Chasing, a bit of circling, mounting behaviour, occasionally fur pulling or nipping is normal and to be expected. But be ready to intervene if either rabbit starts to look stressed or like they are about to become aggressive with each other, eg: continuous, fast circling (this might lead to a fight)
Chasing is one of those behaviors. One rabbit will chase the other to claim dominance during the bonding process. This is expected behavior that should not be discouraged. If a chase goes on for longer than 30 seconds, interrupt the rabbits, so it does not turn into a fight.
Hormones. Rabbits can display aggressive behaviour towards their owners or perhaps companions during the spring – the rabbits' natural breeding season. This aggression is hormonal and indicates a normal desire to defend their territory and ward off any rivals.
Bonded rabbits usually get on well over long periods of time. It's not uncommon for rabbits to occasionally scuffle, even in bonded pairs, but if they are having proper fights and pulling fur out that's usually a sign that their bond has broken.
Rabbit pairings
Rabbits can live happily in male/female, female/female, male/male pairings and larger mixed groups. However, the most natural and therefore easiest pairing is male/female. In the wild, rabbits tend to live in male/female pairs and will sometimes remain partnered for life.
Keeping two unspayed females together, even if they are sisters, is very likely to result in serious fighting and the risk of injuries. Female rabbits are able to have kits from about 4-6 months of age.
Often you can stop a fight before it begins, by separating or distracting your rabbits at the first sign of trouble. If a fight occurs during or shortly after the bonding process, you may need to start over from scratch. If your bonded rabbits are fighting, you may need to bond them a second time.
When interacting with your rabbits, it is important to be aware of this hierarchy and not do anything to upset it. For example, if top bunny feels her subordinate(s) are getting too much attention or grooming from us, she may become jealous and this may adversely affect their relationship.
Rabbits hold grudges. For this reason, it is best to avoid allowing them to get in an all-out fight. You need to determine, however, whether their behavior is actually fighting or playing as some of the behaviors overlap. Rabbits will nip at each other to get the other's attention.
In general, rabbits establish dominance using elaborate behavioral cues that include mounting, chasing, bowing, and grooming. Once bonded, some pairs of rabbits have a visibly established hierarchy, while other pairs will only show subtle signs of their hierarchical relationship.
If your rabbits are mounting each other a lot, instigating fights, stop them, place them side by side. Pet them together and talk to them quietly. Do not let much chasing ensue. If they are persistently aggressive, separate them to prevent injuries.
In domestic groups, the dominant rabbit is often female. In fact, the females are generally the more aggressive and territorial rabbits in Margo's warren, which is odd, given the fact that they are all spayed and not protecting their burrows or their young. Dominance appears to be based on a number of factors.
It is normal for some chasing to occur as the rabbits need to establish who is going to be the dominant one in the pairing, this may also involve some nipping, or fur pulling.
Rabbits can bite, claw or swat at each other potentially inflicting great harm. For this reason, all bonding must be supervised. A good way to have your rabbits become acquainted is to place their pens/cages next to each other. By keeping a bit of space between them, you can avoid fighting.
If your rabbits are fighting, then they will growling and hissing at each other. If they are playing, they will be making a squeaking sound. You can also try to separate them and see if they continue to play. If they continue to play, then they are probably playing.
It can take a few weeks to a few months to combine two rabbits into a "bonded" pair.
Punishment is an ineffective way to change behaviour, as it only works when the punisher is present (so your rabbit won't be 'good' when you're not around), and just makes them end up hating you because they associate you with pain. If you can distract or give a reward for not doing the behaviour that will help.
Despite their docile appearance, rabbits can be quite fierce when they want to. Fighting rabbits use their sharp teeth and claws to attack each other, which can easily draw blood, and kick quite hard as well. Rabbits know how to cause damage so often attack each other's faces, bellies and genitals.
However, typically male rabbits will have more laid back and friendly personalities. If you are looking for a more social or attention seeking rabbit, then a male will probably be better for you.
Hormones can play a factor in aggressive rabbits, particularly female rabbits. Such aggression is usually apparent at sexual maturity (between 3-6 months of age depending on breed) and may occur in territorial situations or be linked to sexual behaviour.
Rabbits are social animals, and, like us, can suffer from loneliness. Though there are exceptions, most rabbits want and need another rabbit for company. For this reason, we always recommend keeping rabbits in groups of two or more.
Keeping rabbits together
a compatible group – it's possible to keep more than two rabbits together, but unless the rabbits are related and neutered early, bonding can be more problematic, so it's often best left to the more experienced rabbit owner.
If fighting is serious, the bunnies should be separated when unsupervised. Once they seem to be getting along, they can be re-introduced into familiar territory. Often they start to fight again in their own space, so be ready with the water, and don't give up.
As a general rule, rabbits are bonded once they can spend 48 hours together without any chasing or aggressive behaviors. You also want to see positive signs such as grooming, sharing food, and sleeping next to each other to confirm that your rabbits feel safe around each other.