Bonded Bunnies get into a huge fight!

[smokey&ash]

Hello bun moms & bun dads! my babies, Ash & Smokey have been fully bonded for about 2 months now, flopping side by side, grooming sometimes. I just woke up to hair EVERYWHERE. they mustve got into a huge fight last night, I allow them both to free roam in my apartment. What should I do?? I checked for Injuries, smokey has a little bite mark, Ash seems fine. When I woke up they were on opposite sides of the apartment. So after the fight they were able to back off from each other. how should I go about this? Please!! Thank you!!

 

[Hermelin]

Is the bunnies neutered/spayed if not maybe fix a time for that. Hormones is often the cause for the fights, depending on how old your bunnies are they could also had a baby bond.

If you get one fight again separate them and wait or they seem stressed. Sometimes spring feelings can cause dispute on bunnies bond with each other.

 

[zuppa]

Hi, in your previous thread you said that they were 3 months in January so must be about 8 months now, and Ash is a female and Smokey is a male. Are both neutered?

Hey everyone, I’m bonding my two bunnies. It’ll be 3 months tomorrow. In the beginning my first bun, Ash wasn’t a fan of having a brother, she lunged at him during bonding sessions for weeks. But he liked her a lot then she began to like him then he actually started to lunge at her. Finally after the 2 months they now are at a mutual ground and are able to free roam together for hours without attempting to fight. They always lay down near each other as well. However, they I haven’t seen any grooming between them. There was little grooming in the beginning of the bonding but now none. They’ll both bow their head to demand for grooming but neither will cave in. Any tips? I even tried the honey nose trick but nope.
There also hasn’t been ANY mounting to determine dominance. Is mounting essential to the process?

 

[smokey&ash]

Is the bunnies neutered/spayed if not maybe fix a time for that. Hormones is often the cause for the fights, depending on how old your bunnies are they could also had a baby bond.

If you get one fight again separate them and wait or they seem stressed. Sometimes spring feelings can cause dispute on bunnies bond with each other.

Yes both are spayed & neutered

 

[smokey&ash]

Hi, in your previous thread you said that they were 3 months in January so must be about 8 months now, and Ash is a female and Smokey is a male. Are both neutered?

Yes! The bonded process for them took AWHILE a few months ago they started to show signs of being best friends & have been great until now.

 

[zuppa]

It is hard to guess what triggered that fight since now they are showing no aggression towards each other and they are not limited in space so can just avoid each other.

Honestly I don't know what would I do in this case, maybe I would try to limit them to a smaller pen or something and see if they hate each other and then decide, but also maybe just leave them as they are and watch them maybe sleep in there tonight so you can hear if there's any fight again. Maybe it was just one-off and they will be able to forget it soon.

Also check their genitalia if there's any damage as well. Sometimes you can't see it on first check but if there's a serious fight it is very common that they can get damaged in their private area.

Other than that I don't really know what more to suggest without even seeing where they live and all. Hope other members can be more helpful

 

[smokey&ash]

It is hard to guess what triggered that fight since now they are showing no aggression towards each other and they are not limited in space so can just avoid each other.

Honestly I don't know what would I do in this case, maybe I would try to limit them to a smaller pen or something and see if they hate each other and then decide, but also maybe just leave them as they are and watch them maybe sleep in there tonight so you can hear if there's any fight again. Maybe it was just one-off and they will be able to forget it soon.

Also check their genitalia if there's any damage as well. Sometimes you can't see it on first check but if there's a serious fight it is very common that they can get damaged in their private area.

Other than that I don't really know what more to suggest without even seeing where they live and all. Hope other members can be more helpful

Thank you! I don’t think they hate each other, as we were checking for injuries I put some salad out for them to focus on eating rather than us examining them. One even tried to go into the same litter box as the other. Our vet said to keep them separated until the wounds heal. The wounds are more superficial, not really that deep. Cleaned with water & a cotton ball.