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The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet.  It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

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Forum BEHAVIOR My Rabbit keeps pulling out my other rabbits fur

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    • meg2474
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        I have two female rabbits that are under 6 months. They seem to get along but the one pulls out the fur of the other one. Is this a serious problem and if so what should I do to stop it?


      • LBJ10
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          How is the fur being pulled out? Is one actually biting the other? Like aggressively, I mean. Or is one latching on while humping?


        • meg2474
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            The one just pulls it out but doesn’t actually bite her. They are not humping.

            They get along, sleep together and clean each other so I’m not sure why the one bunny is doing this. Should I get rid of the bunny that is pulling the fur out?


          • Beka27
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              Is this resulting in bald patches in the other rabbit? Does it seem like it’s grooming? What are their diets like each day?


            • Zombie-Sue
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                Get rid of her? No, you shouldn’t just toss your pets out of your house at the first tiny problem.

                Are you sure the rabbit isn’t pulling it out herself? Does she hop away? Are they bonded? Are you going to have them spayed soon?


              • Sarita
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                  I agree with Zombie Sue….I do think spaying and age can solve this problem but you don’t just consider getting rid of one for this reason….


                • meg2474
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                    She does have a bald patch on her head.  They have a very good diet of hay, pellets and vegetables.  I am going to get them both spayed to see if that resolves the problem.  I hope it does.


                  • LongEaredLions
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                      Once you spay them, you will have to properly bond them.
                      That should solve the problem.


                    • stella'smom
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                        i was going to post this same thing… my one girl humps the other and pulls her fur out. they r bonded and love each other but hump each other all… the… time. i cannot afford to get them fixed right now. is there anything else can i do?


                      • Sarita
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                          Stella’s mom – hopefully you can save up soon for those spays especially since you now have a male flemmy in the house :~)

                          How old are the girls and how long have they been together?


                        • Beka27
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                            Uh oh, Stellasmom… Maybe not the best time to get a new bunny then… 🙁

                            Are they all kept completely separate, like in totally different areas of the house? Your new bun may start marking and spraying urine if he can smell the girls.

                            What is your timeline for the girls to be spayed?


                          • stella'smom
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                              they are kept separate. although i did allow them to come to his room. they pooped and peed all over the place to tell him that it is actually THEIR territory and then humped the *^&% out of him, again, saying “i am dominant.” the baby took it in stride, maybe because he is a bit bigger then them. lol!

                              i was going to get him fixed before he is fertile, as they will start living together within the month, when they are better with him. it’s a slow process introducing them, and i’m trying to research it now. i have no idea when i could get the money to get them fixed, which i plan on eventually doing, as i know it decreases the chance of reroductive cancers. but is it really necessary? i mean what are the chances of them getting the repro cancers if i DONT fix them? is it rare?

                              thanks for any info!


                            • Beka27
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                                Cancer in unspayed females is common. There’s varying statistics, but most say an 80% chance of cancer developing by the age of 3-4.

                                They won’t be able to all live together unless all three are fixed. So he will have to be kept separate from the girls until that is done. If you choose to not spay them, make sure you can keep him separate permanently.


                              • LongEaredLions
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                                  It is indeed very common.
                                  Before they are all fixed, never let them even near each other. They can “do the deed” very quickly and you have enough bunnies already.


                                • stella'smom
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                                    why can’t they live together until all three are fixed? isn’t it good enough that HE is fixed?!


                                  • stella'smom
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                                      beka27~ that is hysterical that your bunnies look the same, but one has ears up, and one has ears down!!!


                                    • Beka27
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                                        Yup… it was funny how similar the buns looked! We had Meadow first, then we found Max on Petfinder and we definitely fell in love with him because of how much he looked like our Meadow! Of course, broken spotted buns are common in most breeds… I really love black and white bunnies (although Meadow’s spots are really more of a “charcoal gray” than true black). We lost Max last summer unfortunately… we really miss him.

                                        The biggest issue with having them all together will be false pregnancies and territorial behavior/fighting. They may also mark the area more often with poop/pee, although that’s not necessarily an issue if you don’t mind the constant clean-up. In short, just because he’s incapable of impregnating them (about 4-6 weeks post-neuter), their hormones and the presence of a male bunny may cause them to *think* they are going through a pregnancy. This will cause them (the females) a lot of distress as their hormones get all “out of whack”. They will become very moody, aggressive, territorial, and will actually pull fur and build a nest… despite the fact that they are not pregnant. It’s kind of a “hormonal/psychological” reaction to being in the presence of a male bunny. When this happens, they may fight with him (or with each other!) even if this never happened before. And unfortunately, this will KEEP occurring until they are spayed, possibly every month or two.


                                      • bunnytowne
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                                          The urine is really really smelly when they mature and are not spayed/neutered.  And with 3 bunnies.  It is really bad.  Marking will continue spraying may start.  Litterbox use will be inconsistent.  Moodiness in the females will be prevalent.  Pulling hair out and false nests territorial with the cage fighting over it will occur. 

                                          Lots of reasons to spay neuter with more than one bunny.  Besides the 80% chance of reproductive organs in females and risk of testicular cancer in the males. 

                                          They even may start charging and nipping you when the females get territorial.


                                        • meg2474
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                                            Well, I went and took my bunnies to get spayed to find out one was a boy even though the pet store told me it was a girl.  They got spayed and neutered and now the problem has stopped and they get along even better.


                                          • jerseygirl
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                                              Woah. Lucky you found out and were able to get them
                                              desexed asap. Good for you! Probably was in the knick of time by the sounds.


                                            • Bniebur
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                                                Im having the same problem, but they are males. They got along and all of a sudden capone is loosing hair, and is bleeding alot. I need help aswell


                                              • Bam
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                                                  Bniebur, this is an old thread. We ask members not to open up old threads. I suggest you start a new thread about your problem. That way you’ll get many more answers. To start a new thread, click on the “Add Topic”-button at the upper far left. If you can’t make it work, PM me and I’ll help you.

                                                  For now you need to separate your bunnies, they can really hurt each other when they fight.


                                                • Sumholmes
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                                                    I have 2 female rabbits. They are about 6 months old and we got them a week apart, today my calm rabbit started chasing the other one and is pulling big clumps of hair out of her. So I put them in separate cages. They share a hutch and have always been fine until today. I don’t know what to do? So after being apart for awhile I out them back together and she. chasing and biting her hair out. Help please!!


                                                  • jerseygirl
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                                                      Posted By Sumholmes on 4/23/2016 9:14 PM

                                                      I have 2 female rabbits. They are about 6 months old and we got them a week apart, today my calm rabbit started chasing the other one and is pulling big clumps of hair out of her. So I put them in separate cages. They share a hutch and have always been fine until today. I don’t know what to do? So after being apart for awhile I out them back together and she. chasing and biting her hair out. Help please!!

                                                      Hi Sumholmes

                                                      At this age, your rabbits have become sexually mature.  If there is full on fighting or one is stressing the other out too much, you will have to separate them. Some intact females might live in same habitat but often there’ll be humping, false pregnancies and scuffling over territory or food.  It’s recommended to have females spayed because there is a high incidence of uterine cancer if left intact. A spay will also lessen hormone related behaviours.

                                                      Do make absolutely certain that you have 2 females. Rabbits are so often mistakenly sexed, even by vets sometimes!  

                                                      If you have any other questions, please feel free to start a new topic. This is an old thread from 2 years ago. 


                                                    • LBJ10
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                                                        I’m gonna lock this one.

                                                    Viewing 24 reply threads
                                                    • The topic ‘My Rabbit keeps pulling out my other rabbits fur’ is closed to new replies.

                                                    Forum BEHAVIOR My Rabbit keeps pulling out my other rabbits fur