Two Brothers

[greetingsingrelvish]

So my two bunnies are brothers and I got them when they were a few months old. They seemed to be bonded (cuddling, grooming, playing, etc.) but after a few months they got into a big fight with each other – thank god neither of them was seriously injured but it was still quite upsetting. 

Now, they are both neutered and I want to try and repair the bond. I’m just really afraid because for a really long time they were extremely nasty towards each other and at one point, Lenny (the dominant one, I think) managed to escape from his age and attack Leo and it was really scary (again, neither of them were hurt  – just a lot of fluff). I just really want them to get along not only for their sakes but because it’s really hard to make enough time to let them both out at separate times in my bunny space.

I’m thinking about trying to bond them again because when either of the rabbits are out of their cages after a while one of the will go and lay down beside the others cage and they both just lay down beside each other on either side of the cage bars. Is that a good sign? Sometimes Lenny will still act a little aggressive through the his cage or Leos cage but they don’t try and fight through the bars like they did before. I really want them to be able to get along but I’m just really afraid because I’ve heard that bonding – especially repairing a broken bond- is really difficult between two boys.

If anyone has any advice or  feedback – PLEASE share.

[Ilovewiggle]

Hello that might not be the best idea because I heard that if you keep two males together they fight.

[Binx86]

Been forever since I’ve been around but I was here browsing for something else and saw this and wanted to offer some help!

I have two boys, brothers, Groucho and Zeppo. Now I’ll say from the beginning that I had insane luck with them when it came to bonding so I’m a HUGE disbeliever that boy bunnies can’t live together. They’ve never been separated from each other, even when they go to the vet it’s always together. They just turned 5 in May, so imagine that! They only ever had one big fight, neither was hurt, just a lot of fluff like your boys. After I got them fixed there was a little bit of squabbling. Just little grunts of annoyance here and there, pulling of small fur tuffs and that was it. I stuck them in the bath tub together, with just a towel on one end in the tub. They got along to seek refuge on the single towel to stop sliding all over the place.

I know the bath tub thing works in many cases because it’s a neutral place. I would just stick them on opposite sides and let them go towards each other and see how they react. Break up a squabble if it breaks out, I recommend wearing some thick work gloves if you have them. I learned that mistake the hard way when Zeppo latched onto my hand! Rewarding them with treats when they don’t attack each other is a tremendous idea too. Start in small sessions. 5 minutes once a day for 3-4 days or a week, gradually work up from there.

It’s not impossible in the least for two boys to live happily together. And chances are if they were happy before that big fight they could be again after. The fact that they lay next to each other’s cages is a really good sign! Hope this helps.

[Hazel]

Welcome!

First of all, the gender doesn’t make one bit of difference in a bond. Weather or not two rabbits get along and how hard the bonding process is depends on their personalities. Your bunnies fought because they hit puberty and their hormones made them aggressive. Most likely you would have had the same result with two females, or a male and female (in this case you likely would have ended up with a litter on top of it, so you got lucky there ).

I’ve had a very similar experience with my two boys as Binx did. I got them as babies, not knowing any better at the time I put them together right away. I got lucky, they got along and their bond remained the same through puberty. I don’t know if they were simply mellow enough to get along whole hitting maturity or if I got incredibly lucky timing their neuters but it worked out.

Anyway, there’s no reason whatsoever to assume your two couldn’t be rebonded just like any other pair. There are a lot of bonding experts here, they will be happy to help you. Laying next to each others cage can be a good sign, but it doesn’t have to be. Sometimes it’s more of a passive aggressive move. Since they can’t get to the other bun, they try to assert their dominance by attempting to look as comfortable and worry free as possible in the presence of the other one. It’s like they’re saying “You don’t rattle me, I’m the boss here.” But in your case I think that graduating from fighting through the bars to laying next to each other could really be a good sign.

As Binx said, starting bonding on neutral ground is important, any place that is unfamiliar to them and a little bit scary (slippery floor, unfamiliar noises) is good. The point isn’t to terrify them of course, but you want them to seek comfort in each other rather than focus on fighting.

Good luck, don’t get discouraged. Bonding can be a lengthy process, but if you put enough time and effort into it, most rabbits can be bonded.

 

Edit: How long have they been neutered? You want to wait at least 4 weeks after the neuter to start bonding, because their hormone levels can go crazy during that time.

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