Two Does not friends anymore

[Mtcookie]

I have two does that came from the breeders as buddies. They are 7 months old now and have fought all morning long. Let the fur fly. They were so happy together what happened???

My daughter decided to try and breed our jr buck to the does some time back. Could one be pregnant and hormones are to much for both the does?

I am so new to this. Please advise.

 

[embkm]

Seperate the does and get nest boxes in with them. I had does in the same cage that had been together since they were babies. A "surprise" ... one was a buck. Well, big doe Brownie went on a rampage and was attacking both the buck and the little doe, Blaze. Blaze was so injured, she was immediately seperated to the cage inside the house to recover. I seperated them, thinking Brownie just got pregnant, only to find dead kits the following morning because she didnt have a nest box and had them on the wire.

PS. Are you sure they are both does? The breeder I got mine from said they were does too, but there was obviously a mistake.

 

[Bunnylady]

The gestation period for rabbits is 31 days, plus or minus a couple. If your does were with a buck within the last month, one or both could be pregnant. Or, if one doe has been riding the other, the ridden doe could be experiencing a false pregnancy. I second the advice to separate them and give them nest boxes!

It may also be that this has nothing to do with pregnancy, that these girls have just reached a point where they each need their own space. I had a couple of rabbits that I sold, that came back to me when their owners' interest waned (one of the reasons that I do not do "Easter bunnies!!) According to their owner, these girls were "the best friends in the whole world," and she made me promise to see to it that they went to the same home, together, when I next placed them. Within a month, one doe's "best friend in the whole world" took a piece of skin the size of a postage stamp off her backside! These girls were about 8-9 months old, and neither of them was pregnant.

Certain rabbit rescue groups will tell you that rabbits are social creatures, and need the company of other rabbits. I personally think that the idea of "bonded" rabbits is a load of horse hooey! Some rabbits get along with other rabbits, some don't; IMO it's as simple as that. Many rabbits that were fine together as babies have to be separated once they reach sexual maturity. It sounds as if your girls have gotten to that point.

If either or both of your does are pregnant, you'd want to be separating them in any case. Two pregnant does in the same cage will pull each others' fur, and may very likely try to use the same nest box, resulting in the loss of many of the babies as the does dig in the box and jump in and out. I don't believe one doe would deliberately kill the other's kits, but a stressed doe may kill her own kits, and many can be killed inadvertently as the does bounce and stomp around. One mama-to-be and one nest box, per cage, is the most peaceful arrangement.

Good luck!

 

[Goatzilla]

I don't understand why so many people insist on housing adult rabbits together. As adults, some will just "tolerate" each other for a while at best. In the long run, nothing good ever comes of it. If your rabbits are housed individually, it eliminates a whole host of potential problems. It sometimes seems like half of rabbit related questions on these forums are about problems concerning multiple rabbits in the same enclosure. If cage space is the problem, it's easy to either add more cages, or reduce the herd.

I often house younger rabbits together in grow out pens until they are either ready for processing, or separated to keep breeder stock. You just can't keep them together too long, and it pays to keep an eye out for any aggressive behavior in the group regularly.

 

[FarmerChick]

new cage, new territory, new problems
just separate them but keep them close to each other
should solve your problems easily

 

[Mtcookie]

I think they were just tired of each other. I put them in two different cages and placed nesting boxes in. Al they did was drag it around the cage and chew on it. ALL NIGHT LONG. UGH

Thanks for all the advice. I'm sure my girls will be much happier alone. LOL

They have been at my house and in the same large cage for 4 months now. So the new area thing does not apply to these girls.

 

[taraann81]

I have my flemish caged seperately but my young lionheads and lops are together for now, but Dh is in the process of building and installing individual cages for each.

BUT the breeder I bought a few of my buns from says she regularly houses as many as 20 does together in large but by no means huge two story rabbit hutch and never has any problems and she has been doing this for years.


It just seems to work out for some people, I don't want to risk fights so I plan on housing all of mine seperately.

 

[JoieDeViveRabbitry]

In my opinion the only time rabbits will happily be caged together for any extensive period of time is when one or both have been spayed or neutered.
Altered "house" rabbits can bond to eachother, but once you cross that line there is no going back. If a bonded rabbit loses it's "mate" it will usually die of depression/starvation.
I have two bucks living together right now, one is nuetered, one is not. The nuetered bun is a 7 year old Holland lop that I adopted from a local rabbit rescue, he is on his third "mate" as he has outlived the others. As long as he has a friend he is fine. Alone, he is a mess.
I have found there is a big difference between pet buns and production/exhibition buns.
I personally feel it is unnatural to make rabbits have to bond. They are not meant to be like this, wild rabbits do not bond or have lifelong mates.
Good luck with your girls. I bet they are alot more content not having to compete for territory now!
I have found that does can be NASTY when it comes to their territory. I have a lovely blue steel French Angora doe who is sweet as pie, but get her near another doe even on the other side of a wire partition and she can be pretty mean.