Help! Buns no longer bonding

So I had to take my bunny to the hospital for 4 days because had a severe case of GI stasis. Once I brought her home my other bun who used to be her best friend, did not like her anymore and started pulling her fur out and biting her. I had to keep them separated which meant she would stay in the pen and he would free roam. Well one morning I found him fighting her outside of the pen and she was bleeding so I had to take her to the vet. I'm now keeping them in separate rooms but I've tried bonding them again in neutral territory (my rabbit didn't care and still ended up pulling her fur out), I put them together in the bath tub but they tried escaping and it seemed like they were going to hurt themselves trying, I took them for a 2-3 hour car ride in separate carriers sitting next to each other. When I brought my rabbit home she used to always run up to the other one all excited but last night she tried charging at him and was grunting through the cage. I'm not sure what else to do or if it's too late to re-bond them again since he attacked her or if I just need to keep trying the same methods??

Unfortunately this isn't uncommon if bonded rabbits are separated -- especially if one goes to a vet - they come home smelling totally different. It is why it is recommended to always keep 2 bonded rabbits together. If one goes to the vet, the other goes along too. If one has to stay there, the other one stays right there too. They shouldn't be separated.

Now that you are in this situation, it sounds like all of your attempts (which were all the right things to try) have not worked. I'd suggest, given that they are both being so aggressive, to totally separate them for a time. Put them where they cannot see each other for a couple weeks. The idea is for them to forget that they hate each other right now. After the 2 weeks, if you can find some totally new space in which to bond them, do so as if they were two brand new rabbits. Hopefully they will begin anew and re-bond.

Definitely need to separate them (far enough to not see/smell each other) for a while to reboot the bonding process (4 weeks is my usual recommendation). Also keep them both out of what you want to use as neutral territory for that length of time and clean the area to reset it back to being neutral.

Yeah, for such loving, sensitive and intelligent animals, bunnies can be really brutal to reach other! Something similar happened with my rabbits after my little guy, Lukie, had to go to the vet. First time they were not bonded, but separated by a fence across the kitchen (very attractive decorating idea ). When poor Luke arrived home, Lola kept charging at him from her side of the fence. She couldn't hurt him but really scared him.

The next time, they were bonded and although they went to the vet together, he had his teeth done and she didn't. That was enough for her to get really nippy with him. It was sad- he would approach her to be groomed and she would nip at his nose and race off. I felt terrible! But they weren't violent like you are experiencing, so I just kept them together and and kept an eye on them. I also crushed some mint leaves on my hands and rubbed the scent of those all over both bunnies, than kept patting them together and switching hands while patting them until Lola no longer felt like Lukie was a weird smelling stranger .

In this case though, I agree that they need a good break to forget that they fought. You may have to start from square one when you resume bonding them again, but hopefully it won't take as long as a never bonded pair! And in the future, the advice of never separating them is excellent. I follow that above- when Luke stays for a few hours after a molar trim, Lola stays too. My vets haven't charged me a boarding fee although they do need separate cages when Luke is still waking up from anesthesia, but even if they did it would be well worth it! Good luck with your bunnies!!