Doe killed 4 week old kit

[AmberRae]

I want to get some advice on an English Lop doe. She killed a 4 week old kit that was not hers. She stays in a 2 story hutch but has never climbed up the ladder to the second story. I have a mini rex that just had a litter and I moved them to the second story of her hutch. I closed of the hatch so the mom rex and the english lop would have their own hutches. The rex mom got the hatch open and one of her 4 week old kits fell into the lops pen. The lop killed the kit. I am so mad at myself for even allowing this to happen. I did not realize the doe could lift the hatch but I should have. My question is; is it normal that the lop killed the kit? I am disgusted with her but maybe this is normal behavior? The lop lives on my porch (she is a pet) and not in the barn with my breeders. She is socialized regularly with other adult rabbits and has never shown sign of aggression. I feel like she should have know this was a baby and not felt threaten by it. My husband wants to cull the lop but my gut tells me most rabbits would have done the same. My breeder rabbits all have their own cages but always play together in the same run with no issues. I also put then randomly together in the same cages all the time with no issues. I do however always keep the weaned kits in their own run so I do not have experience how the adult rabbits would react towards them. Do you guys think the Lop was in the wrong?
Also, to note my husband is looking at this from a emotional stand point because the kit she killed we had already decided to keep, named her and spent a lot of time with her.

 

[alforddm]

Some does can be very territorial which is why you should always take a doe to the bucks cage and not the other way around. I've heard of does severely injuring bucks who were placed in their cage. In her view, she killed something that intruded into her territory. Normally, in the wild, an intruder would have an opportunity to escape. Unfortunately, it was a kit who couldn't or didn't understand the need.

I'm sorry you lost the kit but in this situation, I wouldn't blame the doe.

Now, if the doe is aggressive toward you, you may need to reconsider the situation.

 

[AmberRae]

Thanks Alforddm, I feel like you are right as much as I want to be mad at her. She definitely has never shown aggression towards me or anyone for that matter. My other buns are so used to be moved around that I don't think they have a chance to get territorial. The hutch on the porch is hers and she has never been moved or had to share it.

 

[ladysown]

I had a doe kill her own kit that got out of the cage for two hours (before I finally found it). Some does are just that territorial.

That doe didn't stay long.

 

[MaggieJ]

I agree completely with Alforddm. The English Lop doe was acting according to her territorial instincts. Rabbits that know each other and are used to being with each other may get along, but I think you have had more success with this than the average.

Most rabbits that are used to living on their own in a certain cage would act aggressively towards an intruder. It's just sad that the kit blundered into this situation and had no way to escape. Accidents happen, so learn from it, but don't beat yourself up. Your husband's feelings are understandable, but not in line with the realities of a rabbit's instinctive behaviour.

 

[Preitler]

About two weeks ago a kit escaped one of my hutches, I snatched it and put it to the doe I thought it belongt to - they look the same, and I had just cleaned her hutch, so I thought one of hers fell out. She attacked it right away, I was fast enough to get it out in time, and she's my most mellow, nice doe, not very dominant. Was surprised about that reaction since the does I keep in pairs have no problem with the kits of their room mates.