Bonded but now fighting.

I hate to be the bearer of bad tidings, but it happens sometimes. I had 2 bonded females that were together for more than five years that started fighting for real and had to separate them to avoid bloodshed and vet bills.

How old are the two rabbits now? Are they fixed?

They are now 13 - 15 weeks roughly I think. They aren't de-sexed.

I am just trying to work out why they fight as it's a male and female pair.

one of them is not what you think it is. If they are fighting like mad.

ALSO if they are 13-15 weeks of age and Male-female.... expect kits to be coming along soon enough.

BUT if they are fighting, most likely they are both boys (if indeed fighting like mad), or two dominant females.

Baby 'bonds' usually don't count as true bonds because hormones often can mess up any such relationship.

If you intend to bond them (not breed), then they should be separated until both can be fixed.

After they have had several weeks after surgery for hormones to dissipate, then you can attempt to bond them for real. Rabbits are most likely to bond and then stay bonded if they are both fixed.

I had my Perry (2.5 year old, neutered male lionhead) recently bonded with Lucy (1.5 year old, spayed female Rex Standard). They spent 3 weeks in the shelter (where I got Lucy from) bonding and I have brought them home almost 2 weeks ago. Perry used to live cage free and I never had any problem with him destroying anything or making a mess (he is potty trained). When I brought them home, they told me that I had to keep Lucy and Perry in a small confined area not to break their bond.

Honestly, in a week I started giving them more space. My long-term plan always was to have both bunnies cage free. I never had a cage or playpen in my home for Perry. They seemed to be doing very well and I wanted to test the water if it was time for them to go unrestricted.

I observed them outside the playpen. Lucy definitely is the more dominant in this relationship. She gets territorial and she chases my Perry around pulling fur out of him. Needless to say I don't like it. I reported back to the shelter folks and they told me that I should have not given them too much space so soon.

So, now they are again back in the 4x4 (16 foot-192 inch) playpen. This morning, after a nice quiet breakfast, out of the blue, Lucy started chasing Perry again. Fur flying, zig-zagging, the works. Perry was not thumping in anger and there was no angry grunting by either of them. They did a bunch of fast zigzags and then came to a stop. Lucy groomed Perry and they laid down panting. In 20 minutes, she started again.

Are they playing or is this a precursor to an upcoming fight? They are still in a small place why is Lucy seemingly breaking the bond? Is she bored? Should I give them more space? Is this a sign that they are not compatible?

I don't know what to do. I hate to see my new kid beating up on my old kid but if this gets any worse, I may have to take Lucy back. My first alliance is with Perry and frankly, it was much easier to have him alone. If these two bunnies will fight and will never get along -- not to mention that I have to keep them closed up -- then this whole bonding experience is not worth it. Might as well restore the status quo and have Perry as a loner (but free and unbattered) bunny.

Any suggestions? How do you tell if a freshly bonded couple is fighting or playing?