Please help! bonded rabbit aggression!

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AGRESSIVE BONDED RABBIT BEHAVIOUR

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Mali Ellis

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Jun 16, 2019
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Location
Australia
Hi everyone,
Im writing with complete fear. I recently had a rabbit play date with my friends rabbits, she has 2 (boy and girl), i have two (also boy and girl). Alfie and Evie are mine. I didn't think Alfie and her male would get along well so i left Alfie in his hutch and took Evie out the front of the house which is a numeral location. Evie and her female bunnies met, we did it very very slowly with wires in-between and it went very well, no aggression.

Anyway, I then put Evie back into the hutch after my friend had left, thinking nothing of it. I came out an hour later and saw chunks of fur all over the cage. I was beyond stressed and checked them both, they were sitting with each other and seemed *okay*, I then split them up and put her in a playpen and him in the existing hutch to let them cool down. I let them sit for about an hour and then came out to re-introduce them. Well, they were lunging at each other and biting and I shoved my hand in to keep them apart, got a bite on my hand up that's not the point. I start crying immediately as these two NEVER showed any aggression at all.
They're 4 and 5 year old lop bunnies that i rescued from the shelter, they've never had any troubles at all.

Please please please help me, im beside myself.
Thank you.
 
You are going to need to rebond them. Because if a bonded pair get separated they will need to start over with their bond. So you will have to separate them and reintroduce them to each other.
 
Rabbits should not do playdates for this very reason. Your girl came back with the scent of another rabbit. Now she's a stranger/intruder to Alfie. How very unfortunate.

Brush her well to try to remove the visiting rabbit's scent. How long they should stay separated depends on the severity of their fighting. But they need to be closely monitored when allowed together. Hopefully their former bond can be rekindled.
 
Thank you so much both of you for your quick and very helpful replies. I've got them both in sperate rooms now and I'll restart bonding in the garage when I get home. I've also sprayed light vinegar on the area and washed any thing her rabbits may have touched.
Thank you again!
 

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