Dragonfly attacked Hoppers-hoppers

[avarismom1]

 I got upyesterday morning and Hoppers-hoppers has blood all over his bum.  I kind of freaked out  there was enough blood and matted down crusty fur that I had no idea where it was even coming from.  

 

 I got him in the sink and washed him off and them found that there is a tiny cut on his tail that looked pretty good – just a clean little cut.  His bum looks almsot like road rash – like Dragonfly spent the night pulling his fur out one little clump and nip at a time making a bunch of little pin prick like cuts and tears.  I washed it with warm soapy water and put neosporin on it.  He let it be and doesn’t seem bothered by it at all.

I am so upset.  They are in different cages now.  

 

  For those who don’t know I rescued them 3 weeks ago they were in a tiny wire bottomed cage in the sun free at a moving sale.  Another woman took pity on them and took them but couldn’t keep them.  

 

So 2 buns (whio are admittedly uneutered but will be at the end of the month) have spent their whole lives together are are both a little over a year old, no fighting.  I bring them home they cuddle and groom eachother and seem pretty intune and dependant on eachother.  Fast forward 3 weeks and now Dragonfly will not leave hoppers alone.  They touch noses and sniff then if Hoppers-hoppers turns around he get bit in the bum.

 

I have a couple thoughts on why this might have happened.- but I need more experienced people to tell me if it seems plausible.  So before I got them they were is a pretty sucky situation – they needed eachother.  Their lives were probably stressful.  Now they have fresh veggies galore, refridgerated marble tiles, grass matts and a litterbox – Dragonfly HAS something to be territorial over.  Something he has decided he likes and wants to fight for.  Does that make sense?

Do you think that once they are neutered I can start re-introducing them?  I am so sad.

 

[BearMom]

I don’t have much for advice, other than that I have a good feeling that getting them fixed will help – just wanted to say I’m so sorry you woke up to that Must have been really scary. Those bunny cuts do bleed like crazy, even just tiny ones. Bear got a cut on the bottom of her foot and I went into a panic because it was so much blood that I thought it must be a bad cut. I rushed her to the vet and it turned out to be a TINY cut.

Hopefully Hoppers-hoppers heals up well soon.

{{{{{{{{healing vibes}}}}}}} to Hoppers-hoppers

[avarismom1]

thank you. I don’t know how I didn’t hear anything in the night when it happened. I felt so bad that Hoppers had to go through that. And really the cuts themselves are more like scrapes.

[Stickerbunny]

It could be possible that with proper diet and such they are beginning to feel good now and hormones kicked in. Once there is fighting, it can cause complications in the rebond, but yes once they are neutered and have a month to cool off from the surgery you should be able to start rebonding them. Leave them near enough to smell each other now, but keep a cardboard box or something in between their cages so they can’t bite through the bars.

[Monkeybun]

Being in a new place where they don’t need to cling together for comfort may have something to do with it. Maybe after they are neutered you can try again

[avarismom1]

Thanks guys. Hoppers-hoppers just seems to want to be friends and sniffs through the cage to dragonfly. I can not wait to get them neutered and try to rebond them. I know they are ina better home and I am really trying to do everything to make them happy and healthy I just feel like I let them down – after being together for so long.

[Elrohwen]

I think being in a lower stress environment could definitely have something to do with it – most bunnies will get along when stressed, but give them a nice cage with lots of food and territory to claim and they can get pushy. I would keep them separate until after neutering and then try again.

[Stickerbunny]

You are doing everything you should for them – bunny bonding tips are to stress them out because buns don’t fight as much if they are in a stressful environment. Two unneutered males rarely works together, but once they are neutered if hoppers-hoppers isn’t scared and submits, I would think they would be fine together again. Just keep some nice thick gloves when you do rebond in case they have some scuffles. You haven’t let them down!

[RabbitPam]

I think there’s every reason to be hopeful that you can bond them later. It’s best to not try until one month after the first neuter, and much better to have them both neutered, wait a month after the last one is done, and then start a new bonding process from the beginning.

Keep at least 3 inches between the cages so they can’t touch each other in any way. A piece of cardboard or a cardboard box between them that hides them from each other is a good option to keep them separated until post-neutering. If you want to start preparing them for bonding, you can get a stuffed toy for each of them and put it in their habitats for a while to get their scent on it. Then when it comes time to start bonding, you can switch the toys. It’s a stand-in that can take any aggression, but I don’t think you need to start with the swap until you’re ready to start bonding. If one or both tries to chew or tear up the toy, remove it so no one eats any part of the toy.

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