Oh goodness.
My two have occasional little “arguments” – but nothing like this.
I don’t know what to tell you – I’m sure some one with more experiance with bonding will chime in soon!

{{{{{{{Soothing vibes}}}}}}} to Robby & Lizzy

Oh no! (((Lizzy)))

uh oh let me know how lizzy is doing!

Oh no! It can be impossible to know what happened. How long have you had them together now before this happened?

After her wound heals I would just start over again – hopefully it’s a not a totally broken bond and can be fixed in time again.

That sure doesn’t make sense does it…I would keep trying again – maybe see if there is something in the area that seems off to you that might set him off. Heck it could have been a shadow that scared him. I would start again in a few days with some short sessions again to see what happens but wouldn’t put them together again today or tomorrow – let the bad vibes have time to heal.

oh no! how is Lizzy’s side? i have no idea. thank gosh you heard them!

ugh. i’d personally refuse to pay until i spoke with the vet in person. there is no reason why you should not be able to talk to the vet. maybe a stand-off at the reception desk would bring the ever-elusive vet out to see you…

i’m not familiar Nolvasan… Katnip?

i can understand you being angry with Robbie. you’re right that he’s not human, he’s not going to have the same emotions humans have, but i get being frustrated with him. Lizzy is your baby girl and you don’t want to see her hurt.

i wonder if he’s not feeling well. is he pooping normally, you said he’s eating. i wonder if he might be in pain in some way that is making him aggressive. it’s not normal for it to come on so suddenly.

edited:  i SWEAR we’ve had conversations about aggression and shedding.  does anyone remember that or am i just bonkers?

Don’t be mad at Robbie :~(
.
There could be so many reasons this happened and let’s just hope it can be fixed. He’s not a bad rabbit.

There could be so many factors really – just trying to figure out what it could be is difficult and it’s possible you are on to something with the shedding and change of seasons. It sounds like he did a full bunny flop to me which is why he is on his side.

It does sound like you need to change vets though. I’m not familiar with Nolvason but I would hope the vet wouldn’t give you something that would be a problem due to licking it since this is probably a common reaction with many animals.

Healing vibes to Lizzy.

Poor Lizzy – ((((((((((((Healing Vibes))))))))))

But, poor Robbie, too. Something might be wrong and you just are not seeing it yet. I seem to remember something about a bun who was getting aggressive during a big shed, too.

Vet not talking to you – very unprofessional.

your vet makes me want to scream. seriously. ugh.

Well, I’m not certain what SSD is – is that Silvadene?

Nolvasan is chlorhexadine which is used a a surgical scrub/cleaner.  It is a good way to clean a wound as it does not destroy tissue like hydrogen peroxide does.

I am not sure what SSD is?  can you give me a drug name? 

Not that I am in any way defending your vet- it sounds like you already have had issues!  But a possible scenario is that the vet was scheduled for a surgery morning and was able to take a look at Lizzy on an emergency basis between surgeries and able to instruct the techs to shave and clean the wound, etc.  If we have a client call with an emergency and we only have 1 vet in and he is in surgery- sometimes we do something similar, although sometimes we have the pet dropped off (which would not work as well with rabbit maybe) and I hope that our communication with clients is much better!)  But the doctor would actually do an exam on the pet- not just “take a peek”, he/she would actually put their hands on the pet to assess the pet which is why it would be done between surgeries (due to sterile gloves and gown).

Since it sounds like you were not happy previously- I would switch vets- and really 14.5 miles is not so far away.  If I were to drive to a vet that treats exotics all day/every day, which I would do in case of serious illness- it would take me at least 45 minutes drive time.  I think a pro-longed car ride is better for the bunny as opposed to inadequate care by a cat/dog vet.

Oh no, poor Lizzy!

I hope her & Robbie work it out, it would be horrible if Robbie had to find a new home.

Just try to remember that rabbit behaviour isn’t always understandable to us but don’t blame Robbie…I know you do & will because I blamed Charlie when he tried to kill my guinea pig ~ but we don’t know what drives them…

I’m so sorry that this could happen to you, it sounds terrible, beyond terribe, catastrophicly stressful. Please fell better yourself as well.

So could it be a dominance issue? Maybe Robbie started humping her and peed on her? Charlie gets MAD when Laya wont give in on a groom-me-off and he’s bitten her heaps of times because of it. Maybe Lizzy is being really strong willed & Robbie is trying to be the dominant one, and getting nasty. I know that one of the big fights that Layla & Charlie had happened a little while after they were ‘bonded’ and the whole cause of that one appeared to be that Charlie’s ego was damaged by Layla’s unsubmissiveness.

I really hope it can be worked out between them! Poor Lizzy. Robbie could be playing the ‘I’m more comfortable than you are’ game, trying to assert dominance?

I didn’t see your post until just now. So sorry Lizzy is wounded. I do think it’s possible that Robbie isn’t feeling well in some way. Can you take him to the new vet also? It might be a good idea to discuss his behavior with a new vet, and have him examined.

Definitely get a new vet asap. Your vet might have been busy, but mine always has me right in the exam room with her – in fact all my vets did except for one, who only lasted one visit with me. If the vet is in surgery, that message is easily relayed.

Of course you’re mad at Robbie, and thinking the worst. But before you flush the little bugger, have a carrot right in front of him and don’t give him any. You’ll feel better, he’ll be jealous. So there. Poor little Lizzy. She still wants to be his friend.

Yes Beka there was a conversation a while back about shedding and aggression.  Someone’s bun was shedding big time and became unusually grumpy and sullen.   After the shed was over he went back to normal.  I dont’ remember the name of the post but that was my first thougth too.  Could it be grumpiness cause of the heavy shed?  And the stress of new bunny friend on top of it all?  I mean having a new bunny friend shouldn’t be stressful but with buns you can never tell.

Lightchick, I’m sorry to hear you went through this experience, especially after having just bonded the two. Hope Lizzie and Robbie are returning to their former selves by now. As Sarita said, you may not be able to find what instigated this aggression, only make some educated guesses. Your having monitored them together right after the instances may help though.

Were you able to check Robbie over as well? Would he let you handle him? Seems he was the main culprit but Lizzie could have got a defensive nip in at some point. It certainly reads like a dominance display. Seems Lizzie is not totally petrified of Robbie so that’s good. He seems to be chasing her off. Is he being territorial?

Having being a street bun, maybe he’s pretty mean when it comes to any perceived threat to his territory. Has he displayed anything like that before? He always seems the more laid back of the two! Actually now I remember his behaviour toward you when you first met, the territory argument doesn’t make sense!

Did the vet’s office tell you what they thought the yellow substance on Lizzie was? It does sound like urine…If it was Robbie peeing on her, that sounds like dominance or a urinary complaint(?). I’ve have read rabbits can get Urinary tract infections. This can cause aggression in other animals but unsure regarding rabbits. I do know from experience in aged care, that UTI’s can cause complete personality changes in some people!

Well I hope you can gain some clarity on this issue and things are resolved. I’m sure Robbie and Lizzie will forgive one another pretty quickly. Arghh, they shouldn’t have given you such a scare though!

Edit:  The shedding/aggression looks like a possibility too, by the looks ^^.

Lightchick – here is the link to the forum I think everyone is talking about

https://binkybunny.com/FORUM/tabid/54/forumid/3/tpage/1/view/topic/postid/50191/Default.aspx#50296

I don’t know how to do a real link so you might have to copy and paste it.

My bun Smudge has a severe Jekyll/Hyde complex when she goes through a big shed. She lunges and grunts and gets really upset over her coat and then once it evens out and the shedding lets up a bit she seems to go right back to normal. I swear during her “losing clumps of hair and having bald spots” sheds she’s a completely different rabbit, she is angry all the time. She actually just had a semi-bad shed a couple weeks ago, just her back end seemed to be losing alot of hair I just kept grooming her as much as I could, I tried to pick days where she seemed less grumpy and bribery was a factor (3 brush strokes= a piece of dill/mint something like that). I also found that for getting Smudge out of her pen when she was like this just to make sure she was okay or give her a once over with a brush OVER MITTS were my savior! It’s harder to have a sercure hold on the bun but what I’d do was put on the mitts, get her out of the cage with one hand on the bum and one on the chest and just sit her right onto the kitchen floor (right where her cage is) in the middle of my legs forming a circle, keep one mitt on just in case and do a quick pulling out of any huge clumps that might cause digestive problems, do a quick brush or even just reiterate that I am boss but I still love her by having a few head pets and then back to the condo she went if she had had enough.

She’s never ever been a biter but the last time she went through a shed (before this mini-one) I learned the hard way she she took a chunk out of me with no warning whatsoever. I has so hurt and angry that she was behaving this way even though like you said we know they’re not human. I just couldn’t believe she had bitten me and didn’t want to be around me or anyone for that matter at all. She even attack her stuffed toy Bob the Bunny, he’s now missing a fur patch on his ear… which makes me wonder about Robbie attacking Lizzy, I wonder if he asked to be groomed and she didn’t or she stopped before he was ready for her too, or maybe she groomed him and he wasn’t enjoying it? I’m not sure what’s possible but I hope they’re both okay and hopefully the link to the other forum gives you some insight. It seems there are some buns who get grumpy when shedding…

Makes me wonder if Robbie is still hormonal.

Is the SSD is a white cream? I’m thinking it is Silvadene.

i really hope you can figure this out, or Robbie will stop being a butthead and they can be together again.

Strange, very strange!

*smacks self for lightchick* I am so SORRY I just saw this thread!! I don’t know how I missed it!

What’s your vets name and address? I seriously want to drive down there just to yell!! What a frustrating experience!! *stamps feet* “Beka are you coming with me for the drive and confrontation?” UGH!!!

It’s hard not to be mad at them when they’re being jerks. I had a hard time not being mad at Rupert when he was being a nasty biter to Kokanee and Kahlua. It’s trying. I’d wait until long after she’s healed and then maybe restart bonding? *HUGS* and {HEALING VIBES}

*** on the SSD
Katnip here’s somethign I found mentioning SSD, it’s ciproflaxen I believe. I think I remember reading that it’s a topical antiobiotic??? https://clevengerscvc.vetstorerx.com/index.cfm?CatalogBrowse=true&ProductInformation=10275

Then another and it says SSD-is the silver sulfadiazine…that makes much more sense though
http://www.thepetdrugs.com/index.cfm?page=products_detail&productid=114

also if you throw ssd into wikipedia it says it could refer to silver sulfadiazene so that must be what it is.

hmm……I much more commonly see SSD/Silvadene prescribed for burns.  But the formulary does say that it does not caude diarrhea if ingested- so maybe that is why the vet was leaning towards SSD as choice of antimicrobial topical ointment.

On a side note- if you end up having any left, keep it around.  It is awesome for minor burns- from bumping a hot pan to the dreaded curling iron/flattening iron ouchie.

Any update on Robbie & Lizzy?

 Katnip… i’m guessing you’re referring to HUMAN use… altho how cute would Meadow be with CURLS?!

but seriously, yes LC… how is the crew?

My vet prescribes the Silvadene for a number of things – it’s very good stuff – I do know it is used mainly for burn victims too or that is what it’s primary use is.

Yes Lightchick how are Lizzie and Robbie?

Hm. *heavy silence is disconcerting* I sure hope they aren’t having to deal with moving house due to those fires in all this ruckus!
Hope you and yours are okay, LC! We’re all thinking of you!

Everytime someone posts I check back here to see if it was LC! She was online last night according to her profile page – so hopefully everything is ok!

Argh!! Lightchick, now I fully get it – Robbie IS a butthead – ya love him but he’s a butthead. I see your fear, he can’t be doing that to her or any bun really. He can’t be all Jekyll and Hyde. I guess a lot of animals living together fight at some point. It’s the way of their world. Hope someone here has had some experience with this, with good outcomes.
I feel for you because it’s taking a chance and having them back together or separating them forever, which may be hard on Lizzie too.

How long has it been since Robbie was neutered? Perhaps there some other medical problem contributing to his behaviour. You know I always thought if there would be trouble, it would come from Lizzie, just from what you’d said about her personality and from having a female bunny myself!

I really want to see things turn around for the pair and especially you. Good on you for hanging in there!

Poor Ms. Lizzy. I think Robbie is still hormonal though and may need a little more time to calm down.

wow. well i’m stumped. it might be residual hormones, but so weird that they’d manifest themselves this far after the fact. i just don’t know. aside from illness, this is one of my greatest fears, that something would happen to break my buns’ bond beyond repair. i agree that you can’t risk putting them together if he’s being like this. you’ll have to ride it out and then make a determination of your next step.

I hate to drop this idea here because it’s so fatalist…but could Robbie have been smitten only while he still had hormones running through his system, and now that they may be all but gone, he doesn’t have the same personality?

This is a tragic situation. But I look at that wound in Lizzy’s side and I can only think he was out to become your only bunny, Lightchick. Perhaps he got more attention from you before his neuter and now he’s not getting as much since you felt he was bonded to Lizzy and didn’t want to get in the way of that? He was quite the center of attention as ‘the rescued park bun’ after all.

I wonder if he feels your resentment of him for what he’s done to Lizzy. Not like you can help it, I’d be furious at anybun who hurt one of my bunnies too.

Have you tried any homeopathic therapy? Some Rescue Remedy perhaps? I put a little on Fiver’s veggie cookies for after his very stressful foot treatments and that calms him right down.

Also, how aware was he that there were forest fires near where you were? Is the smoke still lingering? Could he think perhaps his life is in danger and he needs to lash out at anyone nearby? Remember he is still part wild. You have to look at his mental state from that point of view I think.

Well, hey, LC, don’t you also teach teenagers? You’ve got a roomful of hormones, and raging ones at that, to deal with all day. ^_^ Having gone through menopause myself, I can tell you that it takes a long time for humans to get them out of their system and it’s a bumpy road the whole way. I can only imagine how it must feel for animals; and yet they don’t have the stigma of ‘biological clocks’, so I can’t see that being the definitive answer here.
I have to say, having dealt with more than a few sheds, it seems to have no rhyme nor reason to it. I keep thinking that the bunnies are done with theirs, and then they’ll start up again. No matter what I feed them, it doesn’t seem to do anything. (Although I do push a bit of the wheat hay during sheds, just to keep the guts moving.) And their moods swing during the whole process. Fiver is the worst of the three and yet they are all altered. Makes no sense.
How much protein do bunnies get, anyway? I mean, plant protein is world’s different from animal protein, isn’t it? And wouldn’t it stimulate different effects in turn?

I like that you’re going to take them to the Bunny Bunch. I think that is THE way to go, if you’re going to keep Robbie. Although one of the forum leaders here told me that, just because two buns are bonded doesn’t mean they won’t have hair pulling tiffs. (Hence why I’ve been skeptical of leaving Pip and Mimzy on their own for long during the day.)

Please don’t take him back to the park! *sniffle* Send him to me first! ^_^ If I can wrangle Miss Cranky Pants (Pip) I’d be able manage him! xD

Nah, I know you wouldn’t. And the ‘bunny puddle’ is definitely (from what I’ve experienced) the ‘happy bunny’ position. There’s distinct difference in poses from when I brush Mim or Pip, and from when I brush Fiver because he NEVER relaxes. He’ll be bunched up and stiff in a little bunny ball the whole time and doesn’t spread out until he sees me put that blasted love glove away where he doesn’t have to look at it anymore!

Hang onto that piccy I gave you. I bet they’ll be back to that eventually.

Oh, and I think someone said Rescue Remedy can be found in organics aisles in the supermarket or even on Ebay. I’m sorry I don’t recall the online store where I got mine, it was quite some time ago. It doesn’t last long, but it isn’t meant to. And I think this is something Robbie and Lizzy will have to work out over a period of time anyway, the Remedy just makes things go a little smoother. Like catnip kinda, I think.

Totally 100% agree with Mimz on everything! I think the bunny puddle for pets is perfectly happy-you’d know if they weren’t -they’d hop off with foot flicks and nip you if you wouldn’t let them run off. I also agree on getting help bonding. NOT that you can’t do it on your own, your perfectly capable, but with this episode and you nervous, I think it’d be best to get some help-even just for starters. If you’re nervous, they’ll be nervous; and you just don’t want that in the mix.

I’m soo sorry this happened. I’m glad she’s healing up and they are superficial wounds; Rupert and Kokanee went at it (escaping dividers to kill each other) a few times and I was hysterical both times it happened. Only very small wounds but it was soo scary. I know how your feeling right now for sure

I think Robbie may be a bit like Rupert…not mean really but just this, I have to bite reaction. I thought I’d NEVER EVER bond him no matter what…The first intro to Kokanee, Dave held Rupert in his lap and we posed Kokanee next to him; She started grooming him, he tried to bite her. No matter what we did, there was no lead up or indication he’d just lunge quick and nip Kokanee or Kahlua…I don’t know what it was but it finally left him and I am just so happy when I see him lying with Kahlua by his side. They look very happy and it was a lot of work but he got over his bitey thing. He NEVER tried to nip Chuck once, I don’t know if he realized his handicap or just had gotten over the need to bite, but he’s always been kind to Chuck.

Hm. Methinks the mend may already be in the works, kinda-sorta…no?

*sigh* The next guy I meet who makes some kind of PMS crack is going to get a Robbie whack upside the head from me. >.< Hell may have no fury like a woman scorned, but just introduce it to the crazy, wild buck rabbit with the attitude. 0_o

Hahaha, he runs to you and seeks your forgiveness.

I wish he would settle down and be normal again.

Oh dear. I have to admit, I get frustrated when Fiver gives me starch over a grooming; he boxes and grunts and charges me, every once in awhile he’ll nip me. But I don’t think it would help the situation if I countered with something like that. I just have to sit back and wait for him to realize Mummy isn’t out to get him, it’s just a brushing and he knows he feels better afterward. (You’d think after losing all my hair in chemo I’d enjoy the long locks that grew back, but I so identify with the buns when they need brushing, because I wish mine would come out like that again just so I wouldn’t have to deal with it!)
Do you think Robbie’s attitude is more of a fear reaction? Or is he angry and trying to dominate all situations in the house? I’ve had to accept that Pip likes things a certain way and I’m not going to change her mind. But she calmed down once I figured that out. Now I’m not saying Robbie has this issue, but it might help to know if he’s angry or frightened and that is what this ‘tude is coming from.

What kind of postures does he take right before he goes postal? What do his eyes tell you? Does he ever thump, btw? Did he act like this at all when he was out in the park that you remember?

Rubbing your hand on the ground makes bunnies mad? 0_o Jeez, I’ve never heard that, nor experienced it. Where did you learn that LC? I’d hate to think there’s that and other body language I may be sending to my bunnies that would set them off without my knowing. *gulp*

Like when I keep forgetting that Mimzy has this little space in his night pen that is HIS space. He doesn’t like hands coming in there, because he wants somewhere he feels safe. When I go in there with a paper towel to clean, I get nipped. And he’s been altered for almost a year now. I know better, and yet when I get into cleaning mode I don’t think about it and go right in and I hear the grunt a nanosecond before I feel the teeth. It’s really annoying, but I can’t fault him for it.

lolz…I wasn’t implying that you were doing anything untoward, LC. I just think it’s interesting how one thing for one bunny causes a totally different reaction for another…and the respective bunny slave. ^_^

I have to wonder if there isn’t something strange going on with his other endocrine glands…you know, sometimes radical swings in mood are due to thyroid or adrenal changes in humans. When’s his next vet checkup, btw?

Sounds like he reacts to that lint roller like the cat does to the laser pointer. VERY strange for a bun, in my opinion. 0_o

Does he often seem more mellow when the BF is present? That might indicate something. Maybe he feels a little outnumbered with you and Lizzy…you know, not every guy wants one girl on each arm…er..or..foot? ^_^

Oh my how did I miss this? Lightchcick those pictures were a flashback for me. It looks exactly how Bonsai did when Daffodil really tore into him last year. I had to drag my two up to my local HRS for “marriage counseling” i.e. re-bonding. I don’t know what it was but my two snapped right out of whatever was causing the same problem that you are having. I think that they didn’t want to be left there. I was asked to even decide which one of them I wanted to keep and bonding that one, Bonsai or Daffodil, with another rabbit at the shelter. Talk about nerve-wracking and a horrible decision to have to make.

Anyway, I am getting side-tracked here. I was told to keep them away from each other until the wounds were completely healed and switch cages every day. That way one would have less of a tendency to be so territorial about the cage when they eventually kissed and made up. I did re-bonding slowly with them and it took a long time (2 1/2 weeks).

Have you tried putting a stunt double in the cage?

Wow, this is promising. Maybe some of the rescues etc that do bonding services have seen this before. Perhaps it’s worth checking their sites or getting in touch with the people to check that out.

He seriously acts like he doesn’t know her. Even when he DIDN’T know her, he was nicer! He was curious and friendly and enthralled. Now he hates her.~ Lightchick

The difference though is he had not probably bonded as firmly with you at that time. And he hadn’t had access to the whole home yet had he? So he may view her as a threat to His domain. Plus he was probably still a bit hormonal ??

i almost hate to suggest it b/c it’s would be a big undertaking, but could you do a total living room overhaul? rearrange your furniture (cleaning everywhere as you go!), move Lizzy’s hutch and disinfect it the best you can, move his area and disinfect the best you can? maybe if the whole territory is unrecognizable to them both that might help to shake things up? if you did that you could switch pens every night and give them each very limited outtime in the shared space.

Oh that’s right, you’re as unhappy with your vet as I am, right? Claims to be rabbit savvy,t hen acts like an intern when you bring the bun in for even the most simple of procedures? Tell me if I have the right member who has this problem.

And with your car troubles, not an easy thing to travel to the other vet you DO like who is much farther away, right? Can anyone at the Bunny Bunch help you with medical stuffs?

*sigh* I do think the ear thing should be looked at too. I’ve been sustaining tons of spider bites which is common this time of year. It may not be a bite from Lizzy, but there could be some kind of insect toxin messing with him too.

Yep LightChick I sure have!  Even very recently too, so you are definately not alone.

The event that kicked this off sounds so familiar to me.  My two started this whole thing in the middle of the night (I would say it was at about 1 am) about 6 months after I adopted them from my local HRS.  At which point they had been bonded already for 2 years.

It took a while for me to feel O.K. leaving them alone at night, in fact I slept on the sofabed in the adjoining room to be sure.  The first kick off of this event and an expensive vet bill later I contacted the manager and she said to bring them on up and she’ll re-bond them for me (only boarding charge).  Well, I left them there a whole day and they didn’t fight at all.  I was still leery but was assured that they would be O.K. alone at night and I could take them back home with me. Sure enough, they were O.K..

This fighting thing happens at least twice a year now.  I have no idea why, they just do.  I think it is because they just get sick and tired of seeing the other one, or have had it with the nips in the butt or being bossed around by the other bunny.  I religiously switched cages every night, and really I am not sure how much it helped.  It made their litterbox habits worse because they were marking everything where the other bunny was. 

I ended up totally rearranging the cage this last time around, adding/removing panels (about a month ago), adding two litterboxes and two hay racks.  I figured out that this time, Bonsai was playing the sentry and not letting Daffodil into the litterbox or allowing her access to hay or even outside the cage to romp.  The floor plan is mor spacious and there is more than one way to jump or or down all the levels so Daff can go whereever she pleases.  Bonsai still is a butthead about giving her access to the hay but she has her own now. 

In order to stop Bonsai from nipping the crud out of her and herding her into her “prison” i.e. the condo, I used a squirt bottle over and over again and hand clapping.  Finally, for grooming sessions, I would take Bonsai out first so Daffodil had free-roam of the entire cage and kitchen.  She would take that time to run all over the place during the hour that I groomed Bonsai.  When I was done, Bonsai was placed in an x-pen and I worked on Daffodil. When I was done with Daffodil, I placed her back in the room with the condo, and free-range of the kitchen.  I let her run about for a little while – about 10-15 minutes, then I reintroduced Bonsai to their common area.  To my surprise this little technique got him to stop his ill-behavior.  Daff just gets sick and tired of him nipping her arse and so when she snaps, she does it in a big way and tears the heck out of Bonsai.  So, when I see the signs – he starts to herd or nip her, I arm myself with the water bottle and stand at the ready.  Then I load them up in the carrier and off on a car-ride we go. I understand how sneaky and underhanded the damage they try to do is.  Bonsai is just like this and somehow I think we have clone rabbits here.  They act so much alike and the similarity of the events is startling.

I have considered housing them seprately from now on, and even tried it for a while, but they get so lovesick and forlorn, it is punishment for them not to be together.  So, I try to keep tabs on them and make sure that if I see a potential tiff to arm myself with a water bottle and swoop them up and take them for a car ride to re-inforce the bonding.

Let the wounds heal completely and I would suggest that instead of trying them together in a pen for a bonding session, go straight for the stress bonding in neutral territory.  Try on top of the washer, introduce a vacuum cleaner, use something that stresses them both to seek comfort in each other – you don’t have to drive.  I drove my two around every night for about 30 minutes.  No fighting happened and it only took about three times before they re-bonded. I know someone who got their bike out and put them in their basket, another who used one of those enclosed kid trailors that hook up to the back of the bike, another the subway.  It is your creative license to find something. Heck, even in the garage and start up a power tool or the shop-vac.  I *think* that someone even used a bungee-cord type setup on the carrier where it was suspended by one and the carrier bounced around in the air and the rabbits bonded.

Keep some 50/50 peroxide & water solution, along with some antibiotic ointment (without pain killer), Rescue Remedy, Vet Wrap, and gauze on hand, if you have an electric razor yourself you can take care of scratches yourself without having to see a vet.  Rabbit wounds can get infected easily and I am not one to encourage self-treating, but a scratch you can clean and daub some ointment on yourself.  Set the bunny in your lap and blow into the fur to move it around and check for wounds.  You can also irrigate the wound with distilled water as well.

Take your time with things, I know it is really stressful, but time is on your side.  Patience is key here and try techniques to see what will help your two.  Since they have access to run in the same areas,  you may want to split that area for now.  Or what I would suggest like Beka said, do a major cleaning and keep one of the two confined to one run area and do not let them run in the same area.  This causes a lot of jealousy issues, especially for my two and so having them run in the same area at separate times made it worse to try and bond them. For another re-bonding session from another fight, I found that keeping the instigator (Bonsai) in a penned-in space and letting the victim (Daff) roam the bigger area, pen-free) she and he grew a natural curiosity to each other without wanting to nip the crud out of one another.  It was quite cute to see them try to groom each other through the small holes.  You’ll want to be sure that they cannot nip through the panels. 

I am also wondering here if there is not some jealousy over you happening here.  Robbie likes you to himself and is trying to keep Lizzy away from you because you are his.  How is Lizzy with you?

I’d light up anytime there is an absence of aggression. But I also wouldn’t take it as a truce, just a moment that there is no angst. They may have a ways to go yet. But that he doesn’t mind her eating his hay right now is good. Let’s hope it lasts!

I was just looking at my first pix of Fiver and thinking of the change in him since I brought him home in August. He seems so ‘bony’ in his pix, and now, well, he’s nicely filled out.
I don’t treat him often though. And he sure has enough gas to circle the earth several times in just a few seconds. ^_^ Maybe it’s just the lifestyle of indoor bunny that agrees with Robbie. Certainly he seems to like it and is not about to give it up. (Not that there is any possibility of that, but he doesn’t know that.) You may be onto something there.

Hey Y’all – I just wanted to let you know what I found out yesterday:

Several months ago at my shelter a there was a pair of buns who had been bonded for about 6 to 9 months – Gizmo & Taylor, when Gizmo turned on Taylor and hurt her so badly she had to have surgery – She is much better now. But they are officially divorced.

What the doctors eventually realized is that Gizmo had a tumor on his Adriano gland that was causing him to produce testosterone again! So the poor little guy got frustrated and took it out on his poor Taylor. But if h had not attacked her – they may have never found the tumor. He is very healthy now

So, Light Chick & Cassy – have y’all had Robby and Charley to the vet for a check up recently?

BTW – it’s looking like both Gizmo & Taylor are to be bonded with some single buns who already have homes but need friends – let’s hope it ends well for them!

Seriously? Divorce, then second husbuns or wives?

That is a valuable bit of info bout the cause Sage Cat! Thanks for posting it.

I have heard of stuff like that before, Sage, but I’ll be darned if I can remember if it was animal medicine or human.
Has Lightchick seen this yet? This could be the answer for her on Robbie (although I truly hope it’s not a tumor, at least if it was that would be half the battle) but I am keeping my fingers crossed that the whole thing has resolved itself already.

Are you sure Lizzie isn’t exerting her dominance here? She’s chasing him then he retalliates. Do they chase when want attention from other bun or was that a chase to get him away from you? I dont know! I’m not experienced with the bonding or have I observed bun to bun communication.

Ugh . . . So frustrating!

Best of Wishes to Light chick that this will all get worked out soon!

Well, if it makes you feel better, my rabbits are going through the exact same problem…bonded for over a month, then one morning….BAM…my male was attacking the female, and they both got bites! I noticed my female flop about 3 times in succession after I locked the boy up…I think she was utterly exhausted from all the chasing and fighting that happened before I woke up. She does flop sometimes, but I certainly don’t think she was happy at that moment. Just make sure Robbie is acting normally otherwise.

Luckily, my girl Frank has forgiven Winston, but he still wants to kill her I’m doing some quick bathtub bonding sessions right now. Did you mention how old your buns are? Winston is only 4 months but fixed, so I’m wondering if for him it is age-related. My female is 1.5 years. I’m at a bit of a loss right now myself, but I’m telling myself just to be patient with Winston and wait for him to grow up a little. Winston is in a big C&C cage right now, and switches places with Frank a few hours a day for extra romps and pats.

If things don’t iron out, I’m going to take them both to my vet for some help. Good luck finding a new vet! I feel your pain and definitely understand the disappointment, anxiety and concern, because I feel the same way right now! I actually looked through this forum for insight to my own situation.

although I’m still optimistic, I’ve also come to terms with the fact that Winston may become my “studio” rabbit (i’m an illustrator) and frank might be me “living room rabbit.” and really, it’s not such a terrible thing.

I like the tumour idea too; I was thinking re-reading all your posts that it almost sounds a bit like a neuro problem, I know many animals get alzheimers or dementia-how old did your vet think he was? Maybe when you catch up a bit and are able to afford it you could take him in for an xray for tumours or bloodwork? If he’s really vaulting around from Dr Jekll to mr. Hyde I wonder if it isn’t something biological going wrong…

On the digging infuriating rabbits I’ve noticed it too (so much to the point I’ve actually seen Pacino go over to Guss and digg in front of his cage-and vice versa-it infuriates them!!) I believe I read it was a ‘challenge’ to fight so that may be why he attacks your lint roller.

Anyways that’s my non-so-helpful two cents Keep us posted LC and hang in there!!

I really hope you can get over this hurdle, I can understand where you are though, bunny fights and bonding mishaps I think take a bigger toll on the bunny mom rather than the actual fighting bunnies.

have you tried doing any traditional neutral space bonding sessions? it sounds like areas they both have a claim to (the living room, the couch especially) might not be the location for re-introductions.

The song “Love Hurts” comes to mind. Poor bun! ;_;

Hmmm. I don’t think a discharge is ever something good, but let’s not panic. Good to hear he’s going for a check. And, if there is an infection or something is hurting him, that would definitely explain the behavior! Perhaps we can finally get this all cleared up!

Sending all good healing vibes to Lizzy, Robbie, and you! ((((hugs))))))))

And, speaking from experience…don’t worry Liz. Bald IS beautiful! ^_^

What kind of discharge? Color/amount/consistency?

*fingers crossed*!!!

So did he go to the vet? What did the vet say? Any explanations? What about the discharge? Boy I’m just full of questions.