Why are My Female Rabbits Fighting?

As a small-scale breeder of mini-rex rabbits, I was surprised the first time I saw two of my female rabbits fighting. Arwen and Eowyn are sisters and have been inseparable since birth. Although I knew that females could become aggressive toward one another, I never thought that those two would exhibit this behavior. Unfortunately, even female rabbits who are very well-bonded will fight occasionally.

There are several reasons that female rabbits may begin fighting. Here are a few.

1. They are establishing dominance. Like males, female rabbits need to have some form of social structure. By the time they are sexually mature, females will have a few little spats to determine which rabbit is the top-bunny. These fights are usually not serious and simply involve a few rounds of mounting ("humping") and kicking. Unless it seems that one is being injured, let them be. They will resolve the problem and go back to bonding within a few days.

2. They are competing for territory. In a house where they are allowed to roam freely, female rabbits will usually get along well. However, two female rabbits will fight endlessly if they are in one cage, especially if it is inadequately sized and has little room to roam. If your rabbits must stay caged for a significant portion of the day, either give them separate cages or one that is very large (at least ten feet long and three feet wide). Rabbits may also compete for specific objects; Arwen and Eowyn argue frequently over the larger of their two water-bottles.

3. They need more attention. If your rabbits are kept in a cramped cage most of the time and don't see you very often, they are likely to take out their general frustration on one another. Keep your rabbits in a clean, adequately sized house and give them plenty of love and attention. If your female rabbits are generally emotionally healthy, aggresive behavior is less likely.

4. The simply don't like each other. If your two rabbits were introduced as adults, and not kits, they may never bond. If your two rabbits simply can't stand one another, you can either introduce them to each other gradually, in supervised sessions, or must refrain from allowing them to be together. Otherwise, you may end up with one or two dead bunnies. Female rabbits do not generally fight as aggressively as males, but two females who don't get along may fight to the death.