Will does fight?

[Lamb Lover]

(Not trying to spam or anything I'm just new to rabbits. Sorry if this is annoying.)

My rabbits are sisters, both are about two months old, one is obviously more dominent. As they get older will they fight? I had a friend with rats that were sisters and one actually killed the other... I don't want that to happen, I saw another thread that was similar saying that you might get some that get along but otherwise they fight. I can't spay them because I don't have the money, and I don't know when it would be the right time to do that. I might be able to separate them when we get their hutch but until then I cant.

 

[Hens and Roos]

we have found that as does get closer to sexual maturity, one will start showing dominance over the other and it can lead to fighting if they don't have enough space. Of course each breed matures at a different rate and each rabbit has their own personality- best thing to do is keep an eye on them but be ready to separate them.

 

[Lamb Lover]

Ok good to know. I can check with my local humane society to see how much it would be to spay them if needed. When we had all their siblings and their mother only the boys fought over the girls so I think it should be ok. If not I'll figure out how to separate them. Thank you!

 

[Bunnylady]

Some of it depends on the does' personalities. I currently have two 2-year-old Mini Rex sisters that are still living together, and they seem to be getting along fine. Unfortunately, I could also tell plenty of stories of rabbits that "got along fine" until they didn't, and that can get really nasty. I have also put older does together in what I think of as "retirement communities," I have to watch those very carefully, of course, but some of those have worked out apparently happily for months or even years.

I have talked with the folks who run the local rabbit rescue, who firmly believe in the social nature of rabbits. They always try to pair the animals they get with another rabbit. They have observed that even spayed/neutered rabbits can have personality conflicts, and they even have had a few rabbits that just had to live alone, because they were just too dominant to live peaceably with another rabbit. But generally speaking, siblings are your best bet for getting along. Good luck with your girls!

 

[Lamb Lover]

Thank you @Bunnylady. They got to go for a ride today and meet my cousins, and I bought them toys and treats. I'm also in the process of clicker training them. I think that they should be just fine as they get older. Monkey is the more dominant one, and Clover treats her like a body gaurd. I could be wrong though. I guess we'll just have to see how it works out.