Separating bonded rabbits at night

[pani]

Hi guys,

Felix recently had a scare where he wasn't eating much and we thought we'd have to scoot him off to the emergency vet, although thankfully he regained normal function and all seems back to normal. Boyfs and I both suspect this was due to him consuming a lot of Clementine's fur, as she's going through a massive shed right now and he loves to groom her. I've upped their papaya tablets to 2 per day to assist with digestion, and I'm lowering their pellets in favour of pushing more hay, along with purchasing brushes that should help with getting rid of more loose fur. Boyfs thinks it would be a good idea to separate them overnight, as this is when he tends to groom her quite a lot, but I'm nervous about that idea. They've shared their cage for nearly a year and love each other to pieces, they often flop over next to each other and snuggle at night. I also only have one litter box, so I'd need to re-train one bun to go elsewhere during the night.

Do you think this is worth doing, or would it be a better idea to keep pushing hay, papaya tablets, etc. and wait until the new brushes arrive?

 

[stevesmum]

I wouldn't separate them for any reason, I'd just brush as much as possible and maybe try oxbow digestive support tablets. My vet recommends these. Every bunny gets a blip in the old digestive tract once on a while. Separating them might stress them out too much and cause more problems. IMHO

 

[whiskylollipop]

A wire divider wouldn't be so bad. If they can see, hear and touch each other, it shouldn't be a big issue. When Rosebun and Merlin were hormonal, they had occasional fights so I would lock one up in the cage to separate them for a couple hours till they forgot what they were fighting about. The other would just hang around outside the cage and they'd end up loafing side by side. It never affected their bond, when I finally got round to opening up the cage, the imprisoned bun would just hop out nonchalantly and they'd be best buddies again.

I do agree with stevesmum, I wouldn't like separating them overnight especially if you have to break the routine of one bun regarding where to toilet... BUT fur blockages are a serious thing and can be life-threatening, so if Felix really does groom her a lot at night and you suspect he has a good chance of getting blocked up again, then a wire separation would be the lesser of two evils.

 

[JBun]

Decreasing the pellets and an increase in hay consumption should help. Also ensure good hydration. But if you still feel like you may need to separate, the wire divider may be ok. But like mentioned it could cause stress which would further contribute to gut slowdown, and is not something you want. Also could possibly affect their bond. So both things to keep in mind before deciding. If you do decide to try it, I would do it during the day for a period so that you can keep a close eye on both their reactions, and better decide if it would be a good thing or not.