Littermates aggresiveness

[Hopalong Causually]

I've just butchered two litters worth of meat rabbits and noticed that two of them had wounds in their ears that I could not attribute to mites or anything else. They looked like holes that were in the process of healing closed. One of them had been adventurous and friendly but had suddenly turned very shy and skittish while, at the same time, taking to dropping one ear like a lop. There were several times during the grow-out weeks that I heard a rabbit squeal as if it were being hurt. The only thing that I can surmise is that the buggers were not always friendly to each other and did some biting. Has anyone run across this kind of thing before?

 

[Pastor Dave]

Unfortunately yes. Mine get rowdy and develop pecking orders. The older they get, the more the males won't leave the females alone. Sometimes the aggressive females fight other females. If I have a particular one that is mean, I will put it in a spare cage.

 

[Bunnylady]

Ohhh, yeah. The worst I have experienced was with a litter of 5 Jersey Woolies, all bucks. At about 8 weeks I had noticed they were picking at each other, but didn't think it was serious (they are such hairy little things, and beginning to shed at that age, so I didn't see any damage). I should have looked closer. At about 10 weeks I realized what was going on - one buck was attacking the other 4. As bucks sometimes will do, he was sneaking in behind and biting low; he had partially castrated and otherwise mutilated all of his brothers. Annoyingly, some of them were "typier" than he was, but they weren't even sellable as pets like that. I let them go to a snake guy that was glad to get any size rabbit - no point in trying to doctor that mess.

Most don't get that bad that soon, but almost from the time they leave the nest box, they need to be monitored for signs of aggression. Often it is just one that doesn't "play well with others," but sometimes one troublemaker gets removed, and the next one down the totem pole starts.

 

[Mini Horses]

Well, that sure spoils the "cute factor" !!

 

[Pastor Dave]

Well, that sure spoils the "cute factor" !!

Yep, only way to make it feasibly possible to butcher meat rabbits. If they stay cute and fuzzy like 2-4 week olds, I could never do it!

 

[Hopalong Causually]

Well Pastor Dave, what does it for me is the difference in time and cost of feed for sixteen of them as compared to just for my four breeders. Every once in a while, I think about expanding my herd but quickly scuttle that idea at the end of grow-out season for multiple litters. I'm content with my small herd.

 

[DutchBunny03]

Definitely fighting. Fighting should be expected in keeping any group of rabbits in the same space, even bonded rabbits. I have two does that had lived together fine for almost 2 years, until one decided to take a chunk out of the other ones neck. The idea that rabbits are these lovable, social creatures who just want to play is a complete joke. Rabbits can be brutal with each other.