I have a very unique situation with my buns. I’ve talked about my lionhead Pika on this forum quite a bit. I’ve had him since he was 5 weeks old. He has a non-fatal but relatively severe congenital heart defect, which makes it unsafe to perform any surgery. He is now a little over 2 years old and otherwise healthy.
He’s been bonded to my neutered male Rex, Cadbury, since he was 8 weeks old. Cadbury’s old mate died, so I introduced them before Pika’s planned neuter, and they hit it off immediately. I kept them together after his heart defect was discovered because they were still getting along nicely.
A few weeks ago - almost 2 years after bonding them - they had a bad fight in the middle of the night. No major injuries, but a lot of fur flying. Initial attempts to put them back togetherness did not go well - more circling and biting.
I launched into a full bonding procedure (my 5th time bonding bunnies) last week. So far, in neutral territory, they’ve been doing great. Lots of mounting by Pika, but no fights. Tons of mutual grooming and flops. They’re a bit jittery with each other, but generally seem fine.
What I’m worried about is the longevity of the bond in non-neutral territory. I know the unneutered males are unpredictable. Unfortunately, I don’t think I could ever get Pika neutered - in his situation, I wouldn’t put his life at risk to ensure better behavior.
Has anyone dealt with this type of thing in a fixed/unfixed combo bonded pair? I could use some words of encouragement, and any good methods for keeping a hyper intact male in check!
He’s been bonded to my neutered male Rex, Cadbury, since he was 8 weeks old. Cadbury’s old mate died, so I introduced them before Pika’s planned neuter, and they hit it off immediately. I kept them together after his heart defect was discovered because they were still getting along nicely.
A few weeks ago - almost 2 years after bonding them - they had a bad fight in the middle of the night. No major injuries, but a lot of fur flying. Initial attempts to put them back togetherness did not go well - more circling and biting.
I launched into a full bonding procedure (my 5th time bonding bunnies) last week. So far, in neutral territory, they’ve been doing great. Lots of mounting by Pika, but no fights. Tons of mutual grooming and flops. They’re a bit jittery with each other, but generally seem fine.
What I’m worried about is the longevity of the bond in non-neutral territory. I know the unneutered males are unpredictable. Unfortunately, I don’t think I could ever get Pika neutered - in his situation, I wouldn’t put his life at risk to ensure better behavior.
Has anyone dealt with this type of thing in a fixed/unfixed combo bonded pair? I could use some words of encouragement, and any good methods for keeping a hyper intact male in check!
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