Help with rabbit relations

About six weeks ago we neutered our male (pet) rabbit in the hopes of getting him a friend (and getting my garden more compost

Two weeks ago we saw a sweet, spayed female at the SPCA and adopted her. They are both dwarf rex. We gave them a week of alternating times out of their cages, where they could sniff each other. The male was super obsessed with her at first, and we had to keep her isolated, but that faded out until they were just casually sniffing each other through the cage and then going about their business.

When we tried to introduce them, the female immediately attacked the male. She bites him and pulls chunks of fur out of him. He is definitely not the aggressor. We gave them another week of separation (other than cage sniffing), but the same thing happened. Female goes after the male. She is slightly bigger.

The odd thing is, her temperament is otherwise extremely placid and mild. Any tips on how to help these two be friends? We could introduce them on neutral ground, but that would be upstairs, and the male rabbit hates it up there for whatever reason, so I worry that he would be at even more of a disadvantage.

Thank you for any advice.

I'd make sure they're kept separate, though close, for a long as it takes. Often, they simply won't bond. But, sometimes, you'll get lucky. The good news is that even if you have to keep a wire fence between them, they could still be fine, as far as socializing. Does, in my experience, tend to be more territorial with bucks, than vice versa - but, not always, lol. Bunnies are very much individuals.

Daniel Salatin mentioned that when they breed rabbits he always puts the female into the male's cage... not the other way around. I forget the reason now. Which cage are you putting them in?

Matt McSpadden wrote:Daniel Salatin mentioned that when they breed rabbits he always puts the female into the male's cage... not the other way around. I forget the reason now. Which cage are you putting them in?

We let them out of their cages together. They are both neutered. I assume Salatin has only breeding rabbits, but that would suggest the female is more territorial, I think.

I have a pair of siblings and the female is very aggressive (while her brother is totally chill). I would let them out side-by-side if you can (Carla's idea about a separation is great) but I don't know if I'd expect them to be "friends", especially if the female rabbit was raised alone.

Aw, shucks. We were told male-female was the best pairing, and told by the SPCA that she would do well with a friend. I guess I'll look into some of that portable wire rabbit fencing.

i'd give it some time, and if you have them inside maybe use those baby gates or whatever you can so they can be alongside each other. And maybe also figure out what the male's issue is with going upstairs- maybe if he is smaller, give him a box in the "play area" he can retreat to if he's scared. I know mine enjoy having things to play with for a while (ripping paper shreds out of a tissue box or a toilet roll, for example) but that lasts about 5 minutes before they're off to stretch out and take a nap.

To add insult to injury, this is a common way she likes to spend her time: sitting just outside his cage, with her back to him. Maybe it's a good thing? Part of a phase?

I wonder, can rabbits be jealous? She is basking in the amount of human attention she gets (and she got very little at her previous home). Do rabbits have that level of awareness? Could she consider him a threat to her relationship with humans?

Yes, jealousy can be a very real issue. Sitting with her back to him is, in bunny-speak, a "shunning" behavior. But, if there's plenty of time, and she gets plenty of your attention, it *may* pass. But, you'll likely have to have tons of patience. Personally - with how she attacked him before - I probably would just keep doing it like this, for a month or so, before even trying to go any further.

Julie Anne wrote:To add insult to injury, this is a common way she likes to spend her time:

EEP!
it's bunny butt!

Bunny Butt. A bunny who is angry with their owner or another rabbit may let them know by giving them a cold shoulder, or Bunny Butt. They will turn their back on you and refuse to look at you. Bunnies hold grudges.

I can agree they are definitely grudge holders.
You might find this helpful. I find a lot of the things described to ring true with my bunnies.
https://www.morabbit.org/bunny-behavior

You don't know much about her background, right? Maybe she had to compete with other rabbits for food, it might just take a while for her to get settled and realize nobody is out to get her.

Tereza Okava wrote:

Julie Anne wrote:To add insult to injury, this is a common way she likes to spend her time:

EEP!
it's bunny butt!

Bunny Butt. A bunny who is angry with their owner or another rabbit may let them know by giving them a cold shoulder, or Bunny Butt. They will turn their back on you and refuse to look at you. Bunnies hold grudges.

I can agree they are definitely grudge holders.
You might find this helpful. I find a lot of the things described to ring true with my bunnies.
https://www.morabbit.org/bunny-behavior

Ah, thanks. This article and your explanations helped a lot. She will occasionally greet the male with nose touching, but now I'm noticing that she also likes to run by his cage and foot flick at him. How rude! She definitely has it out for him.

Tereza Okava wrote:You don't know much about her background, right? Maybe she had to compete with other rabbits for food, it might just take a while for her to get settled and realize nobody is out to get her.

Yes, we do know she was surrendered because the previous owners felt that they were not giving her enough attention. She lived in a cage and was given 1/2 hr outside time (max) per day. They had another dog, cat, and rabbit (who was also caged and with whom she did not interact).

She was plenty well fed. She was chunky and very weak-looking when we got her. She couldn't even jump up on the couch. One step up was taxing for her. Now she's losing weight and can jump on the couch. She may have been threatened by the male, sensing that she is weak and he is a fit little free-range scrapper.

We looked into those moveable wire panels at petco yesterday--yikes, $80! So I'll have to keep an eye out for a used set. Until then we'll just keep doing what we're doing and give her a longer time to get used to him and get stronger herself. We'll monitor her behavior to see if she drops the insulting stuff toward him anytime soon.

We bought something like this: https://www.chewy.com/midwest-wire-dog-exercise-pen-step/dp/45381

It was a cheaper one, but came in a long strip of panels, rather than a connected 'circle'. So, we were able to divide a small room. But, that was about 12yrs ago, and I can't remember where we got it. I just thought it might give you some ideas.

Carla Burke wrote:We bought something like this: https://www.chewy.com/midwest-wire-dog-exercise-pen-step/dp/45381

It was a cheaper one, but came in a long strip of panels, rather than a connected 'circle'. So, we were able to divide a small room. But, that was about 12yrs ago, and I can't remember where we got it. I just thought it might give you some ideas.

Oh, that's a much better price, thank you!