I have some thoughts. But first, define “apparently” spayed.

If there is concerns that perhaps this particular animal shelter is not well-informed on rabbits, I would have a vet examine for a spay scar…. unsure if a physical exam can feel the absence of the uterus or not. Separately, if not a well-informed shelter, regardless of spay status or not, the rabbits may not have been bonded properly in the first place or there was a lack of knowledge about the temporary nature of baby bonds (i.e., bond between two young rabbits that is outgrown due to hormones).

I would not be concerned about what you “should” have done from the beginning, because it doesn’t matter right now. It sounds like you have two rabbits who are not bonded, regardless of past hx, so keep them separated with at least a 3in gap to prevent physical contact/opportunity for injury. If either’s presence is too disruptive, then you’ll need to house them with as much distance as needed so they can both adjust to your home, eat, poop, etc. in peace.

Hmm… yes, I would be suspicious too. I think your best bet would be to see if you can get some confirmation that they are both, in fact, spayed. A vet can look for a scar. They could also do an ultrasound to look for a uterus and ovaries. They both have to be spayed, otherwise they will be virtually impossible to bond (I know there are exceptions out there, but they are few).

I agree with Chan. It’s best to treat them as unbonded bunnies right now. They likely had a baby bond and that bond has now dissolved. Separate them and if they are distressed by being able to see each other, then they may need to be in separate rooms.

Once you are sure they are both spayed, then you can start to rebond them.

Agree with the others. I think confirming they have been spayed would be a great first step. It’s also possible (and not unlikely) that they were spayed, but the move to your home upset their bond a bit. If they were newly bonded, or spayed recently before you adopted them, they could have been undergoing hormonal changes upset their bond.

In any case, you did the right thing by separating them and hopefully you will be able to repair their bond once you are certain of their spay status!

Hmm that’s really tough! It’s hard to know why bonds fail. I had a bond break once, and one of the leads at the rescue described it as “sometimes buns are just roommates for a while and then they decide to move on”. There is some evidence that suggests that female-female bonds are a bit more fragile. And even though they weren’t babies, they were relatively young. Have there been any changes in your household, such as new people, pets, etc?

I think since the fighting was bad, a full separation is a good idea. This will give them a chance to “reset”. After several weeks you can move them back as neighbors and start the pre-bonding process. Since the buns weren’t badly injured I think they have a decent chance at rebonding.

So, with bond that I had that broke, I don’t think they were ever truly bonded to begin with. They rarely cuddled and never groomed each other.. so I think it was more of a tolerance that eventually gave out. In that case, one of my rabbits was injured to the point of needing sutures on her lip, so I opted not to try to re-bond them.

In your case, you had lots of positive behaviors in-between the fighting, and neither bun needed medical attention, so I think your odds are much better that things can be patched up.