Aggressive behavior post-neuter

[Leah & Lil' Lions]

Hey everyone!

My boyfriend and I are the proud parents of two feisty, fluffy lionhead boys.

Here’s their info:
– Simba: 2.5 years old
– Balto: 1 year old

Simba and Balto have lived together for almost a year. They were separated – because Simba was neutered and Balto was not – But they could see each other at all times and ran around marking each other’s spaces several times per week (we’d alternate – one ran around the living room while the other had free reign of the rabbit room, etc.) – lots of pre-bonding exercises.

I’ve always been very hopeful about them becoming friends because they’d often lay next to each other on either side of the gate that separates them.

Balto was finally neutered last week. We separated the two of them (in completely different rooms) for the first few days so Balto had some peace and quiet. But now we’ve put Balto back in his pen – still separated from Simba but now in the same room again – and they are freaking. out.

I’ve never seen it before. Simba (who is extremely clean and never has “accidents”) suddenly peed and pooped all around Balto’s pen. If Simba comes near Balto’s pen, Balto charges and tries boxing Simba. Both are grunting and trying to nip each other – it’s awful.

We’ve put a second layer of fence around Balto’s pen so they can’t get close enough to each other to fight … but is this normal?

I know we need to wait a few more weeks before we start the actual bonding process … but is there anything I should be doing in the meantime? I don’t want to stress them out or do any damage to their future friendship.

Thanks so much!

Leah

[DanaNM]

It is normal for there to be changes post-neuter, as now Balto smells differently to Simba. Buns can also have a post-neuter spike in hormones, so that could also be at play. It also could be that they were out of sight of each other for a while, so Simba is like, “Who the heck are you??”

I’ve heard males can take 3-6 weeks to drain their hormones, and they can fluctuate a bit during that time. You’ll want to wait until Balto’s hormones are settled (so prob another 3-4 weeks? you should be able to gauge by his behavior), then do side swaps for another 4 weeks (official pre-bonding).

The pre-bonding you did pre-neuter doesn’t really count unfortunately, since Balto smelled differently due to his hormones.

. . . 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.  

[Leah & Lil' Lions]

Thanks! I didn’t know about the spike in hormones … that definitely seems like it could be the issue.

We definitely plan to wait a few weeks before trying to bond them!

I really wanted to neuter Balto much sooner, but my boyfriend and I wanted to do it during a time where at least one of us could be home with him at all times post-surgery. We figured we’d try to get them used to each other in the meantime – I’m hoping it at least got Simba used to sharing his stuff with another bun!

Thanks again – I appreciate the feedback!

[DanaNM]

No prob, hopefully it all goes smoothly once things settle down with him!

. . . 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.  

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