Will my two boys hold their grudge forever?

[paulbunnyan]

Hello! I have a 3-year-old neutered male English Spot mix named Paul Bunnyan and a 6-month-old Dutch mix named Kevin McCallister. I got Kevin when he was only about 4 weeks old; a friend caught him from a nearby park (not cool, I know!), probably born from domestic parents released by incompetent owners, and I took him from her.

I introduced Kevin to Paul slowly by keeping their cages nearby. After a few weeks, I started supervised bonding sessions in a neutral area. Paul probably acknowledged that the newcomer was a baby and allowed him to follow him everywhere, but grunted at him and gave him small pinches to keep him in check. Kevin seemed fine with taking on the submissive role. They eventually adopted a fairly good relationship; they weren't in love with eachother, but I'd catch them snuggling on rare occasion. I was able to keep them in one cage and leave them out together while I was gone from the house with no problems.

Like clockwork, as soon as Kevin reached his angsty teenage months, he began to pick fights with Paul. I've had to clean up lots of clumps of hair. I got him neutered as soon as the vet cleared him, and now they are separated, with Kevin living with me and Paul at my mom's house. They have been apart for about 3 weeks now.

My question is, how much longer until I should attempt the bonding process again? I'm afraid of starting too early where memories of their fights are still fresh, but I also want to get Paul home as soon as possible without compromising any success. I'm petrified they'll never be friends again, but does the fact that they were friends before have any bearing on their future? Advice from those who've successfully re-bonded male pairs is appreciated!

Thanks!

 

[Chrisdoc]

There´s no reason why these two shouldn´t get on together again. You will need to re-bond in neutral territory where neither have been before and start with short dates and make them longer if you see they are getting along. If they do see any aggression, separate them and if it doesn´t lead to serious fighting, keep going. Try and end their meetings on a positive note and give them time to work out their differences, probably one will end up being the dominant bun and one the submissive. Two of my boys have had fall outs at various stages but have always got back together again. I did have to separate at these times but they are all back together again and getting on.

I´m sure that others will give you advice but go with your gut with these two, you know them well and can see the signs. I recommend a pair of good gloves when you first put them back together, those little teeth are sharp if your hand gets in the way. You can also use a spray bottle to separate if things get heated.

Good luck and keep us posted. Cute guys by the way and love the a names, certainly orginal :big wink:

 

[paulbunnyan]

Thank you! That gives me some hope. I was just petrified of even a hint of a fight being caused because I'm sure it can be pretty traumatizing. I'll wait a couple more weeks and proceed with baby steps.

 

[Chrisdoc]

When bunnies who have previously got on so well together it is quite upsetting to see them fight but it certainly seems to be Kevin reaching puberty which is what happened with my two, as soon as they hit around 7-8 months, they started fighting and I had to separate them and they´d been together since birth. Give time for Kevin´s hormones to settle, they say normally around 3-4 weeks and maybe then try to start introducing them again.

Mine got back together after neutering and re-bonding and were OK until I upset their living arrangements when I was away last Christmas and they started fighting again. They are very sensitive to changes.

I am sure that with patience, you will get them back to normal. Have a look at this article, gives some good tips.

http://www.rabbitnetwork.org/articles/bond.shtml

 

[paulbunnyan]

Just wanted to post an update: after about a month of several stressful bonding sessions in my slippery bathtub, plus a few aggressive car rides, I'm thrilled to say my boys are back to being BFF. It happened way faster than I expected, and the moment I caught them both sharing a cage for a nap, I knew I could breathe a sigh of relief. I DID IT, YOU GUYS. Thanks for the advice and words of encouragement.

 

[Chrisdoc]

:woohooThat is such good news. I hated it when mine fell out and it really does break your heart to see them fighting but when they sort out their differences, I can tell you the feeling is fantastic. I am so glad these two are best buddies again and I bet you´re over the moon. I think I need a pic to prove it lol. Two handsome boys as well. :yes: