i have a vet who is great (he was on the ball with my last rabbit) and he has said that they will need to be spayed, on the same day.  I have an appointment to take them (seperately) to see him so he can check them both and advise when it can be done. 

We bought them as Sisters, although they don’t look alike much.

It seems that Mable (the smallest when we got them) seems to start it all by constantly trying to get Booboo to lick her, or sniffing Booboo’s bum, this just seems to annoy Booboo and a fight breaks out.  When they are out together its when they both go into their cage/pootray/boredom box that the tension rises, could this be to do with nesting??  I think its also a dominance thing, will the op help with this?

They are extremely licky at the moment, and if they are not licking each other they are grooming themselves.  We are keeping them seperate most of the time as we don’t want them to get into the habbit of fighting, and hopefully we can have them ‘done’ soon.

Will keeping them seperate most of the time affect keeping them together after the op?? I though getting sisters would make them living together easier?  I hope this isn’t the end of a beautiful ralationship as they really loved each other before.

thanks for your words of encouragement! for a while i thought i was the only ‘crazy’ person to have inflicted this on myself.    i can imagine it will be hard at times but they are SO worth it, cheeky monkey’s!!!

Hey BinkyBunny I’ve just had a look at the ‘bonding journal’ and laughed my head off, cause thats exactly what we saw happening before Mable and Booboo turned into the bunnies from hell! (at least i can laugh about it now-these last few weeks i’ve been freaking out)

Your journal is so good, and I will be attempting to re-bond my two when they have ‘spent the day with Craigeeeey’ which is code for ‘going to the vets to be spayed’!  they seem to think its a treat when i tell them that although i’m not sure how the vet feels about being called ‘Craigeeey’!!!

Have you had lessons in how to take professional photos because i know that mine NEVER come out like that, thy’re either blurred or out of focus or don’t actually include said bunnies…. i suppose practice makes perfect tho and i could have a go at a journal…

We are not letting mable and booboo out together much at the moment, but they take it in turns having freedom, so they can still see and smell each other.  Hopefully Craigeeey (my vet) can ‘do’ them shortly as he thought they were a little older/maturer than we originally thought, but Booboo has had a sniffle this last week or so and he wants to try to sort that first.  But all being well i should be re-bonding soon…..

should we put them together when they are recovering or will this wind them up??

Hey its also good to know i’m not as crazy as i first thought!!

Update:

Ok so i’ve tried to get the camera out when we’ve started re-introducing Booboo and Mable but i’m afraid i almost peed myself with nerves on the first attempt and the camera was the last thing on my mind. (sorry) also i don’t seem to have a quick shot setting so when i calmed myself down and felt i could use the camera, by the time the bloomin flash went off the rabbits had dissapeared out of shot ( i do have a lot of photo’s of empty poo trays and carpet though!)

Anyway its 3 weeks since their op, and they got over it remarkably quickly, they were both running around the day after and there was some binkying too!! (seperately of course)

Anyway we’ve been letting them out together gradually over the last 2 weeks, only short periods at first, then more as they seemed better.  There was a lot of head shoving, mainly Mable, but she wasn’t the only one to be groomed. Booboo stands her ground and Mable gives in and starts grooming Booboo. 

We’ve taken them for a drive, which seemed to work (but they did get very hot huddled together in the box)

Booboo really doesn’t seem bothered about grooming or being groomed but Mable is constantly requesting it.  They have been licking each other and lying together now for a couple of days, but we still seperate them when we’re not around and at night.

I’m not sure if there is still a bit of a hormone thing still in the ‘air’  as every now and again if Mable shoves her head under Booboo’s bum, then the tension can rise.  We stop them by clapping (or by water spray if its to hand) and put them back in their cages.  But this morning when i let them out together, I was cleaning their cages and turned my back and they started scrapping  I pulled them apart and put them in their cages and told them firmly that this was ‘naughty’ then i covered the cages with a blanket telling them i didn’t want to see them as i was very dissapointed!! (stupid i know)

my question are.. Is this wrong? Am i being cruel? Do they understand? Could the hormones still be an issue?

ok STS (since the scrap) we’ve kept them seperate a lot more, I think there may of been hormones flying round still, cause when we have let them out togther recently Mable has done less ‘shoving her head up Boooo’s bum’ which can only be a good thing.

Before, as soon as they were out together, Mable would run to Booboo and try to shove her head under Booboo’s chin (or bum – whichever was nearer to her head) but recently she’s not doing so much of that and they can be out together doing their own thing.

However we can still see the tension rising sometimes and when it does they both go back in their cages.  I think they do love each other really because sometimes when Booboo is caged, Mable will lie next the cage and chill out (or maybe this is her teasing Booboo)

They really don’t like going out in the car.. they sit togther shaking when they’re in the box, and shake for a while when we get back.  Is this normal?  sometimes i feel so bad inflicting this on them! 

I think patience is the key, and i’ve learnt to be a lot more patient these last few months!! Blown to smitherines is my plan of the four of us skipping round the garden in the summer, butterflies fluttering past us, birds singing the summer chorus, while we sit making daisy chains and the bunnies hop and skip playfully in the grass!!! Its been more like commando bloomin warfare..

But I wouldn’t change them for the world

Right now, they love each other i’m sure..

We had them spayed about 4 weeks ago, everything went well and both were binky-ing the next day.

The scrap i mentioned happened about a week after the op… I thought things were back to normal and turned my back for a second.  however after learning my lesson and after much more careful watching over the last few weeks we seem to be getting along fine (touch wood superstitiously)

dare i even say we have a couple of bunnies falling back in love (sisterly of course!!)

We all thougth it was gonna be Mable that was the dominant one, but Booboo has stood her ground and it always ends up being Mable that does the grooming – Booboo does lick Mable occasionally but on her terms, when and where SHE wants.  Mable tries as often as possible to get Booboo to groom her, she shoves her head under Booboo’s chin (and bum) but Booboo won’t budge!! Sometimes its a relay of heads going under, but 9 times out of 10 Mable does the licking.

Booboo does a lot of rolling on Mable, because Mable always wants to be near Booboo, she will slip into the tightest of spaces to be next to her.  Then Booboo will get up and just roll on top of Mable!! its so sweet, all we can see sometimes is Mables little nose twitching with Booboo on top!

The other day they were both lying on the fire place, and Mable wanted to get next to Booboo, she started by trying to get Booboo to groom her by pushing her head under Booboo’s bum and then just slid down under Booboo’s leg to lie next to her… Booboo’s leg was in the air!! we just sat sniggering at them cause its so funny.

We still keep them seperate at night and when we’re not around in the day, but they are out together most of the time when we’re home… i do a lot of running after them when they both sneak off – just to check they’re getting on ok.  The last thing i want is for them to get into a scrap and have to start all over again! But it is getting less and less each day :o)

Its so lovely to see them loving each other again – I don’t regret getting two together – its been hard work and its probably not over yet but its so worth it

Ok so does anyone know a good divorce lawyer??? They are fighting again!!!!

I was convinced that they were getting along so much better, but the day before yesterday in the evening Booboo was lying on the fire place when Mable started sprinting around the room, this scared Booboo and she shot off the fire place, but when she stopped she was holding her front right paw off the ground.  Anyway she started walking on it again and we thougth nothing of it. Yesterday we notice that she sometimes holds it up, but only occaisionally, and shes running and binkying ok.  She’s even been washing herself with it.

Then yesterday evening Booboo was binkying and sprinting around the room, Mable was lying in the corner, when Booboo started jumping on top of and around mable, then Mable starts chasing after Booboo and they started to circle…We split them up and both went to bed.

This morning my husband let them out while I was at work and a fight broke out! He tried to split them up, but Booboo just came running back for more.  He managed to catch Booboo and put her in her cage, but a bit later when he changed them over, Booboo was (he said) like a possessed rabbit, trying to get at mable throught the cage and when he shooed her away she went for him!!  Her ears were forward and her tail straight out..3 times she tried to attack him and eventually he managed to pick her up (he said she was rock solid when lifting her) and put her in a box, closed the lid and went for a walk, which calmed her down.

Why is she being so evil?  Could this be to do with her foot?  I’ve heard that bunnies can show agression if they are hurt? But she’s been using it ok mostly. She has been quite jumpy lately also… Is she taking this dominance thing to the extreme and trying to dominate my husband?  She’s been ok with me since i’ve been home…

We’ve gone back to keeping them seperate (with a mesh protector in front of the cage) so no attacking through the bars..and I think I will give them a break for a week or so and start again. 

Remind me not to count my proverbial chickens next time i update and tell you its going great!!!!! I think i’ve found my first grey hair

Thanks Gravehearted..its good to know its not totally over 

I will keep them seperately for a while (it just seems such a shame as they were so loving) i can also see more car rides on the horizon…I might even put them in the bath tub.

Booboo runs around the room at a million miles an hour, binkies all the time and is using her front leg to wash her ears etc with so I start to think its better but then she will sit and just raise it a little of the ground… bit i will keep my eye on it.  Would she still be doing so much on it if it was broken?? oh dear i hope its not.