I’ll try to keep this short, but there’s a fair amount of background info . . .

My Clementine lost her previous partner a couple of months ago.  They had the closest bond of any buns I’ve ever had.  A couple weeks later, we went bunny speed dating at the local HRS to find her a new guy.  It was kind of hard to tell who she clicked the best with, but she and Oliver didn’t have any negative interactions, they just kind of ignored each other.  So he was the lucky guy.

I got him home and he immediately went into stasis!  Talking to his fosterer, it sounds like he was already in mild stasis before, and it took a while for him to recover.  So no bonding sessions at first, but he and Clem lived adjacent in the living room and dining room.  They didn’t really seem interested in each other.

Then my work got crazy busy, so all together they lived side by side for at least a month before any bonding sessions, not really interested in each other.  When we finally did them, the sessions went well.  Some nips and minor lunging, but no real aggression.  We got to the point where we could have long, peaceful sessions with no disturbances to the peace, and I could even briefly leave to grab something etc.  But they had each only established their own territory in the “neutral space” and were only COEXISTING together.  They weren’t SHARING the space together.  I wasn’t sure how that would play out in non-neutral territory.

So last night I decided to move them to a new neutral space for a session.  Everything had been so peaceful for so long, and they had never really fought in the first place, so I was unprepared for their level of aggression in the new place!  It happened so fast I didn’t see it coming, but they got into a serious fight that I had a hard time breaking up.  Poor Clementine had blood on her eyes and nose, one eye that she wouldn’t open, an ear she wouldn’t put back up, and a wound on her cheek.  Oliver was fine as far as I could tell.

I took Clem into the emergency vet (we have a good, rabbit-savvy one here), and everything was actually pretty superficial, but she’s on pain meds, antibiotics, and cisapride to prevent stasis.  But she looks absolutely miserable and isn’t eating now.  

But now what?  Do I continue to try to bond them (after Clem recovers of course)?  I’m feeling pretty negative about Oliver right now!