We have got a total of 5 rabbits, 1 mother, 2 girls and 2 boys (which were done aprox 3 weeks ago).

The boys just cant seem to get along and keep fighting. I got home y'day to find one of the boys ears split, cuts over his back and hair everywhere!

Any advice on what to do?

Seperate them immediately, how large is the home you are keeping them in? it should be massive if you have 5 in together.

Yes - separate them straight away and take the injured one to the vet for treatment.

If the boys were neutered 3 weeks ago, they'll still have hormones swilling around - even more so as it is spring and they'll still be feeling territorial.

If the females are still entire (if so, best to get them spayed asap) the boys will be able to smell them (on your hands and clothes if not the rabbits themselves) and that will make them even more likely to fight over "fertile females". If you leave the two boys together, one will probably kill the other.

Leave it for a few weeks and then you could gradually start to bond them again but you'll have to be patient and it takes time and plenty of neutral territory. There's a lot about rabbit behaviour and bonding here...

http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?298476-Old-Useful-Topics-Behaviour

Rabbits often don't just "get along" and even in family groups bonds can break.

Thanks,

They have been separeated and the vet has patched him up and all is ok.

Will the tip of getting the females done work? If they are no longer fertile the males will calm down?

Will the males get along again at some point, or would it be better to rehome one?

Thanks

How big is the hutch you're keeping them in?

They are living in a very big shead at the moment, with hey bails and lots of room, however im starting to build a big run outside this weekend

Hiya - I'm glad the injured one is okay - is he eating and pooping well? Rabbits are surprisingly fragile creatures (considering they are generally thought of as easy, low maintenance pets) and stress can cause them to stop eating. As their gut has a fast turnover of contents, they can go downhill fast if they stop eating and delivering the processed food out the other end!

There are no guarantees with any animals but in general, if everybody is neutered / spayed, they are much more likely to get along but I know that bigger groups can be difficult to keep happy because there are more rabbits to find their right place in the shed's (warren's) hierarchy.

Therefore I can't say whether the two boys will bond again. Why don't you join Rabbits United http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/index.php and post your questions on their forum? There are lots of people there with experience of bonding more than two rabbits and also of re-bonding after a fall-out so you'll get lots of advice. There might even be someone in your area who'll help.

Back to spaying - even the females are likely to get territorial if they are not spayed. If the girls are with their mum, it's likely to stay fairly calm with both the younger rabbits subservient to their mother but there's nothing to say that the two daughters won't fight. Spaying will definitely help with this. It will also avoid uterine cancer which about 70% of unspayed females will get before the age of 3.

As you are contemplating building a run, now is the ideal time to figure out how you're going to bond / re-bond your rabbits but unless we have any bonding and run experts on here, I really really recommend you ask for help on RU. Healthy, well-cared for rabbits will live till they're 8 or 9 so it's worth investing the time getting it right now.

Regarding their new quarters, if you start a topic on RU with the following information -

- size of shed
- area of new run
- location in garden
- whether you want to use wood, wire, etc

...and include some photos, you'll get answers tailored to your situation. Don't forget you'll need to make it fox and cat proof. It sounds as if it will be a lovely environment for them, though.

Best of luck. I have two females, mother and daughter, well-bonded but even so, at the moment there's a lot of chasing and nipping and territorial stuff going on but... it's spring fever and these instincts runs deeper than just having the uterus removed!

When I had an un-neutered female and a neutered male which I paired together (his first wife passed away) I had to get the female neutered as well because she kept attacking him. The vet told me that she could probably tell he was firing blanks and not getting her pregnant, and because girl bunnies are programmed to breed, she was taking her not getting pregnant out on him!

Got her done and they lived happily ever after

Does are generally more territorial than Bucks anyway especially during the summer.

It seems to make sense to split them up into a pair and a three to be honest with all the females being spayed.