Bonded pair now fighting. Please help

[Deleted User]

Hello.  I am in need of some advice.  

I have two spayed/neutered Rex bunnies.  Little Nemo (male) 5 years old and Uni (female) 4 years old. They were bonded nearly two years ago.  They both have free rein of the house.  However, literally just today, my bunnies have started viciously fighting.  Little Nemo is the instigator.  He nips at Uni which is nothing new except that now Uni is nipping back quickly leading to a full on fight.  They are now separated.  

They just had a doctors check up last week.  no issues.   Little Nemo is a more aggressive rabbit. Prior to today’s meltdown, they both displayed grooming behavior towards each other and both took turns showing dominance through mounting behaviors.  

The only new variable is that I’ve been spending some time with my girlfriend’s new bunnies.  I was helping in litter training, cleaning their cages, and grooming. So I was covered head-to-toe in their scent.   Could their scents have transferred onto my clothes causing my rabbits to get confused?     Or what else could be causing my bunnies to fight so viciously.     I have started re-bonding techniques to no avail.  Any advice would be most helpful!   Thank you, Ixian  

[Beka27]

The new scent could absolutely be causing this behavior. I would suggest putting them back together in a confined space (like an xpen) for the next week or so and watching them very closely. You don’t want to break the bond at this point.

If you handle your GFs bunnies, you’ll need to wash your hands/arms very well and change clothes before you come home. Some buns are more perceptive of this than others.

[Deleted User]

Thank you!  I tried the xpen suggestion but they immediately start fighting again.  So I separated them again.  Hmm… Is the bond broken?  Do I have to go through the bonding process again? 

[MoveDiagonally]

Have you tried stress bonding them? It’s usually better to stress bond bonded rabbits that fight rather than separate them. Separating can lead to more issues/fights (especially if you separate them before they resolve their issues). Of course in some cases where injury is a concern separation should be done regardless. Safety is number one.

I would try stress bonding them if you have not and deep cleaning/neutralizing their area. After stress bonding them return them to the area. If they fight stress bond again, ect… If this doesn’t seem to be working at all they might need to go through the bonding process again. How long have they been separated?

It always sucks when bonded bunnies fight. I feel for you!

[Deleted User]

I did try stress bonding using a washing machine yesterday. that seemed to do the trick. I hope that’s the end of their fighting. thank you very much!

[Beka27]

I’m glad that has helped! Another more immediate thing you can do is turn the vacuum on if they start to squabble. The sudden noise might stop them in their tracks without having to remove them from their area.

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