Posted By Bun momma on 7/31/2017 5:44 AM
My bunnies, Oliver(male) and Ginny(female), bonded with 0 effort. I put them in a cage together a few weeksafter they were both fixed and they cuddled and explored and loved eachother immediately. Everything was great, they’ve been acting totally normal for months. All of the sudden today I was woken up at 4 am by incredibly loud sounds to find them viciously fighting- fur flying, nipping, relentless attacking. One would run away, then turn right around and start fighting while the other just kept instigating. I stopped it before I could figure out who exactly the instigator was but I have a feeling it may have been olivander, but I really can’t tell. I thought maybe it was a one time thing, and after separating them for a few minutes, put them back. Everything was fine for about ten minutes before it started again. Oliver sniffed Ginny in the main litter box, and all the sudden they were trying to just about kill eachother again. I’ve NEVER seen this from them before and neither of them have been acting at all abnormal. I’ve seperated them with a baby gate for the night so I can get some sleep but if anyone has ideas PLEASE let me know. I love my bunny babies and I want to make sure they’re as comfortable and happy as can be.
PS- I recently made some changes to the cage, like removing the rug and putting down cardboard and some sort of vinyl flooring material, just for the sake of cleaning. Could this have something to do with it? How do I solve the problem and stop the fighting? Please help!
So sorry this happened to you! Very scary! I had a bond break once, and it was terrifying, and I was so thankful that we were home to stop the fight….
I agree that they were not fully bonded, so changing the cage and all of that basically made their area a “new territory”, and they decided to re-establish dominance.
You’ll need to separate them completely, let them cool down (not interact with each other) for a few weeks to a few months (3 months is recommended if anyone was injured), and then start over with proper bonding.
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The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.