Not sure about this

Here are my questions:
Is there a way for me to "familiarize" them, or get them to accept each other and live together? They are sisters, and got along fine as babies. I separated them only because I thought one of them was a buck. Would opening the door so that each has access to the other for an hour a day, supervised, help them to accept each other? And, if they live together, is it likely that the dominant one will mellow a bit? Also, if I were to breed them, would it be ok to have the nest boxes in the hutches- not the run? I don't want them digging so I want to let them out into the run for a couple hours a day instead of letting them have free access to the run. Or would it be better to let have free access and put a mock warren in (caves and tunnels with dirt piled on top)? And if I planted veggies and herbs and other things in the run, and the bunnies had free access to the run, would they destroy the plants?

Just to clear things up a bit, here's why I have these questions:
I have my 2 does (they are mutts- right now they are pets, but I'm thinking about breeding them someday) in two separate hutches in a shady spot in my backyard. One hutch is about 3ft by 3ft with a "shelf" about 3ft by 20inches, and a box attached that is about 2ft 10inches by 16inches. This hutch also has an only-wire expansion that is about 20inches by 28inches. The other doe has a 3ft by 4ft hutch with a 2ft 10inches by 2ft box attached. I also put a flipped over drawer (something for them to hide in) in both of their hutches. Both hutches are on two 2-by-4s suspended between two trees. That way we didn't have to deal with termites or rotting where the hutches would have touched the ground. We also were able to put a poop-catcher underneath them. We built a run from the trees out to about 20ft. At the moment, the only way for the buns to get into the run is for me to pick them up or carry them. That will soon change, because I'm planning on building a "ground hutch" that can be opened into the run.

I like the idea of a colony setup, but I'd rather they not tear up the ground by digging deep. I'm planting inside their run and turning it into a greenhouse in the winter...Thats why I have them in hutches. When I had the two bunnies in the run together, they were ok with each other. The larger and more aggressive of the two chased the smaller one around a bit, but there was no fighting. So, today I made a door so they could have a colony-hutch. They seemed ok with it- they were a little hesitant but also curious. The dominant doe did chase the other doe, but there was no bitting or scratching. I left them alone for a couple of hours. They seemed fine- until i caught the dominant doe chasing then nipping the other one. I got them separated into their hutches and closed the door.

Here are some pictures. Sorry about the quality...

The hutches:





Back and inside of Bigwig's hutch (not including the big box on the end):





Back and inside of Blackavar's hutch (not including the big box on the back):





The run and hutches:





Close-up of hutches:



Thanks, and sorry my post is long.

If they have the whole run to romp in when they are together, and you provide a variety of hiding spots, they will probably be fine. Does are very territorial about their space, so allowing one to enter the other's hutch likely provoked the aggressive display.

As for the plants, if there are a lot of them to choose from, they wont focus exclusively on any single one for long. You may want to make small cages for them out of 2" x 4" wire to protect the main body of the plant so they can only shear off the portions that grow near or through the wire.

I would also recommend laying chain link or other heavy gauge wire over the dirt, because they will dig, even if they are only out for a couple of hours.

I don't have a colony myself, but if I were to try it, my plan was to confine the does to hutches when they kindled, and let them out again after a couple of days. However, that might cause an upheaval in their pecking order, and cause them to fight for dominance each time they are reintroduced.

Your idea of making the run into a greenhouse over the winter is kind of confusing to me- are you planning that as a winter only structure? I would be hesitant to have rabbits in a greenhouse setting, even in winter when excessive heat is not an issue, due to the high humidity and poor air circulation.

Your ideas and cages sound very intriguing- be sure to post pics as the project progresses!

Thanks!
If both does have access to both hutches, will they settle down or continue to fight?

As for the greenhouse project- the run isn't complete. We are going to make the door to the run and make a roof (bamboo supports and bird netting). In the winter, we would cover the run with thin plastic sheeting (greenhouse material). We would have air circulation and the humidity wouldn't be too bad- we would have to vent the greenhouse to regulate how hot it gets. And the plastic sheet wouldn't cover the bunnies' hutches- it would stop short of the hutches- a little like a curtain with a door (so that we can reach the hutches). In the summer, we would take off the plastic sheet.

So, in addition to the greenhouse set-up- building the roof and door- we are hopefully going to make some ground hutches. We'll connect the top hutches with ramps, tunnels, and/or stairs (all encased in wire so that they can't jump out) to hutches that are just a few inches off the ground. Between the ground hutches and the ground will be a "poop-tray". We are going to make it so that we can block off the tunnels up to the high hutches and open the roof. That way we will be able to easily pick up the bunny if we need to. And it will be easy to get them into the run- just open the ground hutches' door. I can't wait!

You should let them out at the same time and let them 'fight it out' to decide who's boss. They don't even have to fight, one should go with being subordinate and run away or hide, she will need hiding places. There will be chasing within the first days but they will probably settle down after a week. However, if they both want to be dominant, then there will be a huge fight. One of them needs give up to make it work.

And you shouldn't separate them and put them together later, they will need to start the whole thing over and over again which can be too stressful for them. You should only separate them if one gets injured. Any positive signs of grooming, laying down, washing, are good to know that there is hope.

Thanks, Disney, that clears things up a lot! One of them is hiding and running away, while the other chases her or hops around where ever she pleases. I'm going to add more hiding places, and then let them be together. I don't think there will be a fight, one of them is already the subordinate, and the dominant one can't catch the subordinate one in a chase.<br /><br />__________ Sat Jun 23, 2012 12:29 pm __________<br /><br />The rabbits are already making friends a bit. They are sniffing a little and their is less of the sudden chases. I can't wait to see them cuddle!