Bonding undone

[Kacee French]

I I became Warren’s mom in July of this year, he was 8 weeks old. In October, one of his female littermates was returned to the rabbitry he came from, so we adopted her to be his friend for life. I kept them separated by an x-pen until we could get them fixed, they got along great, slept side by side, so I started giving them supervised time together in the pet stroller and later just loose in their room. They never had the first squabble. They were both neutered and spayed at 6mo which was early November. After coming home from their procedures, I put them together with 24/7 supervision in the x-pen. Once they were both eating and drinking, I moved them back into their room together without the x-pen separating them. They have had two litterboxes, two waterbowls, two dining areas, plenty of space and toys. They were eating together, resting together, drinking together… They have never fought or shown territorial behavior until about 2 weeks ago. Meredith has started showing territorial behavior with mounting Warren and chasing him, there has been urine on the floor when they both have been mostly litter trained since day 1, fur pulling, and I’ve found small spots of broken skin with scabs on both of them. I’ve tried to just wait it out and let them work out their differences, but this morning Meredith was incessantly chasing Warren. He was thumping at her.  When I picked him up he was breathing heavier and faster than usual. He was just clearly stressed. I am going to have to just separate them. I’m trying to decide whether to try re-bonding after a few weeks, or just find Meredith a new home where she can be an only alpha female. Warren is just so passive and laid back, I’m not sure he’ll ever be able to be an equal match for her? I love her, but I had him first and I want the best for both of them. I appreciate any advice on this or any personal experience stories that might help guide my decision. (Btw they are pedigreed Velveteen lops)

 

[DanaNM]

First of all, beautiful bunnies!

If I understand correctly, it looks like you put them together immediately after castration? If so, then I think that is likely the problem. Rabbits hormones fluctuate for weeks after spaying and neutering. They likely went together well right away because they had residual hormones and might not have been feeling good after the procedure. Females can sometimes have a post-spay craze around 6 weeks after castration, so I’m wondering if something to that effect has happened and upset the bond.

For now you should separate completely them for several weeks and give them time to calm down. Since they have injured each other they need time to forget and forgive a little bit. Then after a while you can start pre-bonding, and then basically start from scratch with bonding sessions. You might want to start with shorter sessions to see how it goes, and work up to longer. Prevent all fighting and try to always end on a positive note.

. . . 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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