My two rabbits don't go along with each other

[Angelate]

Hello,

I have a problem. I have a rabbit Feisty for almost a year. He is 1,5 years old.
We, my husband and I wanted to have two so he wont be alone.
So we took Fury home, almost 3 weeks ago. He is 4 months old.
They stay in separate cages, only Feisty is allowed out in the house. He goes to see Fury, smell him, they touch each other thru the cage, occasionally fight with "hands".
Today my husband wanted to put them together. Fury was in harness and he let them only smell and lick, when they tried to fight, bite, keep them apart.
At one moment they were both on the back somehow, an Feisty scratch Fury's eye membrane.
Now my husband is at the vet, but what to do so they can go along with each other?
Forgot to mention, Feisty is neutered.

 

[Angelate]

Update: My husband came back. Fury is on antibiotics and eye drops. He didnt want an operation for the eye, so Fury will have probably a scar.

The question remains: how to bond them after healing?

 

[Whiterabbitrage]

I don't think you can forcibly bond rabbits. Maybe I'm wrong?

 

[stevesmum]

You need to do some serious reading, and researching, before you try
again. Seriously keep them far apart until you read about bonding. I included a good link to a website you should check out. Good luck.
http://www.thebunnychick.com/category/bonding/

 

[Angelate]

I don't need reading I need experience. I read a lot since I have Fury.
Tried stress bonding. Let them be near each other.
Now we tried putting them really near to each other.
Feisty is territorial, Fury tries to mount him.

 

[stevesmum]

Well you didn't mention anything about neutral territory and from the picture you included it's hard to tell if you are just putting them together in someone's territory. Certainly I did not mean any offence. Also you did not mention if fury is spayed/neutered.

 

[Angelate]

I mention that Feisty is neutered. Fury is to small, 4 months and 800 gr.
I don't think usually you house them in neutral territory. You bond them in a neutral territory.

 

[Angelate]

As I said, I read a lot.
I need advice from experience.
2 male rabbit, almost a year difference.

 

[Watermelons]

Angelate, those write-ups come from experience. Cat people don't sit around and write advice about how to bond rabbits if they have never owned one.
Stevesmum posted that link because she knows what the correct advice is. What you are doing right now to try and "bond" these rabbits, could make them hate each other for life.

Don't even bother trying to bond them until they are BOTH neutered. And that means waiting 1-2months after being neutered for hormones to dissipate.
Stop allowing them to interact through the cage, that's allowing 1 rabbit to infringe on the others territory.
Some rabbits cant even stand having another rabbit in the same vicinity as them. I would keep them in separate rooms. Especially since they have all ready had a fight.
They need a break for a few months (until the new one is fixed and hormone free) where they cant see or hear each other. Allow them to be far enough apart so they forget the other one even exists. Rabbits can hold a grudge.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

:yeahthat: Neuter before bonding. It's easier if they aren't the same sex, but we have bonded females and males so it's doable. One thing to note though, is that there are some that you couldn't bond with a rock without a fight--We have had two like that and one was a smaller rabbit and one was a 20 pound Checkered Giant.

 

[Blue eyes]

They need a break for a few months (until the new one is fixed and hormone free) where they cant see or hear each other. Allow them to be far enough apart so they forget the other one even exists. Rabbits can hold a grudge.

Agree with both above posts, but wanted to emphasize this quote here.