Bonding siblings that were separated two days – do bunnies forget each other?

[Ivana]

Hello everyone,

I recently got two Netherland dwarf baby rabbits (born in January). I came with the intention of buying only one rabbit but when I was told that they were both female I decided to take them both home. The two bunnies were very familiar with each other. They were sleeping together in the box on our way home. Also when we got back, they stayed close to each other even though one of them was much more outgoing and curious while the other just preferred to rest and nibble on snacks. They slept beside each other that night and generally just got along great. 

However, the next day while I was looking over one of the little girls I realized that she was actually a he! I decided to return the little boy since I’m new to keeping house rabbits and wasn’t sure if I was able to take care of both the male and female rabbit and all the additional things that came along with that. But as soon I returned him, I began to miss him and I also noticed the little girl bunny seemed more subdued as well. I contacted the owner again and I picked him back up exactly two days after I had returned him.

As soon I brought him home, I placed him in his own newly set-up cage. The next day I decided to let them both out together for playtime in the living room. They both kept themselves for the first minute. Then he slowly hopped to her and started to sniff her I think, but she immediately ran away! He gave chase but I picked him up before he got to her. The little girl seemed stressed so I separated them at that point and let them both out for playtime at different times.  

The next day, I attempted to re-introduce them to each other again. This time I placed them both together on my bed. The boy was again the first to make contact, and she again ran away. However, this time he chased after her right away and when he caught up to her he grabbed at her tail area and took a little piece of her fur in his mouth! I’m not sure if he actually bit her or not. It happened so fast. Of course, I again separated them and since then they have both been completely kept away from each other.

So my question is could someone please tell me what is going on with my two bunnies? Do bunnies forget their own siblings after 48 hours? Why is the boy suddenly so aggressive toward the girl? Is there any hope for them? Is it because they are not fixed? Should I keep them separated until after they have been fixed and then try to bond them?

Thank you for any advice that you guys can give me.

[WRXFamily]

Keep them separate till they are fixed. They will either mate or fight. I have heard that bunnies do need to be re bonded even if only seperated for a short time, only after they are fixed and healed though ?

[Mikey]

If you keep them together you are in for some babies and fighting Baby bunnies cannot bond. They need to be separated, neutered/spayed, and then prebonded and bonded. Rabbits do not care about blood relations and will fight and breed as hormones call

[Ivana]

Thank you both for your replies I appreciate them. I have one more question in relation to rabbits and bonding.

Basically I was wondering if it’s alright for my two pre-altered male and female sibling bunnies to have contact with each other through their cage? This arrangement would only last for the next few months until they have both been altered and have healed.

They are presently both housed in separate cages (about 12 feet apart) in the same big room. I have been letting them both out for playtime through out the day but of course separately. They explore the surroundings and they both interact with my other animals but eventually they tend to gravitate toward each others cages and communicate with each other. Sometimes they will even just hang out outside the others cage, chewing on their hay or resting in their basket. They have slowly been adjusting to each other again and are getting along much better now than when I first brought the boy home again.

But is that actually recommended? Since they aren’t altered and will have to be separated again when they go for their surgery and during their healing. Will interacting now through their cage cause damage to their future bonding? Can it inadvertently cause them stress that they can’t physically interact with each other? Is there other issues that can arise from this arrangement?

They are going to have to be separated for at least the next 3 months and it’s not possible for me to put their cages into different rooms, so I really appreciate any advice or thoughts on how to handle this situation. Thanks in advance.

[sarahthegemini]

If they can touch one another through the bars, that needs to be stopped because that means they can still fight or even mate.

[WRXFamily]

Before I moved my female to a different room I had them both in the bedroom with my husband and I. I arranged their areas on different sides of the bed so they could smell but not touch each other.

[Author]

Messages