Help! My bunnies won’t stop fighting!

[Beth]

I have two female bunnies, Quincy and Rosie, who are a year and a half and 7 months old respectively. When I introduced them, neither of them was spayed, but they immediately loved each other! They were inseparable. A month or so ago, I decided to get them both spayed due to the high chance of reproductive cancers in un-spayed bunnies, so I had to separate them while they healed, and kept one in the cage and one out of the cage and alternated every night. Once they were healed (maybe 2 weeks later) we tried putting them together and they immediately started circling each other, pulling fur and biting (very hard). Every time since that we have tried to put them together they do the same thing. It’s breaking my heart because they were best friends and now it seems that they hate each other! Is there anything else I can try? Thank you!

[Azerane]

How long has it been now since they were spayed? After two weeks, hormones are acting crazy and I have heard of some females acting out for up to 6 months post spay before they completely settle down. I would keep them separated for several months at least, but keep swapping their cages and things as you have been doing. When you go to reintroduce them, you will probably need to do so on neutral ground, where neither rabbit has ever been to start the bond from the beginning again. But I expect that once their hormones have really settled that you shouldn’t have much trouble bonding them if they were well bonded before. Now you just need to give them time to heal and recover from their fighting.

[sarahthegemini]

Are you putting them in neutral area?

[Vienna Blue in France]

Azerane is right. Hormones take weeks and weeks to settle. So keep them apart (but close) for another month or so. Female buns takes longer than 2 weeks to heal physically. Keep them apart so they cant fight or feel threatened. Keep them close so the smells and their presence remains familiar.
Then commence normal procedure for bonding…

[Beth]

That is good to know! Hopefully with time they will calm down and love each other again! Thank you for the advice ?

[Beth]

Unfortunately we don’t really have a neutral area, they were both free roaming before the surgery, but they do spend much less time upstairs so maybe I can try up there and see if they are less territorial! Thank you for the advice!

[Beth]

Thank you that gives me hope!

[LittlePuffyTail]

Bath tub is a popular bonding spot as most bunnies don’t tend to go in there.

[Beth]

I did try that actually a few weeks ago! They did great in the bathtub, but as soon as I tried letting them out downstairs the fighting started again. Is it the scent of the bunnies that makes them feel territorial (ie: if I shampoo the carpets etc, remove all of their scent, will they not be territorial?) or do they actually remember what territory is “theirs”? I have been swapping them nightly so one is in the cage and one is out, but that didn’t seem to help with the fighting the last time I tried to put them together. Thank you all for the advice!

[LittlePuffyTail]

I think you would have a really hard time trying to eradicate the scent enough to allow for proper bonding. Do you have a friend’s house or a relative’s house you can bring them to work on bonding. Neutral territory is super important. I don’t really have any other suggestions. Hopefully, someone else will.

[DanaNM]

Some people build their own “neutral territory” by getting a piece of scrap linoleum to cover the floor and an x-pen, with the sides covered by blankets so they can’t see where they are. 

They mark territory by scent and also chew marks! So any toys or carpet that’s been chewed will be easily recognized. 

Car rides in a new box, dates in a large bin or laundry basket, and the bath tub are all good starting points. 

You said the bath tub went well, so I would stick with that for a while to let the good behaviors solidify. It sounds like you just moved away from that too fast. Then you could open it up to the bathroom floor… then maybe a makeshift pen.

White vinegar is the best thing to remove bunny scents from things. 

. . . 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.  

[Beth]

Thank you for the advice I think we will try the bathtub again soon and stick with it a little longer and see how it goes!

[Author]

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