Help! I’m worried my two boys (brothers) are losing their bond

[Lmm08]

Firstly, I’m sorry if I’ve posted this in the wrong pace I’m not very good st this!

The 2 nethie boys are nearly 8 months old, one of them was neutered about 2 months ago but the other wasn’t as his testicles still hadn’t dropped and was very small (he is still not even a KG now!). All was going well between them, lots of cuddling and grooming, but all of a sudden the little guy (uneutered) seems to have sexually matured over night! Lots of humping but the worst thing was the fighting, chunks or fur missing and uneutered gave neutered a really bad bite wound.

They’re now separated as they had a 2 storey hutch and uneutered is getting fixed in a few days despite him being so small, the vet seems to think the anaesthetic risk is worth it. I’m worried they will/have lose their bond. Neutered boy is now very nervous and when I’ve let one outside of the hutch they still try to attack each other through the bars. Tried putting them in the bathtub together too but they still fought.

Should I just keep them separate from now on until hormones have gone? Or will it be too late then? I’ve been swapping their hutches around everyday so they don’t forget each other’s scent. I have no idea of what I’m doing is right! But they were so lovely together but now they just seem to hate each other. I’ve seen lots about rebonding male/female after surgery but not male/male, especially brothers that were once bonded. I’d very much appreciate any advice xx

[DarthVadar]

Its good you caught them fighting before one seriously injured each other. Bucks have been known to even kill each other if left to their own devices. Baby rabbits are not really bonded with each other in the early months of life; they are ok with each others existence until hormones take over. Keep them completely separated until a couple weeks after the unneutered one gets neutered, then try rebonding them. It may be a slow process, but with enough time they will probably be fine together again.

[Asriel and Bombur]

As DV has already said, baby bunnies don’t bond. They can get along until hormones, but once hormones kick in they will be aggressive with each other. Bunnies don’t recognize family units so being a brother is irrelevant to them. Once hormones hit all they want to do is fight or mate. From now on they need to be completely separate at all times.

After your second one has been neutered, you’ll need to wait a month for his hormones to die down, and continue swapping items between them, then you can start short bonding sessions in neutral territory. If it’s not neutral they will fight and make things worse. In the mean time, keep a barrier between them at all times. Bunnies can fight and get seriously injured through cage bars.

[sarahthegemini]

You don’t need to worry about them ‘losing their bond’ They’ve fought. Badly by the sounds of it. Any ‘bond’ they had is already gone. Besides, baby bonds aren’t true bonds because (as you’ve witnessed) hormones make their behaviour unpredictable. I agree with the advice A&B has given.

[Lmm08]

Thank you so much for the advice. I just assumed they would be okay because the worst that happened when the first one was ‘ready’ to be was lots of circling, no fighting, then they were back to cuddling and grooming almost immediately after.

Then overnight the little guy has just gone mad! He has bit me yet but I think I went for me today. Would have been so much easier if they both had the op st the same time but vet insisted to wait and see if the little guy grew.

[Lmm08]

Thank you! Do you think I should swap them around in each other’s hutch? Initial set up was a two storey hutch with door left open to a pen to run around in. No I can only let one out to run around the living room at a time.

[Lmm08]

Thank you! Do you think I should swap them around in each other’s hutch? Initial set up was a two storey hutch with door left open to a pen to run around in. No I can only let one out to run around the living room at a time.

[sarahthegemini]

I think because they’ve fought it would be best if they could be completely apart from each other to allow them to forget one another before you start pre bonding (swapping hutches etc)

[Lmm08]

It’s been over 2 weeks since little guys op and he’s still grunting at me when I open his part of the hutch. He runs towards me but then stops (he’s never bitten me) seems to like having his head stroked but bows to me whilst also lifting his nose towards to air, hard to explain.

I know I need to be patient but can’t wait until I can try to bond them again. The big guy doesn’t seem the same since they’ve been apart.

[Lmm08]

It’s been over 2 weeks since little guys op and he’s still grunting at me when I open his part of the hutch. He runs towards me but then stops (he’s never bitten me) seems to like having his head stroked but bows to me whilst also lifting his nose towards to air, hard to explain.

I know I need to be patient but can’t wait until I can try to bond them again. The big guy doesn’t seem the same since they’ve been apart.

[Lmm08]

It’s been over 2 weeks since little guys op and he’s still grunting at me when I open his part of the hutch. He runs towards me but then stops (he’s never bitten me) seems to like having his head stroked but bows to me whilst also lifting his nose towards to air, hard to explain.

I know I need to be patient but can’t wait until I can try to bond them again. The big guy doesn’t seem the same since they’ve been apart.

[Lmm08]

It’s been over 2 weeks since little guys op and he’s still grunting at me when I open his part of the hutch. He runs towards me but then stops (he’s never bitten me) seems to like having his head stroked but bows to me whilst also lifting his nose towards to air, hard to explain.

I know I need to be patient but can’t wait until I can try to bond them again. The big guy doesn’t seem the same since they’ve been apart.

[Lmm08]

It’s been over 2 weeks since little guys op and he’s still grunting at me when I open his part of the hutch. He runs towards me but then stops (he’s never bitten me) seems to like having his head stroked but bows to me whilst also lifting his nose towards to air, hard to explain.

I know I need to be patient but can’t wait until I can try to bond them again. The big guy doesn’t seem the same since they’ve been apart.

[DarthVadar]

Some bunnies are just grunters, but not necessarily mean. Most of mine grunt at me, but are huge sweethearts. Rabbits grunt as a response to their territory being invaded, hence his grunting when you open the hutch. Its normal bunny behavior and is not harmful, as long as he is not actually being aggressive.

[Wick & Fable]

If he didn’t usually grunt, it could be a result of the post-neuter hormonal spike. 2 weeks is definitely still within the realm of it existing. I think it took Wick a month to settle.

It’s great that you’re being patient. I know that can be hard!

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.

[FlemishDad]

My Xavier does lift his nose up while keeping his body down and with him it is a request to hang out and socialize. Of course with him almost everything not begging for food is a request to hang out and socialize. 😉

[Lmm08]

What do people think about rabbit bonding sevices? I adore my rabbits but I’m no expert so wondering if it would be better suited to somebody more professional

[Doodler]

I don’t think there’s anything wrong going that route.

Just in case I had looked to see if there were any places by me that offered such service but couldn’t find any. I was starting to feel that I couldn’t do the bonding as well. I had decided that I couldn’t trust a stranger with them even if I did find one.

Personally if I needed more help I would find a place that offers consultation like the House Rabbit Society. They may allow you to bring them in or come to your place to help. This way the buns aren’t living away from you plus going through the stress of bonding. Another thing to consider is that they might get along well at another location but it’s not unusual to have a set back when they get moved back to their home.

I think you are still too soon after the neuter so they probably would have you hold off on bonding at this stage anyway. Hopefully you’ll see things improve in a week or two and feel better about being able to do it yourself. I totally know the feeling. When I had two bucks they fought right from the start and I knew it was going to be a long slow process. I wasn’t sure if I had the nerve to do it but more prebonding helped immensely.

I know you said that he was still grunting at you. What kind of one on one time do you have with them?

[Lmm08]

I’m just wondering if their relationship is too broken to be bonded now. The other day I (stupidly) had the bigger guy on my lap while the little guy was wondering around. He could suddenly smell the big guy then grunted and bit my thigh! This is the first and only bite I’ve had from him but was pretty upsetting and I know the bite wasn’t really for me it was for his brother. Just not sure if they will ever get along. I miss seeing them cuddle and groom each other.

They live indoors in a two storey hutch which is now separated in two with the ladder taken away. They used to have their hutch and door was always open into a bigger area but I can’t do this with them fighting. I have lots of one to one with both of them and they love cuddles and both lick me lots and ‘flop’ on the floor next to me too.

[Lmm08]

He only grunts at me when I first put my hand on the cage door. He stops as soon as my hand goes in and wants his head stroked

[Doodler]

It’s far too early in the process to worry that the bond won’t happen in the long run. I understand how easy it is to worry considering what has happened so far.

I went back to clarify what their set up is like. I know you said you had a two story hutch but they are now separated. How are they set up in relation to each other at this point? In other words do you have one in the top and one in the bottom, have them in separate rooms now, etc?

[Lmm08]

Yes their hutches are on top of each other. I was considering getting a 2nd hand cage to put alongside the lower storey hutch temporarily so they can see each other.

[Doodler]

I wouldn’t be surprised if the grunting is a combination of hormones and him knowing the other bun is right there. He could also be worried about what you might be coming to do or he could be also trying to tell you he thinks he’s top bunny.

When they are ready for prebonding again I think it would help if they were able to be next to each other as opposed to stacked like they are. They need to learn trust each other again so it’s important for them to be able to see each other. With my bucks I had anout a 6 inch gap between pens but spread some hay in between them so they could eat by each other. I fed them their pellets and greens so they ate those by each other as well. You want to start building positive associations between the two of them again. Of course the full pen swaps are also very important.

[Author]

Messages