Bunnies Fighting

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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

This topic has 19sd replies, 9 voices, and was last updated 11 years, 9 months ago by LittlePuffyTail.

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- 01/27/2013 at 1:23 PM
  flopsymopsy123
  Participant
  5 posts
  Hi There
  
  Just signed up to this forum, was wondering if anyone has any advice at all?
  
  I have two beautiful rabbits they are five and a half months old. They are our first pets and we adore them!
  
  We were told they were two males by the pet shop assistant and the vets when we took them for their injections. They have got along so well always cuddling and grooming each other they were pretty inseperable. We had started to notice a few signs of them getting to that stage where they rub their chins on objects etc and were planning to get them neutered at any time really.
  
  We came home from work one night and noticed Flopsy had an injury to her eye so we hurried her straight to the vet, her eye needed stitches, poor baby. We asked the vet if he could be neutered at the same time so that he wouldn’t need to endure another anaesthetic later on, then I got a phone call to say he was actually a she! Which was a surprise to say the least, but from what I have read it can be quite hard to tell what sex they are!
  
  So they obviously had to be separated and we got little man Mopsy neutered the next day which he has recovered well from, and Flopsys eye has healed well. I was concerned whether they should have any contact at all as was worried they would not be friends again, the vet said supervised contact might be OK.
  
  We have let them see each other through the hutch etc and just for a minute or two in the same room,today we put them together and they went for each other which was really upsetting , we managed to separate them (my husband has alot of scratches from Flop!) It happened really quickly but I noticed Flopsy going for Mopsys back end which have heard they can go for their genitals but luckily both seem unharmed bar a couple of tufts of fur from Moppy. To be honest I didn’t really want to put them together but my hubby wanted to try it and we deffo won’t be doing it again any time soon!
  
  Flopsy is due to be spayed on Tuesday but am going to put it back for a week or two in case there is a chance she may be pregnant and that is why they are being aggressive towards each other. Will know soon enough I guess as it has been nearly 3 weeks since the initial fight. She is drinking alot of water and laying out alot,and thumping and have seen her spray a couple of times, I tried to have a feel of her belly but not really sure what I’m looking for! Might just be paranoid she is preggo and she is just reaching maturity, its quite confusing.
  
  I feel bad as had we known they were male and female would have got them done that little bit sooner and the fight may never have happened in the first place, but at least it wasn’t really severe. My main concern is A) if Floppy may be pregnant that she gets through it OK and the kits are OK and can find homes but thats getting a bit ahead of myself, B) that they grow to love each other again once they have both been sorted out and the hormones settle back down, but am frightened of reintroducing them and any more fights. Will read up on the bonding posts when it comes to that point,
  
  So really just wondering if anyone else has had an un-neutered male and female that have then been neutered and gone on to live happily together again?
  
  Thanks in advance!
  
  Liz
- 01/27/2013 at 1:44 PM
  LittlePuffyTail
  Moderator
  18092 posts
  Welcome to Binky Bunny.
  
  I would definitely wait until you have your female spayed before doing any more bonding work. If she is pregnant, you will have to wait until the babies are weaned and she is spayed. I suggest you wait a month or so after the spay as her hormones will still be all crazy for a while after the spay.
  
  I’ve heard of situations like yours frequently. They are bonded, then they start going through puberty and start fighting. After speutering and their hormones calm down, you will basically need to start from scratch bonding. Neutral territory, etc. If you haven’t read them, a great place to start research on bonding is right here on Binky Bunny (See Bunny Info/Bonding).
  
  If you have any specific questions while bonding, feel free to ask as we are here to help. And make sure to keep us updated on your little girl.
- 01/27/2013 at 4:33 PM
  RoyalElvira
  Participant
  86 posts
  Personally, I would go ahead and have her spayed anyway… Once they are both fixed, then you can try bonding again. Its very important for both rabbits to be fixed before you start the bonding process. Wait two or three weeks after her spay before you start trying to bond them again.
  Definitely bond in neutral territory. Take them both to a bathroom and let them meet… Dont try to just put them together, that will possibly cause a fight. Keep bonding in neutral territory until you feel they are ready to be in non-neutral territory.
- 01/27/2013 at 4:34 PM
  RoyalElvira
  Participant
  86 posts
  Also, next time you try bonding, have gloves on and maybe a broom to separate them so that no one gets bit!
- 01/27/2013 at 4:42 PM
  tanlover14
  Participant
  3617 posts
  I’m so sorry about your little girls eye! Poor thing. And glad to hear your boys neuter went well!
  
  It’s very normal for them to go after each other like this (even after they are neutered/spayed it can happen) so don’t blame yourself. I am very willing to bet it happened because of their hormones but even if it was two males or two females this still could’ve happened. So don’t worry.
  
  I would definitely wait until about a month after her spay to begin bonding but bonding can DEFINITELY happen after she has been spayed and I would actually very much encourage you to if you want a bonded pair! Although they have fought, bonding them won’t necessarily be as difficult as it seems now as all the loss of hormones will probably calm them both down quite a bit.
  
  I have a bonded trio and I’m in the process of bonding in a fourth bunny so any tips you need I can give you when you begin to do the bonding process (if you decide to!). I’ve learned a lot and if you have the time and patience I would definitely go for it. I can’t think of anything cuter than multiple bunnies spending hours grooming and cuddling!
- 01/28/2013 at 5:56 AM
  Hazel
  Participant
  2587 posts
  Why do you want to wait to see if she’s pregnant? I would spay her as soon as possible. If she’s pregnant and it’s early enough they can do an emergency spay and abort the litter. You definitely don’t want babies on your hands if you can avoid it, there are too many unwanted bunnies already. Please don’t choose to add to the overpopulation.
  
  As far as rebonding them, I don’t see why it wouldn’t be possible, after she’s fixed and the hormones die down. Don’t let them together until at least one month after the boy’s neuter, they can still reproduce during the first month.
  
  Take a look at the bonding forum, that should point you in the right direction.
- 01/28/2013 at 6:47 AM
  Sarita
  Participant
  18851 posts
  I would not wait on the spay either – as Hazel mentions if it’s early enough you can do an emergency spay.
  
  Yes, then you have to totally rebond them.
- 02/08/2013 at 2:26 PM
  flopsymopsy123
  Participant
  5 posts
  Hi everybody
  Thanks so much for your helpful replies I really appreciate them and will deffo use the advice given :0)
  Just thought I would give u a (not so) quick update!!!
  We took our girl flopsy in to be spayed today and it turns out ……she is back to being a boy! After 3 different vets seeing her they are sure now So bizarre!!! So we are definitely back to having two males. Identity crisis over!!
  His neuter went well when the vets rang me they said he went straight for his food and ate it all straight away he is a greedy boy!
  So we will be keeping them seperated for a good few weeks longer, and when it comes to trying to bond them will probably take the slow approach with neutral territory, swapping cages etc, have been doing some reading and will carry on reading up on it, I was a bit disappointed when they said he was deffo a boy as now know they can be hardest combination to bond doh! That’s what u get when u choose them cos they were the cutest oops!
  Also I let floppy into the kitchen last night while mopsy was in the hutch when he got close Mopsys tail was way up and he was scratching at the mesh, an a bit agitated I was hoping he may have calmed down since his neuter, but in a week or so will let them carry on seeing each other through the hutch and watch their behaviour closely.
  Have a great weekend all!!
- 02/08/2013 at 8:59 PM
  tanlover14
  Participant
  3617 posts
  I wouldn’t be so sure about them being the hardest. In my opinion, it’s all about personality. My boy Fleury and my boy Tanger were the EASIEST of all my bonds. And when separated from the already bonded trio, Fleury and my new boy Simba hit it off absolutely excellent and were grooming within a few days. I’ve bonded a trio and am currently in the process of having an ALMOST bonded foursome! You REALLY should not go into the bonding process thinking it’ll be harder because of the boy-boy combination. Bonding can be hard with boys and girls also. My girl was actually the HARDEST to bond to my boys.
  
  So keep your head up and keep researching!
- 02/08/2013 at 9:00 PM
  tanlover14
  Participant
  3617 posts
  Also, congrats on the successful neuter and a quick recovery!
- 02/14/2013 at 10:06 PM
  Magic&Tux
  Participant
  1 posts
  100% spay and neuter both, wait 4 weeks from her spay to introduce. You must do this.
  This happened with our rabbits and hormones remain for about 4 weeks and they will seem like they hate each other after that for about 4 week. Read all toucan about bonding and then introduce them
  On supervised visits every day . I really thought my rabbits would hate each other forever and it can seem that way- however now they are happy as ever- after 4 weeks and 4 weeks of bonding
  
  https://www.dropbox.com/s/v54xv1fze5wgqy6/MagicAndTux.wmv
- 02/20/2013 at 4:48 AM
  flopsymopsy123
  Participant
  5 posts
  Hello
  Thanks for the advice :0)
  Magic&amp could i ask so e questions?
  When you had 4 weeks of your rabbits disliking each other post neuter/spaying, did the behaviour towards each other settle down naturally so you felt ready to reintroduce them, or did you have to make a decision to just go for it?
  I ask because flopsy is 2 weeks neutered and mopsy about 6 weeks, so still have a couple more weeks before we would introduce them again, at the moment we are swapping hutches and having them in the same room but seperated , but mopsy is showing the most aggression, occasionally thumping, grunting and having his tail raised, im wondering if it could be because flopsys hormones are still settling down and he may stop in a couple of weeks time, or if he may just carry on, so interested to hear anyone’s else’s experience, as feel like we have a plan for when we do reintroduce them but now it’s a question of when!
  Thanks! X
- 02/20/2013 at 5:39 AM
  Beka27
  Participant
  16016 posts
  All buns and bonding journeys are going to be a little bit different. I wouldn’t expect to be able to just put them together in two weeks and have them bonded. They will likely still be showing aggression and territorial behavior a month post-neuter. There are rabbits who have been neutered for years and still pose a difficult bond. They were together pre-neuter, so it’s possible there are still some hurt feelings about fights that might have occurred then. Why don’t you set a date, March 1st, for example, and start bonding then? You’ll have to start at the beginning with stressors and move on from that point.
- 02/20/2013 at 7:02 AM
  tanlover14
  Participant
  3617 posts
  I agree with Beka. Its different with each pair of bunnies. Set a date and just go for it. If there’s a lot of aggression still, then do some stress bonding first.
- 02/25/2013 at 12:27 PM
  flopsymopsy123
  Participant
  5 posts
  Hello
  
  Thanks for the replies again =0)
  We decided to try putting Flopsy and Mopsy in the bath tonight to see how they would get on after an hour of watching youtube bonding videos (and getting distracted by oscars clips!)
  My heart was pounding so much, and think my husbands was too!
  We only had them together about 10 minutes, but were quite pleased with how it went, Flopsy was mainly munching away and Mopsy was exploring the bath. Towards the end they were both starting to sniff each others bottoms quite alot and we decided to call it a night for the first night and gave them a treat.
  Not sure if we should have let them continue but were feeling a bit nervous about it, hopefully we will get a bit more confident over the next few days and increase the time they spend together in the bath.
  love those boys!!
- 02/26/2013 at 5:23 AM
  LittlePuffyTail
  Moderator
  18092 posts
  I think you did good. Always best to end on a positive note. Keep up the good work.
- 02/27/2013 at 11:05 AM
  tanlover14
  Participant
  3617 posts
  I think you did very well also! Try not to be nervous – as whenever I got nervous it was like my buns could sense it and it put them on edge with each other also!! Just relax and have a necessary means of separating if something does arise and you’ll be fine!!!
  
  I really think a lot of that aggression was more hormones than anything – so keep that in mind – as I’m sure the possibility of something like that happening again is what is making you so nervous! It definitely would me!
- 03/01/2013 at 12:41 PM
  flopsymopsy123
  Participant
  5 posts
  Hello!
  Had the bunnys second meeting in the bath today.
  It went well, lasted about 45 minutes this time, we separated them once when they were sniffing each others bottoms alot again and gave a few squirts of water. Mopsy thumped once after we put them back in together. Overall they were really good, and am v pleased with my boys!! <3
  After eating they had a groom and each one was asking the other to groom them,Flopsy relented once and gave half hearted lick to Mopsys back, after a while Mopsy licked one of Flops big old ears for a little while.
  Later on Flopsy flopped over, Mopsy was ignoring him but eventually laid out beside him and after a few minutes licked his other ear for him, then they went back to chomping on some hay so we ended it there.
  It was so nice to see them laying down together again after the time that has passed between them, and interesting to watch how nature takes its course.
  So will carry on and see how it goes.
  Hope everyone else’s bunnys are doing well =0)
  Have a great weekend all!!
  x
- 03/02/2013 at 7:04 AM
  DUSTBUNNY-CLYDE
  Participant
  160 posts
  glad everthing’s going well. I’ll be doing the same next month. my boys were just neutered. they loved each other, then started fighting at 12 weeks. but they snuggle and groom each other through the fence. so hopefully bonding will go easy. keep me updated on your boys!!!
- 03/05/2013 at 4:55 AM
  LittlePuffyTail
  Moderator
  18092 posts
  That sounds like a pretty positive bonding session.
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