Why Do Rabbits Fight Each Other?
Yes, from time-to-time rabbits do fight one another. Most often they will fight over food to determine dominance and mating rights, and to protect their territory.
Additionally, if a bunny is stressed, then it is more likely to fight.
Rabbits Fighting for Food
If food is scarce, then rabbits will fight for it.
For wild rabbits, food is either plentiful or less scarce in the green seasons – that’s spring, summer and fall. Food in many lattitudes is scarce in the winter, but for your homestead, farm, or pet rabbits it is likely very available to them. Regardless, there are other nautral forces and stressors that may lead rabbits fighting for food.
Rabbits Fighting to Determine Dominance
Rabbits will naturally fight amongst themselves to determine who is the dominant one. Depending on personalities and hormone levels some of these fights will seem like light play for a moment, while others will seem like a nasty fight that goes on for quite a while.
Don’t be alarmed! Rabbits are natural pack animals and dominance in pack animals is very common. Dominance determines who eats first, who is groomed by others, who the subordinate rabbits are, and finally, who has mating rights to the females or does.
Rabbits Fighting To Protect Their Territory
Rabbits will fight to defend their home and their territory from other rabbits.
Mother rabbits, or does, will fight to defend their home for their bunnies or kits. Father rabbits, or bucks, will fight to defend their territory from other male rabbits that want to infringe on the buck’s territory.
My Rabbits Are Chasing Each Other – Are My Rabbits Fighting or Playing?
If they are acting aggressively, scrapping with their paws, kicking and biting, then they are fighting. If they are binkying and darting around, but not seemingly attacking each other, not aggressively biting and tearing out tuffs of fur, then they are playing.
In addition, as part of their fun and bonding, rabbits may play fight. This includes behaviors such as lunging at each other and then retreating, nipping at each other, gentle body bumps, etc.
The videos embedded in this article show the difference between rabbits playing and jockeying for dominance and actually fighting.
Here is a video of rabbits playing around
Immediately below is a video of rabbits playing a little rougher, but still playing and perhaps working out some dominance.
Below is a video of rabbits fighting – see the second vignette – rabbbits chasing, biting, fur flying, and kicking.
Why Are My Rabbits Fighting All Of A Sudden?
If your rabbits were behaving nicely but have now started to fight, then there may be several reasons for this:
Pain, illness, or discomfort: One rabbit may not be feeling well. Intermittent or constant pain may be bothering your rabbit, creating stress and changing how your rabbit behaves. You may want to have the rabbit thoroughly checked by your veterinarian. Just like us humans, a rabbit that is sick or suffering from pain may be grouchy, disagreeable, and more prone to arguments.
Aging and Maturing: One or more rabbits may have passed an aging milestone where there was a change in their hormones or bodily functions. Examples of this include reaching sexual maturity. Is a rabbit aging and perhaps feeling some arthritis pain? Was one of the rabbits recently neutered or spayed? There may be a change in the hierarchy.
Physical Change in Their Environment: Was there a significant change in their hutch or play space? Did their food change? Did you change their brand of litter or the cleaning spray you use?
Did another rabbit or some other animals get introduced to their living space, causing the natural fight or flight response? Is there competition for food now when there wasn’t in the past? Were bonded pairs separated for more than a day or two and then placed together without a proper introduction period?
Like humans, some rabbits have a gentle and more tolerant personality, while others seem to be impatient and more prone to fighting and combat. However, even rabbits that are predisposed to be gentler and more tolerant will attack and fight when they feel threatened or stressed by the conditions discussed above.
Do Rabbits Fight To The Death?
Yes, rabbits have been known to fight other rabbits to the death. However, most often the rabbits fight a for a minute or less; this involves scratching, pulling fur, and perhaps biting. Before long, dominance is determined and the fighting stops long before the death of a rabbit.
Needless to say, rabbits have claws and teeth and know how to use them. Sometimes a fighting rabbit ends up injured or mutilated. If your rabbits have had a squabble, then always check them thoroughly and call your veterinarian if you have any doubt about their health.
How Do Rabbits Fight?
The embedded videos (above and below!) answer the question of how do rabbits fight, better than I can. In general, rabbits chase, bite, pull fur, kick, and scratch when they fight.
Why Do Female Rabbits Fight? How Do Female Rabbits Fight?
Yes, female rabbits will fight, particularly if neither are neutered. Neutering or spaying animals reduces the hormonal aggression as animals mature. For female rabbits, puberty begins at 3 months old. Although less aggressive and territorial than male rabbits, females will still fight for scarce food, space, or due to the stressors noted above.
Again, a female who is expecting kits or just had a litter of kits will fight for space for her family.
Why Do Male Rabbits Fight?
In addition to the circumstances discussed above, male rabbits fight most often to establish and confirm dominance over other rabbits, both male and femal. For more fascinating facts about rabbit social dominance please click on and read the linked scientific research article.
The dominant male will often, even daily, assert his dominance over each rabbit in his territory. If the other rabbit does not immediate show deference by scurrying away, then the dominant male will likely attack. This fight may be a simple scuffle that is quick and relatively uneventful, resulting in the subordinate rabbit running away. Or it may be a classic knockdown, drag out, full on fight that can result in serious injury, mutilation or even death.
Male rabbits, or bucks, fight for dominance because the dominant male in the group gets to eat first, gets groomed by subordinate rabbits, and has mating rights with female rabbits.
How Often Do Rabbits Fight?
Sometimes the small skirmishes between rabbits may happen several times a day but nastier fights happen less frequently, perhaps every few weeks or months.
How often rabbits fight is directly proportional to the number of stressors, discussed above, occurring in their environment. If there are many stressors present, then rabbits will fight more often.
Will Pet Rabbits Attack Each Other?
Yes, pet rabbits may attack each other and fight. Even bonded rabbits can fall out of favor with each other due to circumstances we’ve discussed.
How Long Will Rabbits Fight For?
Rabbit fights are usually brief and not extended. Most fights last no more than a minute.
Some fights are actually a series of fights or skirmishes. For example, if two males are fighting for dominance in a territory, then a number of fights may continue throughout the day.
Why Do Rabbits Fight More Often in Spring?
Rabbits are more prone to fight in the Spring because Spring begins the natural mating season after a long winter of no or little mating (We note that this is more applicable to wild rabbits in thier natural environment!)
Males fight more in spring for dominance and mating rights. Females may feel more stress due to the energy and hormones of these natural cycles.
This spring fever is unique to the season because rabbits in the wild mate less in the winter due to harsher weather. It is often colder in the winter and food is more scarce, as such rabbits naturally mate less in the winter so that they do not have to raise kits in a harsh winter environment. Instead, they begin mating again in Spring when food becomes plentiful, and the days are longer and warmer.
How To Break-Up or Stop A Rabbit Fight
Stop and think before you jump into the middle of a rabbit fight.! Don’t put your hands in, instead wse something like a dustpan to separate the rabbits. This stops the fight for a moment and then you can lean in and pickup one of the rabbits to remove from the fight scene.
Having another person with you to distract the other rabbit and generally provide help is always beneficial.
Why Did My Rabbit Bite Me?
If your rabbit bit you it’s probably because it was scared and confused. Did you surprise your rabbit by moving too quickly or grabbing it instead of gently gathering it? Alternatively, if your rabbit bit you without an understood reason, then perhaps your rabbit has developed a sore, a laceration, or a growth that you do not know about.
Check your rabbit carefully and closely for a sore or laceration on its skin. Further, examine your rabbit carefully for lumps or growths under the skin that may be tender to the touch. Lastly, check your rabbit’s ears and feet very carefully for damage.
Rabbits are a prey animal, as such they bite a bigger animal, a predator, primarily to distract it so they can then run away.
Here is an interesting video of Jack Rabbits Fighting!
Here is an equally interesting video of White Tailed Jacks Fighting. This may also be an act of asserting dominance.
Below is a good video discussing aggression in rabbits!
Immediately below is a video about Why Rabbits Fight.
These embedded video resources are fantastic!
Final Thoughts
As we’ve discussed, rabbits do fight and typically for good reasons such as:
- For food,
- To determine dominance
- To protect territory
Further, we discuss several circumstances that create stress for rabbits, which makes them more likely to fight. We group these causal circumstances as follows:
Pain, illness, or Discomfort – These circumstances make rabbits more irritable and more likely to fight.
Aging and Maturing – Hormones are the biggest driver in this category. Hormonal aggression appears as rabbits mature into adulthood.
Physical Change in Environment – Change creates stress for the rabbit. Is there a new rabbit? Did the brand of rabbit pellets change? Were bonded pairs separated? Changes, that may seem simple and insignificant to us, may create significant stress for your rabbits and result in more fighting.
Yes, it is normal for rabbits to fight. However, if you perceive an excess of skirmishes, then we recommend your consult with your veterinarian. Finally, if you suspect any injuries to your rabbits, please contact your veterinarian for advice and care.