Are they ever going to get along?

[BunnyBabyboo]

Well I've been trying to bond my two male rabbits, Binoo and Moo, together for a few months now. Things seemed to be going well and they where living in the same cage for a while then out no where a fight started. Both are neutered. Binoo was neutered a year ago, and Moo was neutered 3 months ago at least.

Moo is usually the one that starts the fight. He is a bit pushy when it comes to attention. He never grooms Binoo, although Binoo always grooms him. The first time I got them to bond was back when I had a 2 cube wide by 4 cube long cage. For bonding I split that in 2(2 by 2 cube) and every day I would switch what side they got(so one day Binoo would be on left side and the next he'd be on the right side). The only time they would get out is when they where out together. Which started with 15 minutes every 3 or so hours(I have alot of free time) then it went up to 30 minutes, then an hour. eventually it was almost 8 hours a day that they where fight free, no humping and full of cuddling between the two boys.

After the fight happened that time I gave them cool down time in the 2 by 2 cages, where the cuddled at the divider, I started rebonding them. I had it back the way it was but instead of the 1 level cage I mad a platform for them to have a "get away" area. This worked for about 3 weeks then another fight.

After the second fight I built 2 2 by 4 cube cages stacked on top of each other( not alot of space in my room, it was the best way to make their cages bigger) I had Binoo on top, the top of the cage was open so we could handle him a bit more, and moo was on the bottom. Binoo was content not coming out of his cage, he'd come out for a little bit to see moo then he'd run back up the ramp and flop in his cage. Moo is a lot more active than Binoo tho. He loves to be out and about.

Since the last fight I have kept them separate except for a 15 minute bonding session. Usually that goes ok. Sometimes they fight and moo will spray.

I have no clue what to do now. Do I still try to bond them?
Does anyone have two male rabbits that are bonded together in the same cage/space 24/7? Should I wait until I move out of my parents house to try again(this will be atleast a year)? Do I just find them each a different mate(if so It will defiantly be a girl for Moo and a girl for Binoo in separate cages)

Please help..

 

[DUSTBUNNY-CLYDE]

I'm sorry your having troubles!! We been having difficulties with our boys too. We're just going to take it slow and see if they will eventually bond! some people say it takes a while with some pairs!! If not we were thinking the same thing and getting two females to bond with the boys!! best of luck!!

 

[Luluznewz]

Did they have enough cage space in the time they were together? Sometimes rabbits just need a bit of room to get away from each other. Its good you had the shelf, but it they feel cramped it might not be enough. When my testy rabbits were first bonding they needed to have more combined space than either had individually. That's not true anymore, but at first they were quiet claustrophobic, even with plenty of run time.

The other suggestion I have is not to be too over particular about their behavior to one another. Obviously real fighting is dangerous and needs to be stopped, but I found that to some extent it was kind of better just to let them work it out between themselves. Lulu would bite Zeppelin, then Zeppelin would charge her, but then it wouldnt come to anything. Eventually Lulu learned not to bit him and now they are best of friends.

Just some thoughts. Maybe you are already doing them or they dont apply to your situation. My guys fought for a while, even after I thought they were "officially bonded" and after a few months they never ever fought again. They are a very closely bonded pair.

 

[BunnyBabyboo]

When they were together they had a 2 cube by 4 cube cage with a pen attached. the pen was 10 cubes round by 2 high. The pen was always attached to the open doors of the cage. I'm hoping that since I have moved them into a better lit area that they wont fight anymore. Also their cages are now 2 by 3 but I was considering making the cages 3by 3. The cage would be 3 by 4(when i rebuild) but I don't want the cage overlapping an open plug that is near the cage. Its been a really stressful weekend for me and my family, I'm glad I have my bunnies and my boyfriend to keep me happy and keep my anxiety down.

 

[BunnyBabyboo]

does anyone have a bonded male pair that doesnt fight and can be kept in the same cage? or play date buddies that dont fight?

 

[BunnyBabyboo]

Anyone?? Am I better to wait to bond them? Are they stressed cause I'm stressed? We have a lot going on here, I'm gettng things together for college, My sister is stressing the whole family out, her dog keeps peeing everywhere. Please I need advice. Is their cage too small? Its 2 cube by 3 cube. I plan on making it 3 by 3 with 2 levels when they are bonded.

 

[Trig-n-Wig]

I found this thread after Googling "rabbits were getting along then fought." I read your situation, and I have a similar one. But I have only been trying for a month. So I was wondering if you ever got Moo and Binoo to get along. This past Saturday my boys (both neutered at the same time - they are brothers) spent most of the day hanging out in the living room together, grooming and cuddling. But last night they got in a fight so I went for a car ride with them and they were better after. This morning, they fought again so I just left them both in their pens while I worked. When I got home around 7pm, I let them play for a while and within 20 minutes they got in a pretty bad fight and even stress couldn't make them get along. Right now they don't even like looking at each other! Their pens are right next to each other but they kept thumping so I just put a towel on the divider to block their view. They both like being out and about and it kills me to have to keep them penned up for so long. I am starting to think I should just give up but I know it's been a relatively short time.

 

[Imbrium]

Welcome to RO!

How long ago were they neutered? Hormones can linger for up to 6-8 weeks. If it's been longer than that, then with how adamant they are about fighting, they've definitely got some issues to work out!

Have you tried a lengthy, closely supervised play-date on truly neutral territory (that doesn't involve a car ride or other form of stress-bonding)? My girls had a falling out a few days after their spays; after their 10 days of restrictions were up, I spent maybe 3 hours with them in a pen in my neighbor's kitchen, where they'd never been before. My submissive girl attempted to hump the dominant one immediately after I took them out of their carriers (I broke it up before I remembered it's usually best to let it go for a few seconds). After that, things seemed a little iffy for a while but they didn't actually get into any squabbles; by the end of the play-date, they had been acting normally for an hour or so. I was able to put them together in their enclosure after that without issue.

You might try truly neutral territory, breaking them up at the first sign of trouble and distracting them with pets and treats. I would set aside a few hours for this and stick it out until you can get them to stop attacking on sight unless you haven't seen the slightest hint of improvement after a good 10+ minutes (ie don't give up right away and look for the positive rather than the negative).

If you've already tried that, or try it and it doesn't work, then things may be beyond repair as it stands. Should that seem to be the case, it's possible to get a full reboot by keeping them in separate rooms where they can't see or smell each other for at least 3-4 weeks (better to err on the side of longer, because if you try again too soon, you might end up having to start the separation over from the beginning). After that, go back to neutral territory play dates. Truly neutral territory is crucial when they have a history of fighting.

(Sorry if I've repeated things I said earlier in this thread; I'm trying to pry myself away from the computer so I haven't taken the time to go back and refresh my memory)

If you've got more questions or have more information to share about your particular situation, I encourage you to open your own thread. A fresh thread tends to generate advice from a wider variety of people, if for no reason other than the lower number of responses will make your thread appear more "in need" of input - reading everything on the forums each day is quite a task, so people with a limited amount of time prioritize threads that are most relevant to them or where they think they're most likely to be able to help

 

[BunnyBabyboo]

No I did not get them to bond. We decided to not bond the boys. Binoo has been neutered for 2 years. Moo has been neutered for 1 year. And if you have seen my other thread around xmas time we got a third bunny, Harley a 10week old lop, she seems to get along better with Binoo than she does Moo(no face to face interactions yet because I want her fixed before any of that).