Are you putting them together in neutral territory? I think alternating the enclosures could help.

It’s hormones and teenage bunnies. This happens quite a bit even with siblings.

A good definition in my books of bonded is if 2 rabbits can coexist together in the same enclosure with no fighting. They don’t have to be lovey dovey or cuddlebuns together just able to tolerate and trust each other.

This is a really good article about bonding… http://www.rabbitnetwork.org/articles/bond.shtml

The circling is a good sign to look for before a fight breaks out. You might try a water bottle set on stream to try and prevent a fight. You’d have to spray before the actual fight happens tho.

You wouldn’t necessarily have to start over from square one, but I think that some neutral or semi-neutral space is going to be important. They are still young and are considered “teenagers” until one year old. A little patience should help you get them back together.

So circling is a bad thing? Fully noted.

They mightn’t have had a true bond to begin with. Well, a different sort of bond – just that they were litter mates and babies.  Now that the hormones arrived – everything changes. Even if they were bonded, sometimes the trip to the vet is enough to break the bond, then separation after the spay. I agree, some neutral territory bonding might help.

I’m not sure as to the cause of their aggression, but I can tell you what has been working to bond my two fighting rascals.

My two rabbits just wanted to kill each other upon meeting. So I have started housing them seperately in the same room–but also close enough to see and smell each other. I alternate their times out so each gets to establish their scent in the room. They are less and less aggressive everyday. Sometimes they even lie next to each other through the cage bars. Watch their outings the first few times, as they can still nip between cage bars. I put up obstructions (ex. small strips of cardboard) to prevent this.

Sounds like you are doing a great job and making some progress!

I’ve heard that siblings may not always like each other. After a spay I was advised to wait 4 weeks before trying to bond 2 females which never worked. I used a grease spatter screen with the long handle on it to separate them when they began to fight with a thick pair of gloves and it worked great. Don’t them circle and chase, separate them with a dust pan or spatter screen and redirect thier attention to a phone book or something or an empty box to climb only on top of (otherwise one will corner the other – not good). I have to say that after bonding male to female -that bond was love at first sight. That is how bonds should be or at least they should like and tolerate each other on first dates. My male was fighting with his brother at about 6 months and had to be separated. It sounds like you are doing a good job – just watch them closely when they are loose together. I would want to see a 24 hour period of no aggression or circling before thinking it was a done deal. Sounds like hormones have not calmed down yet and they are about teenagers too boot…..both stages stressful in my house…Hope it works out for you……just don’t try to force them to like each other – it may never happen and if you seen negative signs day after day after day…then give up for awhile and try again later….I went 3 1/2 months with every day being bad and didn’t know enough to stop =— my females do really hate each other…..but I do have a bonded pair which is the most precious, pure, innocent thing I’ve ever witnessed…..it will be worth if it.