Rabbits Fighting

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BunMama928

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So I think I screwed up the harmony amongst my rabbits. I have a Holland lop buck who is very sweet and dismissive who has been living with a younger lion head buck without issue for several months but has also lived with all my other bunnies without any issues ever. A few months ago I tried breeding the Holland lop buck with one of our Holland lop does. After three months of successful encounters with no kits I decided to put the lion head buck with the Holland lop doe to see if they would be successful together and figure out if my Holland buck was shooting blanks or if the doe was just continuously miscarrying.

Well when I reintroduced the lion head buck back with the Holland buck to their enclosure (the boys aren’t in cages they are in a huge fenced off covered area) the lion head started attacking my poor sweet submissive lop. They have been living together for several months without issue. I then put the lop buck back with the lop doe (they get along really well and usually stay snuggled up to each other and are often seen grooming each other. I would keep them together permanently but I also don’t want a million litters of kits) but now the lop doe wants nothing to do with him and even nipped at him when he got near her which is unlike her.

I’m sure I probably royally screwed things up being as I’m new to this. They are all separated now but any words of advice on rebonding rabbits? Hoping once everyone’s hormones settle down we can make the living arrangements successful again
 
Make sure you reintroduce the aggressive one in an unfamiliar place. Maybe get your other buck to live there for a day or two so he sees it as his, then introduce the feisty fellow. If that doesn't work, put them in neighboring enclosures, so they see each other, then do the unfamiliar enclosure strategy.

Sometimes it just won't work though and he might just need to be kept separate
 
you won't be able to reintroduce the boys, you MIGHT be able to put the holland lops together in a large area. The doe will tell the buck to mind his own business if she's preggers, but you'll want to separate them three days before her due date.
 
So I think I screwed up the harmony amongst my rabbits. I have a Holland lop buck who is very sweet and dismissive who has been living with a younger lion head buck without issue for several months but has also lived with all my other bunnies without any issues ever. A few months ago I tried breeding the Holland lop buck with one of our Holland lop does. After three months of successful encounters with no kits I decided to put the lion head buck with the Holland lop doe to see if they would be successful together and figure out if my Holland buck was shooting blanks or if the doe was just continuously miscarrying.

Well when I reintroduced the lion head buck back with the Holland buck to their enclosure (the boys aren’t in cages they are in a huge fenced off covered area) the lion head started attacking my poor sweet submissive lop. They have been living together for several months without issue. I then put the lop buck back with the lop doe (they get along really well and usually stay snuggled up to each other and are often seen grooming each other. I would keep them together permanently but I also don’t want a million litters of kits) but now the lop doe wants nothing to do with him and even nipped at him when he got near her which is unlike her.

I’m sure I probably royally screwed things up being as I’m new to this. They are all separated now but any words of advice on rebonding rabbits? Hoping once everyone’s hormones settle down we can make the living arrangements successful again
Don't be too hard on yourself. I'm brand new (April) to rabbit world also. I built an outdoor hutch and am working on a second. I guess it will be the nursery. I went from my first litter of 14 down to 5 as of today. Tomorrow will be one week. I'm taking it one stage at a time and got into it for meat since they keep threatening we will be starving. I get advice from the great lady I bought my doe from. Rabbit people seem very cool and I'm learning that this is a great hobby and I love spending time with the rabbits. I'm retired so I have the time. Didn't think I'd have chickens again but I do have 5 for eggs now. Not exactly how I thought my retirement would go but God is good and I really believe he is pleased with all my efforts. I keep my buck and doe next to each other but separated. I think they are a hoot. Hang in there.
 
One thing to change in how you approach breeding is to bring the doe to the buck. A doe in her own territory is boss and can be as sweet as pie to a buck or vicious to him depending on her mood. A mild-mannered buck is easily intimidated outside his own territory. A buck will welcome a doe to his own territory and will be able to focus on breeding. The doe will not be so dominating in the bucks area.
 
One thing to change in how you approach breeding is to bring the doe to the buck. A doe in her own territory is boss and can be as sweet as pie to a buck or vicious to him depending on her mood. A mild-mannered buck is easily intimidated outside his own territory. A buck will welcome a doe to his own territory and will be able to focus on breeding. The doe will not be so dominating in the bucks area.
I have a separate I guess “breeding hutch” that someone gave me that I didn’t necessarily need because the boys were together but now that they aren’t getting along the lop buck is now in that hutch
 
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