Bonded Bunnies seperated due to Barbering

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BorisElvis

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Hi

I have two 11 week old bunnies who were brothers brought from a breeder. Poor Boris was poorly when we got him and spent some time at the vets. He since came home and had mites which he is being treated for and responding well to treatment. Elvis is absolutely fine and they have been living together happily in an outside hutch for the last 6 weeks. They get regular exercise with different toys to keep them amused. Over the last week Elvis has taken to barbering Boris so much so that Boris had a nasty cut.

We have now seperated them into hutches next door to each other but I don't want them to live seperately forever. How do we stop this behaviour so they can go back to living peacefully together.

Neither are neutered as too young but hoping to get this done as soon as they are old enough. Is it best to get them both done or just the more dominant one?

Thank you

A stressed out bunny mummy
 
Because they are now hitting sexual maturity, the barbering and cut are actually most likely due to hormonal humping and possibly fighting, which can cause serious and even fatal injuries. You will need to keep them separate until they are old enough to be neutered, which is usually once their bits have dropped. Because males are usually very hormonal, and likely to fight because of it, both boys will need to be neutered in order to have any chance of bonding. Even after neutering, there is a possibility they may not rebond, but there is virtually almost no chance without having them both neutered. .

Once neutered, you will need to give them at least 4-6 weeks for the hormones to fade before attempting to rebond. However, if they seem to get along through their separate cages, it would be a good idea to keep them near each other, but with a small gap so they can't possibly bite through the bars. This will enable them to retain a little bit of their bond with each other, so that when attempting to bond, it may make it easier. Here are some tips for bonding when you are ready.
http://www.wheekwheekthump.com/2013...rs-guide-rabbit-bonding-everything-need-know/
http://www.manchesterandsalfordrspca.org.uk/documents/bondingguiderevised.pdf
 
Just wanted to add I know how hard it is having to wait for previously-friendly buns to now be fixed and then having to go through the bonding process. I kept mine separated but close as JBun suggested & I also continued to switch their litter boxes. This resulted in a bit of a poop war the first 1-2 weeks, but eventually they stopped that and when I would release one to free roam they would even give slight licks to the other's face through the cage :) It was hard to wait so long to have them be together again, but it was worth it. Hopefully your boys will be able to cement their bond in a few months. :goodluck:
 
Thank you so much for your replies they are really helpful. Fingers crossed they will love each other again :) they seem to be sleeping next to each other although there is mesh between them, I hope thats a good sign.

Thanks again.
 
Yep, sounds like the hormones are starting to kick in. It's good that they're still sleeping next to each other against the wire. Just be careful that the gaps in the wire aren't big enough for them to bite each other through.

It shouldn't be too much longer, a couple of weeks maybe, before their boy bits drop and then they can be neutered. I think Bandit was about 12 weeks when his appeared.
 

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