Female attacking male after his neuter

[puffs-of-fluff]

Gus had his neuter today and all seems to have gone well.

 

However, I have a bit of a problem with Ethel, my little girl bunny. She accompanied him to his neuter as they follow each other about like shadows. They were cuddled up together in the carry cage on the way back and both sat in their little nesting box when I got them home.

I was trying to get Gus to eat but Ethel was just eating everything I put infront of him. I put her outside the cage for a minute whilst I tried to get him to eat. She ran in my bedroom. I then followed her into my bedroom and tried to give her some apple. She stamped her foot at me a few times and hid. When I finally coaxed her out and picked her up, she licked me lots. I then brought her back in to the lounge to be with Gus.

Gus began to circle her and she went for him. She mounted him, bit his back and had to be pulled off. She then ran past me and went for him again and appeared to be either trying to sniff or bite his wound. He ran off scared. She ran straight into my room where she has stayed for the last few hours, looking very sorry for herself. Additionally, she will not stop licking me. I have never seen her like this.

Ethel has never ever mounted Gus before – ever!

 

As soon as he began mounting her badly, he got booked in for his neuter. I know it wasn’t ideal having a male and female, but I was led to believe that it would be fine until 3 months when I would get them done. I told my vet that the advice on here was to seperate but she urged me to keep them together as long as they were getting along. I know that people say that rabbits who are un-neutered can never really be bonded but I am really confused at what has happened here because it is the un-neutered bunny who’s acting differently. Also, I don’t think Ethel has reached full sexual maturity yet. She is 3.5 months and only just starting to get an attitude problem. Another few weeks and I will have a right diva on my hands!

 

They are separated now and will unfortunatley have to stay that way until I trust them together again (I am not taking a chance to try them out again until Gus is better and then it will be short supervised visits). 

I guess I am just asking a few questions. How does he smell different to her, they were both taken to the vet together and kept in the same cage? Why does she seem to go for his wound? Why all of a sudden is she mounting him, and why is she so clingy to me today? She is definatley rejecting him but not me.

Sorry, lots of whys!

Thanks for all responses.

 p.s. I have not cleaned out their litter trays today so their area still smells of both of them – I didn’t want to change any smells at home for them.

[Monkeybun]

It’s probably because he smells different, from the meds they gave him. Be warned, as he can still produce sperm for a month or more after the neuter, so Ethel can still get pregnant. She is VERY close to reaching maturity.

[puffs-of-fluff]

Thanks monkeybun.

I have been told about the sperm viability. They both have a check up again tomorrow, next week and the week after – as the vet didn’t want them unbonding, but didn’t want babies either! Looks like they might have unbonded anyway!

Is there a chance that they will get along as normal when the smell wears off?

Have you any idea Ethel is being so clingy? Normally I can’t get her to sit still and today it’s like I am the person she loves most in the world (It’s usually Gus). Do you think she is scared about the new smelling bunny (previously known as Gus).

I just can’t get over how much she is following me about and giving affection. She was lying across the doorway in my room earlier so I had to step over her everytime I wanted to leave, thenshe would follow. She has never done that before. And I can’t get over how vicious she is being to him – that’s not like her at all!

[puffs-of-fluff]

Oh goodness me!

Last night, Gus slept in the cage and Ethel in the xpen.

I heard a lot of noise coming from the lounge very early hours of the morning and went in to check, but it was just Ethel gnawing the bars of the xpen trying to get out. I went back to bed and then heard an odd scratching noise. I looked at the door and Ethel was trying to force my door open. She had somehow jumped clean out of the xpen (which is quite an acheivement!).

 I was so tired that I just let her in and she instantly curled up next to my bed and went to sleep. She has been there for about 6 hours now and has hardly moved.

I thought that I would pick Gus up and let them sniff each other (did this a couple of times last night and Ethel mostly ignored him or gave him a couple of licks which was a good sign), hoping that the smell of the vet had gone and they would be back to normal – well all hell broke loose! Ethel lunged at him and chased him under the bed. It was horrible, I couldn’t get to them. Just a blur of bunnies that I couldn’t reach – lots of grunting and growling.

 I grabbed at the nearest bunny that poked a body part out from under the bed (which happened to be Gus – not ideal because of his stitches but I have checked and they are still intact). He had a chunk of Ethel’s fur in his mouth. I gave him a cuddle on my chest and Ethel came out from under the bed and started licking me. She had blood coming from her ear.

I put Gus up on the bed and took Ethel to the kitchen to clean her up. I then went back and got Gus but when I looked under the bed there was an incredible amount of his fur just pulled out. I mean – you could have made another bunny. I thought Ethel had come off worse, but I think he was just trying to protect himself.

My partner is going nuts because he does not want Ethel taking ownership of me or our room – she will not move! And she has been nudging him out whenever he tries to come near.

I just can’t believe this has happened in the space of less than 24 hours. They were snuggly and lovely with each before that and you could not tear them apart.

Does anyone have any experience of this. I may have a problem rebonding as they are very familiar with every room in the house! But they both look sad and are usually the most binkiest bunnies I have ever seen.

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