need help to re bond grumpy buns!!

[jess 1993]

after a trip to the vets our 2 girl bunnies fell out with each other - they use to love each other very much and were best friends but now i can’t get them to be like that again! poppy - who had the illness and was kept inside until she was better again, is now extremely scared of pumpkin. pumpkin has become aggressive and territorial outside and never ends well for poppy. inside they get on okay but they love to be outside in the garden! can anyone suggest something that might help? i want them
to live together outside again where they were happiest! (they were bonded for almost 4 years happily!!)

 

[Blue eyes]

Sorry to hear you're having this issue. It's too bad the vet didn't make it clear that bonded rabbits must always remain together. That means they go to the vets together (even if only one is ill) and stay together while the one is recuperating.

Pumpkin has now claimed the outside as her territory and sees Poppy as an intruder in that space. What that may mean is that they'll need to firmly re-establish their bond.

My thought would be to take advantage of the fact that they are still doing well together indoors. I'd keep them indoors 24/7 for a week (or possibly longer). Don't have them outdoors at all so that Pumpkin can hopefully forget her idea that the outdoors is hers alone.

Then, after a good enough time has gone by, create a smaller space outdoors (maybe use an exercise pen). The idea here is to deliberately keep that outdoor space small. By keeping it small, they should be able to keep on good terms in the limited outdoor space. Let that be their outdoor space for another good amount of time. Then gradually expand that space. Offering too much outdoor space too quickly could send Pumpkin right back into 'protect my territory' mode. So go slow.

Hopefully that will get them back to their former space-sharing ways.

 

[jess 1993]

i would just like to thank you so much for such a detailed response! I started trying out your advise as soon as you replied - it was tough going at first and there were a few little fights between the two girls but now finally they are both in their outside hutch and roaming the garden together as best friends! i really can’t thank you enough for you advice! i didn’t think to gradually allow them more garden at a time and i think that is what helped the most, pumpkin realised it was for both of them and now they’re having a great time! thank you again!