Fighting but they’re barely 3 months old

[Bella and Lola's Human]

I have had my two female (confirmed by a vet) mini lops for about a month now. When my boyfriend got them for me he was told they were both 6 weeks old (but I know pet stores are often wrong about ages). But based on what they said I’m guessing them to be around 3 months old.

For the first month I’ve had them they have been super close and would cuddle and lay flopped out next to eachother (see pic!) although I’ve never seen them grooming eachother.

But yesterday morning I woke up to fur all over their cage and witnessed them fighting. Ever since I’ve kept them seperated 99% of the time only putting them together to under my supervision again to see if they were still fighting (they were).

I’ve seen posted on this forum that spaying them will fix this (which I have intended to do all along) I just didn’t think I would see agression in them so soon, I thought I had another couple of months before I had to think about spaying.

I plan to call my vet in the morning to ask about setting up an appointment to spay them but I’m not 100% sure what to tell them about their age. If they’re old enough to be fighting maybe they are older than 3 months but I don’t want to assume that and tell the vet they are older than that if they aren’t. I know most vets like to wait until 6 months to spay so I’m not looking forward to keeping them seperate for 3 more months.

Should I tell the vet they are only 3 months (in which case I’ll probably have to wait several months before they can actually be spayed and keep them seperated which is a pain)?

Or assume the pet store told me they were younger than they are? And maybe they are closer to 4 or 5 months? In which case I could get them spayed sooner? 

[peppypoo]

It’s possible that they are 3 months old right now, though I’m just guessing it’s likely that they are a bit older. Just like humans, bunnies develop at different rates and some are more precocious than others. I’ve heard of vets doing spays at 4 months, though most wait until 6 months or so…this is something you’ll want to check with your vet. Until then, you’re right to keep them separated. You can house them side by side for now, so that they still familiar with each others’ presence. However, make sure to leave a bit of room between their enclosures…for two determined bunnies, injuries can still occur through cage bars or grids.

[Stickerbunny]

Bunnies mature at different rates, so it could be hormones. My girl was in full hormonal rage and spayed by 4 1/2 months (due to pregnancy/false pregnancy concerns because I had Powder as well, my vet was fine doing it early).

[smoggy]

Hi it was similar for me, my bunnies were confirmed female and when i received them from the petshop at apparently 8 to 10 weeks old i noticed once home that they had cuts (healing) to their ears and back. I thought that the stress of the move (from breeder to petstore) must have had something to do with that. I noticed again that the first time we were away for the day that there were fresh cuts and i assumed that this was because they wanted out of their pen. The next fight was not long before i had them spayed (at 5 months) and i hoped that the op would take care of any issues with aggression. The Buns had their uterus and ovaries removed and they are fighting now much to my dismay and this is the first time we have ever separated them. My vet tells me that this is nothing to do with hormones, it is most likely territorial…when they become adults one may try to gain dominance over the other and the other fights back. In our case this seems to be what is happenning, although as advised i am taking them to the vet today to rule out any medical issues which may be driving this. I think in your case it is very important to organise bonding sessions daily and if you do so in ‘neutral’ territory especailly somewhere where they feel insecure they seek the comfort of eachother, but it needs to be supervised obviously…Give them treats also in this position and lots of encouragement. A car journey for the same reasons is also supposed to help the bonding. I am surprised to hear that your Buns are not grooming eachother, they say that sometimes some bunnies will never get along…as in the risk of fighting and severe damage or worse will always be there. My apologies if you have found my comments negative. I am working really hard to try and salvage the loving relationship our Buns have had, but i do hope that this is in fact realistic and not just wishful thinking…I have heard some scary stuff since i started to ask questions. Up to this point i have been completely ignorant. If i were you i would primarily try and work this out with the advise of your vet and be completely honest in doing so in hope that you’ll get the best results and advise. Best of luck…

[Beka27]

The vet won’t spay until he/she is comfortable doing so. Their age is just an estimate, and the vet will also likely take their size into consideration. I would call and see when they would be able to get them in (whether it’s in one month, two, etc…) and make an advance appointment for that day.

Smoggy makes some very real and sobering points. Two females can be HARD to bond. It can be done, but they should not be allowed to fight at all anymore. You can house them side by side if you want, altho if they still seem distressed, you may want to relocate one to a different part of the house. If you do this, after they are spayed, and a month or two has passed for hormones to calm down, you can try reintroducing them as “new bunnies”. Side by side living can sometimes create more animosity and territorial behavior. With buns (females in particular) it can go either way.

[Elrohwen]

Some great advice. Take them into the vet and tell him how old you think they are, and he’ll make a decision from there. My vet was more concerned with weight than age, so that will be considered.

Bonding two females can be very tough, so I would keep them totally separate until the spay is done and the hormones have subsided, about a month. At that point, try bonding from the beginning in a neutral area, like a bathtub and don’t give them an opportunity to fight. When you’re ready to bond, the bonding forum is a great place for info and help.

[Bella and Lola's Human]

Thanks for the feedback guys.

They both have vet appointments for the 25th of June to do a pre-spay consultation/exam. They said they can spay them as early as 4 months but it will just depend on their weight/size. When I take them in do I need to take them in separate carriers to prevent them from fighting on the way there?

The actual spaying is going to cost $658 total for both bunnies  but oh well, anything for my bunnies.

Until then I will keep them seperate and not allow them to fight.

I’ve heard mixed things about putting them back together after the surgery. Some say that they need to be kept apart while healing and then for another month until the hormones are fully out of their systems. But I’ve also read that its ok, even encouraged to keep them together after the surgery as they will use eachother as support when recovering and this will help bond them. I’m not sure if this sounds like a good idea as fighting could pull out the stiches.

Anyone have any opinions on this?

[LittlePuffyTail]

I wouldnt put them together after the spay because their hormones will still be all crazy. They can really do some damage to each other, its just too risky. Let them mellow out for a month or so and then try gradually putting them back together.

[Sarita]

Well, I would only keep them together if they are truly bonded which they are not by the sounds of it. If they are truly bonded (and I had a pair of girls that were, but were about a year old and totally bonded) I would not separate them.

So, I think it’s a case by case basis based on how bonded they truly are – you would never want to separate a truly bonded pair but a pair that is fighting already, I would.

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