e.: spring to summer). In conjunction with the molting period, is about the time when bunnies “decide” who is the dominant, “top bunny” in their natural hierarchy of living. Mounting behavior occurs and if one bunny doesn’t want to be submissive, a fight may happen.

Over my three years of living with Smoke and Shadow, I have experienced many bunny squabbles and learned from each occurrence. I have discovered that they have their own way of working out their differences and sometimes I opt to not intervene. During disagreements, I particularly pay more attention to whichever rabbit seems to be “losing” the battle at the time. I monitor each bunny for bites, to determine the severity of the fight, and if I find wounds, I usually decide to get involved. Otherwise, since they have been bonded in the past, I believe they love each other enough not to seriously hurt each other.

I also believe that rabbits have subtleties we don’t always understand and I believe that too much interference may upset their way of living. If I calm myself, and I quietly observe their behavior when they argue, it sometimes seems to work better. Smoke and Shadow have been able to resolve their disagreements within a day or two if I remain neutral. However, each rabbit has his or her own individuality and no one way of resolving arguments works for every rabbit couple. So, my best advice to those who have brawling bunnies is to try each option to see what works best for your bunnies. Best wishes!

Return to Home Page