The rabbit is one of the animals that has had the closest relationship with humans throughout history. It began as hunted, was later farmed for fur and meat, and is now one of the most popularpets in homes.
One of the most reported problems by people who live with rabbits is aggressiveness. In this article on our site we will talk about aggressiveness between rabbits, understanding, first of all, what the ethology of this species is like. Find out why your rabbit is aggressive towards other rabbits below:
The nature of the wild rabbit
The rabbit we currently have as a pet is descendant of the common rabbit or European rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus, and was not domesticated until the 20th century XVI AD
Both the rabbit's anatomy and physiology are designed to prevent predation, because the rabbit is early in the food chain, after primary producers or plants. The areas of his brain dedicated to the perception of smells, sounds and images are highly developed: both his eyes and his ears are placed on both sides of his head, in order to be attentive to everything around himwhile practicing other behaviors, such as feeding.
Their sense of smell is so developed that it rivals that of a dog, and they spend most of their time sniffing the air to detect odours. Likewise, they have a vomeronasal organ that is used to detect pheromones and thus detect their congeners and relatives. This is very important if we have two litters of rabbits with different mothers, because if we put them together it could cause infanticide, a very common type of fatal aggression between rabbits.
The strong paws of the rabbits are ready to help them escape quickly if necessary or to fight and establish hierarchy within the group. Adult females tend to be more territorial and aggressive towards their peers.
Aggressive behavior has been extensively studied among wild European rabbits. A dominance hierarchy exists between the females and, separately, between the males. When the dominance hierarchy is established, especially in the spring at the beginning of the breeding season, the fights are very intense. However, during the reproductive or estrus season its intensity decreases. After giving birth, they stay close to their burrows and are intolerant of other rabbits. According to some studies, the average distance between two wild rabbits in a large semi-natural enclosure is 20.7 meters.
Rabbits well positioned in the hierarchy of their group are more fertile, as they have lower stress levels. The immune system of rabbits is closely related to social position.
In the wild, wild rabbits can be solitary or gregarious, cooperate or not in group policing, live on the surface or under the ground, they can also select an open area to live or more bushy. Therefore, a wild rabbit can change its behavior depending on the risk of predation and, if they wish, choose a new habitat to live in.
In addition, the dispersal or abandonment of the group by the newly born individuals is a natural event in rabbit groups. Half of the kits will leave the group when they reach five months of age.
How to present two rabbits?
Ideally, it is best to introduce two rabbits that have not yet reached sexual maturity, as most behavior problems related to aggression appear just after puberty.
There are several methods to introduce two rabbits for the first time. In this article we present the safer and less stressful method for both rabbits and humans experiencing the situation.
We will start this procedure in a neutral room, where the rabbits have not been before, we will place the two cages, one next to the other. In this way, little by little, the rabbits get to know their respective olores After a few days, we will begin to exchange the rabbits in their cages, so that each one leaves their scent in the other's cage.
When we have done this several times and no stress symptoms are showing, we will start to let the rabbits out of their cages in turns first one and then the other. After several days, we can open both cages and let the rabbits interact freely. It is important to take into account the size of the room or enclosure, because if it is not large enough, the animals can become stressed as they have no escape route.
Also, at this point, we must separate the cages and have each one in one place in the room. If each cage has two holes, one for entry and one for exit, we will prevent one rabbit from cornering the other. Although both rabbits are male, one of the behaviors we can observe is that they mount, even though they are not yet adults. This is used to mark the hierarchy, practice adult behaviors or play.
We must carefully observe the behavior of both rabbits and let them solve the hierarchy among themselves, stopping the process if one of the two becomes becomes excessively aggressive and one of the rabbits bites and attacks the other.
It is important to remember that all the animal presentation processes must be carried out gradually, always without forcing the animals and knowing that they take a long time.
It is not recommended to keep rabbits in pairs, of the same or opposite sex, in the same cage. If the rabbits are unsterilized adults, we must postpone the presentation until one month after the sterilization of both individuals. If we don't take this into account, it will be very difficult or impossible to bring them together later on, especially if we want to have male rabbits together.
Socialization in rabbits to understand natural behavior
Correct socialization in domestic rabbits will depend on our ability to understand their natural behavior and inherited from their wild ancestors. Taking this fact into account, we will prevent the appearance of behavioral problems, including aggressiveness, whether towards their peers, other pets or humans. To do this, we show you several tips:
- The cage must be large enough .
- Rabbits should sterilize before reaching sexual maturity, this will reduce the probability that one rabbit will bite another. In addition, we will also prevent them from marking the territory, other pets or us with urine.
- We must give each rabbit a space large enough to perform all its natural behaviors and can exercise several hours a day to maintain he althy.
- It is ideal to have more than one rabbit and that they can interact with each other, always having made a correct introduction.
- All rooms in the house where the rabbit can roam freely should be supervised and prepared so that the rabbit can be safe. For example, do not leave cables within their reach and they could be electrocuted.
- Give our rabbits toys so they can gnaw and a place to dig.
- Everyone in the household should learn how to hold a rabbit, because if they do it wrong, the rabbit can break its spine. They should never be held by the ears.
- Daily handling is important if we want our rabbits to be comfortable with us, always positive and rewarding good behavior.
- Always use positive reinforcement, never hit or punish the rabbit.
Aggressiveness in multi-rabbit households
Rabbit aggression should never be underestimated, much less if it appears suddenly. Thus, if we observe that our rabbit is aggressive towards other rabbits, we must observe their behavior and analyze if we are offering them the necessary care for their well-being.
Any change in behavior in our pets can be a symptom of stress or pain. If two rabbits that have always gotten along start attacking each other, it's time to visit the vet, he is the one who can best help you discover the problem.
As always, we must take into account the nature of the species. For example, does become aggressive when it comes time to breed, as in the wild they must compete with other females for the best nesting spot.
If we do not sterilize our pet rabbits, it is more likely that aggressive behavior will appear and that, finally, we will have to separate the rabbits drastically. The best thing is that before adopting a rabbit, you duly inform yourself of its ethology and physical needs, in this way you will avoid future problems.
