My bunny bites my other!

[I love bunnies!]

H! I have to Holland Lop sisters that are about 7 months old and I noticed one of them always cleans the other right up around the others neck. She cleans there so much! The bunny that is being cleaned just sits there though. First I was just thinking “oh Piper is cleaning pippin!” And I didn’t think much of it, but it just happens so much! So just yesterday I was playing with them in their play pen and I noticed on Pippin, (the one getting bit) had some scratches around the area Piper had Ben cleaning.
I am almost sure it is from always cleaning there. So my question is is Piper cleaning pippin or is she biting her and how can I stop it? To stop them from cleaning there I was thinking I should go and buy a loose harness pippin could where so they couldn’t reach the hurt spot. I don’t really know what I should do or if a harness would help until it healed. If you have anymore suggestions so they would stop biting there it would be helpful. I would really appreciate your advice! Thanks so much!

[Mikey]

Thats not cleaning. Shes bitting her. You need to bond them. Are they both spayed? If not, separate them before you come home to bloody bunnies. A harness wont help or change anything

[I love bunnies!]

Well they are sisters. They are not yet spayed. Should I only spay the biter? And why wouldn’t the harness help.

[Mikey]

Blood relation means nothing to rabbits. Theyll even mate and have a litter if you have a boy and a girl, because they dont care

A harness wont help because it wont actually be doing anything. Youll only be stressing out the rabbit more who is wearing the harness

Youll want to spay both. Females are prone to uterine cancer at an early age, and only spaying can prevent that from happening. You also want to spay both because rabbits smell other rabbits hormones and react to that. It also takes up to six months for females to have their hormones fully drained form their bodies after spays

Youll need to completely separate them asap and keep them apart until BOTH are spayed, unless you want some bloody or dead bunnies

[Hex]

I agree with Mikey: separate them immediately!

In order to keep two bunnies together safely, they must be correctly bonded. Your rabbits have entered puberty and their hormones will bring out aggression…among other not-so-nice behaviours. If you’re not a breeder, your rabbits should be spayed. No question about it. Female rabbits are incredibly prone to cancers regarding their reproductive system.

Young bunnies get along well with almost everyone; these “bonds” aren’t true or strong. Once they mature, it’s important that their safety is your number one priority. While it’s supposedly easier to bond litter mates, that relies heavily on the caretaker.

A harness, as Mikey said, will only prove stressful for the one wearing it. A harness won’t protect the face either, another common spot for biting.

Spaying & Neutering Info
http://rabbit.org/faq-spaying-and-neutering/
http://rabbit.org/spayneuter-winwin/

Proper Bonding Info
http://rabbit.org/faq-bonding-multiple-rabbits/

If you want to ensure your rabbits’ safety, I highly recommend reading these articles.

ALSO:
It is possible that your rabbit is over grooming the other. Please read the following article. Nonetheless, the above info should be your first priority.
http://rabbit.org/overgrooming/

[I love bunnies!]

Thais for responding. They have been with each other since they wher born and never split up. They get along very well. Once I tried separating them but they looked so sad and lonely and they weren’t really the melts hopping around. Then the I put them back together and that where blinking and running around again together. I read the articals and thank you For posting them. The one that they are doing is over grooming. It’s acsacltly the same. The more dominant one always cleans wright there. I think I said this wrong in the first place. The scratches on her back are very tiny.

They are about 7 months old and I wanted to ask how old do they have to be to be spayed? And should I separate then after there spayed? Thanks

[sarahthegemini]

Posted By I love bunnies! on 11/28/2016 7:48 AM

Thais for responding. They have been with each other since they wher born and never split up. They get along very well. Once I tried separating them but they looked so sad and lonely and they weren’t really the melts hopping around. Then the I put them back together and that where blinking and running around again together. I read the articals and thank you For posting them. The one that they are doing is over grooming. It’s acsacltly the same. The more dominant one always cleans wright there. I think I said this wrong in the first place. The scratches on her back are very tiny.

They are about 7 months old and I wanted to ask how old do they have to be to be spayed? And should I separate then after there spayed? Thanks

They can be spayed at 16 weeks – though many vets prefer to wait til they’re closer to 6 months so you can definitely get them spayed now! 

I have just separated my buns (brother and sister, both 15 weeks old) and I totally understand how it feels to see them looking sad and lonely (it broke my heart actually) but you have to put their safety first. Especially as one of your buns is very obviously being scratched or something. Maybe intentionally, maybe not but either way you don’t want her to be sore. Separate them ASAP. Oh and definitely get both done. 

Edit: A harness wouldn’t help because it doesn’t actually address the issue, just sort of covers it up. It also might cause stress to the wearer.

[Mikey]

Any scratches in a buns skin is dangerous. Each scratch and bite can easily become infected. Rabbits have delicate paper thin skin. Youre going to need to seperate them, have them spayed, and see if the issue gets better. It still sounds very hormonally driven and only spaying both will stop that. Keeping them together and unspayed, you risk them dieing before their time, in a painful manner. Thats not fair to them

[Hex]

Your bunnies will be gloomy when you separate them, however, separation will prevent a dangerous fight that may forever destroy their relationship. If you enjoy seeing them together, I’d highly recommend a proper bonding process after both of them have healed from their spays.

If you’re curious about bonding info, I really like this article. It’s very informative and straightforward:

Bonding for Beginners

Another article from the same site, regarding choosing an appropriate and knowledgeable vet: 

Things Your Rabbit-Savvy Vet Should Never Say!

[Author]

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