I need help!  I have 4 buns; mom, dad and 2 offspring, all about a year old.  All 4 are spayed/neutered and all get along well.  They live in an 8x12 ex-pen with a NIC cage in one end that remains open all the time.  Today I adopted a 3 month old male.  I placed him in a  2x4 ex-pen about 8 feet away from the other buns.  My male immediately began fighting with the three girls.  I had to place him in the NIC cage to keep everyone safe.  I have an appt on Tuesday to have the new bun neutered. I just don't know why my male is fighting with his girls.  He's always gotten along with them.  I knew that my rabbits and the new bun would not get along well enough to live in the same pen together, but I was hopeful that with time they could all enjoy playtime together.  I never thought my male would fight with the girls.  I'm hoping that neutering will end the problem, but I don't know what to do if it doesn't.  I'm just heartbroken that he is acting like this when they all got along so well. 

Any advise?

I would keep your unaltered male in a COMPLETELY separate part of the house until about a month (and half) after he is altered. I would then try to do one-on-one bonding with your male and the other rabbits.

Thank you. I moved the new boy today and washed everything I could to remove his scent. My male was still fighting with the 3 girls, so I took them for a car ride and things seem to be almost back to normal. I don't know if that was the right thing to do or not, but it seemed to help.

I would use vinegar to denature the scent. I'm a little confused about your post. Your male, is that the new bun you got? The one you took on the car ride with your girls?

I'm sorry I wasn't very clear before. My male is the one I've had for a year and is bonded with my 3 girls. He's the one fighting with the girls now and is the one I took for a ride with the 3 girls. The new boy is the one not neuterd yet. He is the one I have removed from the room.

The car ride seemed to do the trick yesterday, but this morning he was back to being aggressive with the girls again, so I guess things aren't fixed yet.

Hmmm....Let me see if I can alert one of the members on here that know more about bonding. My suggestion would be to remove Daddy bun from Mommy and the littler girls. You don't want any hurt buns or any expensive vet bills. But before you do that (it may break their bond if you do) I'll go PM a member and see if they can help you.

Is it constant aggression?

I think that more car rides might help. I also think he will eventually calm down - neutering the other boy is the answer - it's just the fact that there is another rabbit in the home (he may be like this with any rabbit). Some rabbits accept and are fine and some don't. I think you may want to keep the new rabbit in a totally separate room for now. He's upsetting the bond.

It is not constant aggression. They are fine when they are eating. I thought the car ride had solved the problem because they were all grooming each other and flopping next to each other. Later today, dad started chasing and darting at everyone then mom started doing it to the girls ( but not biting). Just moments after they did that they all cuddled together and took a nap.

I would rehome the new bun after he is neutered if I could find a proper home, but I'm obligated to return him to the rescue if I can not keep him, and being in that environment would not be good for him. That's the reason I have him to begin with.

The new bun is in a totally separate part of the house. I really don't have any Idea how to go about trying to bond the new guy to 4 others when the time is right. I think I should start with the 2 males, but I'm not sure. The whole thing seems kind of scary to think about, considering the reaction so far.

Thank you both so much for helping me with this. It's so upsetting to have my kids fighting, I thought I was doing the right thing by helping out this little guy. I had no idea it would cause this kind of problem.

I just don't know why my male is fighting with his girls. He's always gotten along with them. I knew that my rabbits and the new bun would not get along well enough to live in the same pen together, but I was hopeful that with time they could all enjoy playtime together. I never thought my male would fight with the girls

I'm guessing if he could get to the newbie, he'd fight him but as he can't, he's taking it out on the others instead. I notice this with my pairs. They'll show aggression thru the pen toward another rabbit then turn and have a spat with their bonded mate. It doesn't last, it's just an outlet I guess.

Be careful yourself if you've been handling the new bun as the smell on your clothes might cause them to attack you. Ouch!

I'll link a video of my spayed rabbit acting out toward item of my clothing that has scent of a new, intact boy on it. I'd never seen her this feisty before. But it did lessen in time. The boys were neutered and she also became more accustomed to the smell. Though she is aggressive toward them, she doesnt react to their smell on me anymore. They live separately and I don't intend to bond them with her. It's just an example that things do change over time so don't lose faith just yet. Step one, neuter the newbie. : P


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7XQ...ZLs&sns=em

Thanks for the video link. Removing every last scent of the new rabbit has helped and I have been changing my clothes after handling the rabbits. I hope this all works out. I'd like them to someday all be friends, but I'd settle for my 4 getting back to the loving relationship they had.