Doe will not allow buck on her territory

[Hopebunny]

I have a Holland Lop doe who is about 8 weeks old(I’ve had her about 2 weeks), this evening I introduced her to a Holland buck who is 6 weeks(yes, I realize this is very young). She seemed happy and interacted positively with him at first. I did not think there would be any territory aggression since they are both so young, so I placed him in her cage. She came up the ramp more quickly than I’ve ever seen her move and attacked him(biting, cornering, etc.). The buck just sat there looking quite scared and did not try and defend himself. Isn’t this a bit young to be territorial of her cage?

I am planning to get them spayed/neutered as quickly as possible and have an appointment at the vet next week to discuss it. The breeder thought it would be fine to put them together now. Please help- Thank you!

[jerseygirl]

Normally I would agree that yes, it seems to young to see territorial behaviour – but holland lops (and other small breeds) do sexually mature sooner then many other rabbit breed. So there could be some hormonally driven behaviours starting already.
It’s possible she is a he also. That happens quite a bit,
Rabbits also show fear based aggression at times but the fact that she went up the ramp to him doesn’t match fear based aggression. .

It might be best to stick to interactions in neutral territory for now.

[Hopebunny]

Thank you! I never considered the possibility that she could have been sexed inaccurately.

[Mikey]

Adding in that birth is also a possibility if theyve become hormonal. You dont want them together at all (until spayed/neutered) unless you have the resources to care for a litter of kits.

[Hopebunny]

Thank you for the response. It is not my intent for them to breed. I am, however very discouraged that they will not get along. My female is acting extremely different since we have brought the buck into our home. Not to mention, the buck seems stressed when she is in close proximity to his cage. Also, it’s hard to give them both quality time when it needs to be done separately. My hope was that I would be able to let both of them out to play together with me supervising until they are both altered.

[Mikey]

Nope, completely apart until a month or two after they are fixed. If she can reach near his cage, note that they can also mate and fight through the bars.

[tobyluv]

In addition to the fact that you don’t want any litters, you also need to keep them apart because you don’t want any fighting. Rabbits can severely injure each other when they fight. This means that they will have to be let out separately for play and exercise. A few seconds together can result in pregnancy or injuries. Even if the time they are out is less than you would like, that is the only way to prevent pregnancy and/or fighting.

[Hopebunny]

They both seem more relaxed this evening. Hopefully, after they are neutered and spayed they will be able to bond. I can just picture how adorable they would be together.

[Hopebunny]

I was wondering if this seems like a positive thing that they are lying next to each other(in separate ex pens). Their body language doesn’t look very relaxed, but it’s a start. I’m not planning to introduce them again until after they are spayed/neutered. By the way, there’s a gap between the ex pens that is hard to see in pic.

Actually, I was unable to upload the pic, but they are lying side-by-side, but in their own ex pens.

[Author]

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