Help! My bonded rabbits are fighting out of the blue

[BusterZoeBuns]

Hi! I have two female, spayed rabbits that have been bonded for about 2 months strong. The process took about 3 months so they’ve had interaction for about 5 months now.

I have them together in their own area, and they’ve been inseparable since I’ve put them together. Sometimes I question if they’re lovers that’s how much they’re together!

Buster is about 2 yrs older than Zoe but she is the dominant one in their relationship. I haven’t had any issues with them fighting or even having a tiff until today.

I woke up to them fighting, doing tornadoes and grabbing fur. Luckily there was no broken skin but I haven’t seen them like this since their first encounters! After they fought they forgave one another and groomed each other, even snuggled together for awhile. About an hour later they fought again. 😩

Im wondering what caused this so randomly? If anyone has experienced the same situation, I’d love to hear your story. I’ve read a few things what it could be, and I have an apt to take them together for a check up today, because I want to eliminate that one could be ill.

If anyone has any kind of thoughts or answers, I’ll take them!

[Louiethebunny]

If they are fighting very badly, you will need to separate then restart the bonding process. It is also possible they weren’t fully bonded.

[DanaNM]

Oh how stressful and sad! Please separate them for now, as something has happened with the bond and they will likely keep fighting. If you fill out the bonding template (pinned in the bonding section) and paste it in your reply that will help us try to figure out what went wrong and what to do next.

Having a vet apt to rule out medical issues is a very good first step. Did you happen to see what may have initiated the fighting?

. . . 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.  

[BusterZoeBuns]

Spay/Neuter
Are your bunnies spayed/neutered? Yes, both
If so, for how long (for each)? Both 3 yrs
If not, why not?
Are you aware of reproductive cancer risk in females? If not, please read about it here.

Housing
Please describe your bunnies’ current housing set-up (living together, as neighbors, etc.).

Living together in a bunny condo home I made for them

Bonding background
Did you allow the bunnies to “settle-in”?

It took 3 months to bond them, & they weren’t completely bonded until about 2 months ago.

How would you describe your bunnies reactions towards each other (answer for each bunny): shy, scared, curious, calm, aggressive, excited, affectionate, etc.?

Buster is like motherly – she grooms Zoe all the time (I’m assuming she’s taken the role of submissive) she’s very cautious

Zoe is attached to Buster intimately. She looks for her for comfort. She’s skiddish, so anytime she feels nervous/scared she clings to Buster.

Have you done any “pre-bonding” (cage or litter box swaps, etc.)?

Yes, I did side by side cage bonding for 3 wks. I swapped their cages/litter boxes twice during that time

How long have you been working on bonding your bunnies?

Theyve been living together for 2, total bonding 5 months

How frequently do you have bonding sessions, and how long are they?

First month was 15, 20, 30 then 60 min sessions up to the whole day together in a neutral space. Then I made their home starting small (2×1) gradually making it bigger the more they seemed bonded

Have you tried any stressing techniques?

The only stressing method I did was put them in a neutral space (bath tub) for a whole month.

The only thing I can see what could initiate the fighting is Zoe is always trying to nip Busters butt. Buster gets upset and runs away, and from instinct Zoe will chase her thinking it’s a game. I think Buster took offense and didn’t “submit” but I don’t know… 😩 I went to the Dr and he said they were perfectly healthy. He gave me an antibiotic to clean their system in case they had a bladder infection causing their odor to change

[DanaNM]

Thanks for filling out the template!

Have there been any new smells or changes in the household? New pets, roommates, etc? Their bond was still relatively new, and sometimes changes like that can trigger disputes.

In any case, I think the best course of action would be keep them separated for a few weeks to give them time to cool off. Then you basically start from scratch (prebonding, then bonding sessions). Sometimes in cases like this the bond re-forms relatively quickly, so hopefully that will be true in your case. 🙂

. . . 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.  

[BusterZoeBuns]

Hello!

 

just wanted to give a quick update on how my rabbits situation has been going.

 

so I separated them for about 2 weeks with their homes next to each other so they knew the other was ok. I just recently put them back together in their neutral space. Last night lasted 15 min and they had a little tif but nothing too crazy.

I have them together now in the same surrounding and everything is going fine but I do notice the trigger. They’ll both groom each other and snuggle. It seems they both get bothered if they’re close to each other’s bums… especially Zoe (lion head) whenever she goes for Busters bum Buster freaks out and sometimes Zoe will chase her and that’s how their fighting begins. But they both groom each other right after. It’s like they tiff then say sorry.

They’re both females. Can this be a factor bc they’re still trying to decide who’s the dominant?

Im trying to take things slow but it kills me honestly because they seem so sad apart 😩

[DanaNM]

The bum is quite a sensitive area for bunnies. But in bonded pairs it shouldn’t trigger a tiff. So it sounds like they are not quite back to being bonded yet.

Can you take them to an entirely new neutral space for some longer sessions? Sometimes this can help get over humps.

Females are known for being more territorial, but there are plenty of female-female pairs, so it is possible. I’m still interested to know what might have set all of this off. Have you checked with the vet to see if they have any underlying medical issues? Sorry if I’ve already asked this!

. . . 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.  

[DanaNM]

The only other thing I notice when reading through your template again is that one bun was pretty submissive and timid. I had an issue with a bond where one bunny was very shy, and then they were seemingly bonded for 5 months and started fighting. I think in my case it was because the timid bunny started becoming more confident in the new home and wanted to change the terms of the relationship.

So maybe the more timid bunny decided to change things up a bit?

The advice is the same, but just go slowly. And I do think finding a brand new location to work with them in could really help.

. . . 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.  

[BusterZoeBuns]

Ok ill change up the location the next time I bond them. I’ll also take them for a car ride also.

So… I left them alone in their space to give them privacy (checking on them every 30 min or if I hear anything) and I just walked in on Zoe humping Buster without Buster feeling offended. She is currently grooming Zoe now. So I feel that they are working out their terms deciding who is the dom vs sub

[DanaNM]

Sounds good, it’s good when mounting doesn’t lead to scuffling.

. . . 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.  

[Peanutthebunny]

they’re probably not fully bonded

 

(I’ve never owned a rabbit but have researched them A LOT)

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