Bonded girls fighting

[Holly W]

Hi All

So I have two mini lop girls currently 6 months old. They are sisters and have been together since birth, bonded very well. I had them neutered last week and initially the vet said they would be find kept together during recovery. They are outdoor bunnies but have been inside while recovering. The girls started fighting a few days ago, very aggressively. I separated them straight away into adjoining cages so they could still see and smell each other.
Every day I would put them into the kitchen together (this is a place they are both familiar with) for a ‘play date’ but after just a few minutes they would start fighting. They then began fighting through the bars of the adjoining cages so I have separated them about 2m, can still see each other though. When we get them out for a cuddle , they sit and lay together nicely on our laps and groom each other etc so it’s not as though the bond is completely broken.

Here is where I am stuck.

Waffle; she is fully recovered and ready to go back outside but Pancake has had to have her stitches redone and has to stay in for a while longer. If I put Waffle back in to their joint hutch without Pancake, can I still put pancake back once she is recovered? Or will we need another hutch until they are bonded again?

We are running out of ‘neutral’ space as our buns normally have free reign of the garden and house so there’s very minimal space left that neither of them are familiar with.

Any suggestions would help massively!

Thank you!

 

[Popsicles]

You will need to treat it as if they are completely new bunnies as they will now have different smells etc and won’t necessarily recognise each other as the same bunnies. Baby bonds also don’t count as true bonds, so it isn’t definite that now they are spayed adults they will still be friends. You absolutely won’t be able to put one into the final home and then add the other as she will be territorial and consider it her territory. If you can’t find an actual neutral space you can try a bathtub, or buy a puppy pen with a floor so it is a “new space”.
As for their old hutch, you will need to disinfect thoroughly and rearrange everything so it is a “new” space for both of them.

 

[Holly W]

Thanks for the advice,

So if I put Waffle back into their joint hutch she will essentially claim this as her own, I will get another hutch for Pancake and begin the whole bonding process again... when it comes to them being happy with each other again, how would they live together? I.e who’s hutch should I move them into or would I need another neutral hutch? (I currently have 4 already!! Lol)

 

[Popsicles]

Yes you would ideally need a separate neutral hutch, or you can try swapping them between hutches so they recognise both and recognise each other’s smells. I know there is a member on here currently trialling that (I can’t remember who it was now or I would tag them)

 

[Holly W]

No worries, thanks very much.

The girls hutch is two tier so I may just close off the ladder and have one on top and one on bottom for now.

I have put them in the kitchen again today but put a gate across them so they can’t actually get to one another .. they are laying next to each other either side of the gate and haven’t scuffed at all today ! Fingers crossed they are easy to bond, I miss them being all happy together!!

 

[kasb]

I had a very similar situation. And decided not to put my ladies back into their home until after they were rebonded.

Not sure if it would have been okay or not. It was slow going for me as i learnt from here i was confusing my bunnies, so I ended up after weeks of trying, following advise, putting them in the loft together and I stayed with them for 48 hours before i felt I could go anywhere just for a short time, then they stayed there together for another week at least before putting them back into their home.

 

[JBun]

One thing to also consider is that since they just had their surgery, being spayed can kind of mess up their hormones in some instances, which could be a cause for their suddenly fighting. The hormones will start to fade over the next few weeks and they may get along better as those hormones level out and fade. There is also the post spay discomfort and pain that can sometimes cause rabbits that normally get along, to start fighting. Basically they aren't feeling well and associate this bad feeling with the other rabbit. As they recover from their spays and the hormones start to fade, you may find that they like each other again.

If they aren't used to being indoors together, it's also possible that the change of environment contributed to the fighting. Any change of environment or a new area, poses the potential of causing a disruption in any bond and could lead to fighting.

 

[Jess broadman]

I had the same problem many years ago with two does, sometimes it is a dominance thing like others suggested.

There is a wealth of information here already but I just wanted to add this little trick.

Try taking both rabbits into a car, drive around the block slowly. After some time they should bond from the experience, and as it is a new place with new smells, both rabbits should be on an even playing field. You should try it, hope that helps

 

[SharonLee]

Do you have a rabbit rescue in your area? I think you should contact them and work with a professional on bonding them. Bonding can have really bad results if not done right, although I do know the car situation is common for bonding. Both rabbits are scared in a moving car so they turn to each other for comfort.