Bonding fight — how do I check for injuries?!?

[JackRabbit]

Bonding my trio was going great until well into the session tonight.  It happened so fast that I’m not sure exactly what happened.  I think Marlee sniffed Kieko and Kieko thought Marlee was going to nip her so Kieko jumped over Marlee and Marlee went after her.  They started fighting and going fast in a circle and I know I saw Marlee’s creamy white belly so the fight must have gone vertical.  I was screaming at them to stop and squirting them with a water bottle and even slid the side of the x-pen in against them before they stopped.  I know it sounds like it went on forever, but the fight lasted a matter of seconds. 

There were three clumps of Marlee’s fur and two clumps of Kieko’s fur with a little more spread around.  Both looked OK afterward, other than wet spots where they were sprayed with water.  After we got all three back in their cages, I tried looking them over but I’m not sure exactly what to look for  and where all to look (I’ve read that bites and scratches can turn into abcesses so I really want to make sure there are no injuries).  Marlee is very fluffy and her fur is somewhat long (I think she may have some fuzzy lop in her) and really thick.  Kieko’s fur is think but short, but her skin is dark gray and hard to see anything on.  I didn’t see any blood on either one. 

Other than blood, what do I look for and where all do I look?

[LongEaredLions]

Use a hair dryer to blow everywhere on their bodies. You should be able to see any injuries.

[calipa_st]

my rabbits fight any time i try bonding..
they always bite in the same areas. either on each other’s noses, their thighs (like towards the back) or their sides (when they do that bunny tornado is when they get the face)
i’d try the blow dryer trick, but i like to feel my rabbits skin to keep an eye on the wounds (Lucky had one on his thigh for a little while now, not even sure when he got it, and he also needed stitches from Calvin)

[JackRabbit]

I think the hair dryer is a *great* idea.  Marlee does not.  I’ve tried petting her and gently rubbing her fur in reverse (haven’t found any injuries yet) but she’s on to me there too.  I’m going to work on her and the hair dryer slowly for future lookovers.  It took a couple of weeks to get her to let me brush her — now she lets me brush her while she’s having her evening salad. 

Kieko turns into lap bunny after playtime so my husband was able to look her over (she has decided she’s *his* bunny because I do things like adopt evil bunnies and bring them into *her* house, own hair dryers, etc.).

I know there has to be one out there so I’ll also start looking for a “quiet” hair dryer.  Now that I think about it, I might even try a “hot flash” fan (one of those hand-held personal fans)!

Thanks!!

[Taysmama13]

I know injuries and bonding bunny fights are not funny by any means, but I laughed out loud when I read your reply about your bun being your husbands because you adopt evil bunnies and own hair dryers. I can offer no insight to your situation regarding injuries, but had to post that I empathize with how you feel your bunny sees you. I swear my bun thinks the same of me since I adopted my newest. He gives me the “look” that sometimes says so much. Keep your sense of humor and good luck with your bonding!

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