Bonded Pair Scuffling

[NetherPixie]

Hi,

I have a pair that have been bonded beautifully for about 10 months and all of a sudden today we are having scuffling. Both rabbits fixed and properly bonded. (I got a lot of great advice here). I am not sure what may have caused this but both bunnies seem slightly agitated so something may be going on with smells.  They seem ok when they are at different sides of the room but my girl is very wary of my boy and will run away if he gets too close and he will nip at her and pull some booty fur though not all the time.  Right now they are sleeping at opposite ends of the room.

My question: Should I leave them together or separate. They are not what I would call fighting, just some fur pulling and chasing but he will leave her alone and no actual biting.  I want to get them over what ever this tiff is but I am not sure how to proceed. I I need to do some rebonding in a neutral space do I need to sperate or can they stay together and we just do some sessions? What can I do help this situation not escalate and get back to where it was? They have been so happy and now its so tense….

 

[Wick & Fable]

It’s hard to advise remotely, but my gut is if it’s not full-on fights, it may be a spat that needs to be worked out. Sometimes these things happen. If you could supervise, perhaps restriction to a smaller space so you can easily intervene as they communicate with each other could work?

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.

[LBJ10]

Maybe something simple like a car ride together? I agree with Wick that it is probably just something they need to work out. It probably doesn’t hurt to facilitate that a little bit.

[NetherPixie]

Thank you both for the response, I really do appreciate it. I did just stay with them to make sure nothing escalated I was considering getting the carrier but I tried just petting them together and put a hay pile around and that seemed to get things going in the right direction. They seem to have calmed down and are working it out. Tonight they are pretty much back to normal so this may be just me overreacting and thinking I did something wrong, lol.

 

[LBJ10]

Nothing wrong with trying to least invasive thing first before trying something else. I’m going to guess they just had a little disagreement. Sometimes these things happen and it doesn’t mean their bond has broken.

[Ellie from The Netherlands]

Glad that things seem back to normal!

[Author]

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