Rabbits are often associated with gentleness and innocence, but there is an intriguing realm of dominance assertion and conflict resolution beneath the fluffy and soft exterior. Inquiring about these mild-mannered creatures’ strategies and nuanced behavior helps expose a tapestry of aggression, territorial defense, and hierarchy establishment.
Rabbits fight by aggressive posturing, biting, scratching, boxing, aggressive mounting, chasing, fur pulling or ripping, grunting or growling, and attack on the head and face. Sometimes, knowing whether they are fighting or playing is confusing, but their body language and vocalizations differ during the fight.
In this article, you can know about different strategies of rabbits when they fight with one another. You can also understand the subtle signs of aggression and overt displays of stressed behaviors. It will help you know their behavior and find ways to reduce the conflicts between your pets. Knowing the cause of conflict is essential to address the issue and prevent fights between pets.
What do rabbits’ fights look like?
Rabbits exhibit different behaviors while fighting, depending on the intensity of the conflict and the number of rabbits involved. A few common behaviors that are observed during fights include:
1- Biting
They use their sharp teeth during the fight and bite each other. When they are engaged in attacking behaviors, they use their long teeth to tear the skin of the opponent’s body.
Sometimes, their bites can be severe as they have sharp incisors, which can cause serious injuries, deep punctures, and painful wounds.
They target different areas of the body while attacking their enemy and cause injuries on their neck region, face, ears, and hindquarters.
In addition, infection can occur if abscesses, wounds, or cuts remain unchecked or untreated. This condition requires proper medication and attention to accelerate the healing process.
2- Scratching
Scratching is another common form of aggression in rabbits. However, it is the defensive response of a bunny or observed in situations when they establish dominance over their fellows.
Further, they use their hind legs for kicking and scratching their enemies. Sometimes, they stand on their hind legs and use their front paws to scratch and swipe at their enemy.
The aggressive behavior of scratching leads to cuts, abrasions, and scratches on the skin of other rabbits. This defensive mechanism involves claws that result in superficial wounds or irritating skin.
The pet keepers do not bother minor or superficial scratches and take their pets to vets if there are deep scratches. These deep scratches can lead to complications if not treated promptly.
3- Boxing
They also engage in boxing behavior and use their front paws for specific moves during their fight. When a rabbit perceives challenges or feels threatened by others, they push, swipe, or jab them.
They also have boxing matches during the defensive attacks to assert their rank or maintain the hierarchy and order in their society.
It is a common practice at a place where many bunnies share resources, space, and shelter. In certain circumstances, boxing seems like a playful activity, but sometimes, it escalates into some serious injuries.
The pet owner can distinguish between playful and harmful boxing through vocalization, which helps know whether these pet rabbits are playing or fighting.
4- Mounting
It is important to distinguish between mating behavior and aggressive mounting in rabbits because it is one of the common behaviors seen during mating and fights.
The mounting accompanied by chasing, scratching, boxing, or other aggressive behaviors indicates a fight, while the one related to mating behavior between bucks and does is not aggressive.
It is a territorial behavior in which they assert control of territory or resources in their environment. It also serves as a communication between bunnies or helps determine group boundaries.
In some cases, mounting is triggered by anxiety or stress when they are new to a home or new bunnies are introduced in the cage of older rabbits.
5- Ripping off furs
Another popular defensive strategy of rabbits is ripping off furs when they fight with their enemies. They have dense furs on the body, which provide protection and insulation.
When grasped or pulled during the conflict, these attacks cause wounds beneath the skin’s surface or result in patches of missing furs.
During disputed encounters, fur pulling can occur through direct contact with claws and teeth. The fur grows back on its own in various cases, but extensive fur loss results in open wounds.
It requires immediate attention and medication in severe cases. Ripping off furs occurs when the aggression of both fighting rabbits or rabbits and predators escalates to a higher level.
6- Grunting or growling
They make grunting or growling sounds to show their aggression, and this behavior indicates the level of stress in rabbits.
Grunting is a low guttural sound produced by stressed or frightened bunnies. It works like a warning for others to back off. This vocalization is also associated with behaviors like biting or boxing.
However, growling is louder, more menacing, and deeper than grunting, indicating intense anger. It is accompanied by other behaviors, like thumping of hind legs, teeth grinding, and lunging.
Furthermore, these vocalizations can also result from any discomfort, pain, illness, and underlying medical issues other than disputes.
7- Face attacks
They do not fear attacking in the face, but it is less commonly exhibited behavior during their fights. It typically involves targeting the head or face of one bunny by another when they get aggressive.
These attacks are directed at sensitive areas, such as cheeks, nose, eyes, and ears, leading to severe injuries. They lunge at each other and give aggressive blows using their momentum or body weight.
In addition, they leave scratches directly on the opponent’s face and eyes, which are the body’s most sensitive parts. These are easier to target by the enemies and pose a higher risk of injuries.
Sometimes, fights between your pets are quite a normal phenomenon, while in some cases, serious injuries can occur. A pet owner should address such issues immediately to ensure their well-being.
How do I know if my rabbit is playing or fighting?
It is a little bit challenging for pet keepers to know whether the rabbits are playing or fighting if they are beginners. The bunnies engage in similar behaviors, so it is difficult to differentiate it.
A few common behaviors associated with playing rabbits are nose bumping, nipping at each other, non-aggressive mounting, lunging, and chasing.
These are signs of non-aggressive behaviors or playing tactics that do not require any attention. Some differences between them can help distinguish them from the fighting bunnies.
Rabbits usually have relaxed and calm body language when they are playing. They hop, twist, jump in the air, and engage in rapid gusts of running.
They have slightly forward or upright ears, and the tail is up or relaxed. On the other hand, fighting bunnies have different body language that seems to be aggressive and stressed.
They couch towards the ground to show aggression, and their ears are pinned backward. In the same way, their tail also gets lowered. They are involved in growling, nipping, and lunging at each other.
They often make honking or soft grunting sounds that are not considered offensive while playing. The fighting rabbits scream, growl, or hiss, which shows their aggression.
How can I stop my rabbits from fighting?
The very first thing to do is to separate the fighting rabbits quickly. It is essential to intervene in their fights immediately to address the underlying problem or prevent injury.
Use a towel or piece of cardboard to separate them, as it helps avoid the risk of biting or scratching. Soon after separating, provide them separate enclosures to keep them apart until they get calm.
Try to find out the triggers or reasons for such aggressive behaviors. After identifying the reasons, resolve the issue to avoid such circumstances again.
Furthermore, re-introduce them to the same cage when they relax. If the conflict or the reason for conflict persists, then separate them again for a longer period of time.
Try to bring peace and create calming situations for both pets involved in fighting. Stress-free and clean surroundings help reduce stress levels and aggression.
Proper care, provision of enough resources, and mental stimulation help minimize the chances of frequent disputes between pets.
In addition, the pet owner should consult a certified animal behaviorist to find the best possible solution to prevent this from occurring again.
You should also do the same for your pet, as they can help you by providing effective solutions, recommendations, and personalized guidance based on the particular underlying situation.