Help! They started fighting after being bonded for over a month!

[Sialia]

I need some advice – quickly, hopefully!

Short version (edited to clarify):

My neutered male buns have been living together continuously (24/7) for the last month, preceded by several weeks of bonding sessions.  They’ve had no scuffles or anything during that time – just snuggling, grooming, etc.  I had to go on a camping trip last night and no one was home with them.  I got home this morning and there was fur everywhere (no injuries).  I have to go away overnight again tonight and I don’t know what to do.  Husband’s out of town.

Longer version:

I had another thread going re: bonding my two neutered male bunnies, Sebastian and Jojo:https://binkybunny.com/FORUM/tab…fault.aspx

They’ve been together 24/7 now for well over a month with absolutely no problems.

I had to go on an overnight camping trip with my son’s class last night.  I left the bunnies at about 7pm and came home at 10:30 am. 

When I got home, JoJo was hiding under a chair and there was fur (from both buns) everywhere.  I checked them over and there are no injuries but JoJo lost some huge chunks of fur.

Their main area is the kitchen, which opens to our living room.  I left the door open so they’d have extra space. 

I think what happened is that JoJo decided to get up on the window ledge behind the sofa where Sebastian likes to sit, and where JoJo hadn’t been yet.  There was a tuft of JoJo’s fur up there.  Maybe that triggered a territorial aggressive response from Sebastian.

As soon as I got home, I closed up the kitchen and gave them their breakfast (a few hours later than usual).  They ate together fine but then started going at each other.  I pushed them apart and now JoJo is sitting at one end of the room and Sebastian’s at the other, ignoring each other.

I have no idea what to do now.  I’m supposed to go back out to my son’s campsite tonight overnight and my husband is out of town.  I’m scared to leave them.  I can stay with them all day to make sure they’re okay but I need advice.

 

[Sialia]

Quick update – they had a couple more scuffles so I put them in the laundry cart that I used for stress bonding early on. I wheeled them around in that for a while then let them sit in it for a bit longer (about 10 minutes total), then put them into their x-pen and closed it up. Sebastian groomed JoJo and then went to a different corner of the pen for a rest, while JoJo stayed where he was and had a nap.

I’ve asked my mom to come and stay here tonight to keep an eye on them.

Do you think I should just keep them locked in their x-pen at least overnight?

[LittlePuffyTail]

If you’re not going to be around, I would keep them separated. If they were only together for one night and they fought, they are not bonded. What is the living situation right now? Have they been together all day and separated at night until last night?

[Sialia]

Sorry, I should have clarified (was a bit panicky). They’ve been living together continuously (24/7) for the last month (before that we had several weeks of day-long bonding sessions before moving them together permanently a month ago). This was the first night that we’ve been away from them overnight. They’ve been fine for the last month – not even a little scuffle.

Since I put them in their pen a couple of hours ago, they’ve just been sitting separately. At one point, they chased each other around but then settled down at opposite sides.

[LongEaredLions]

I think you are doing the right thing. Stress bonding is the way to go. Has there been any change in environment which would have caused them to act out?

[Sialia]

I think what happened is that I gave them too much space, too soon. They had been in the living room during their bonding, first in their x-pen, then out in the living room, and that’s where I did their marathon bond.

A little over a week ago, I moved their x-pen into our kitchen (which adjoins the living room). It had been Sebastian’s territory but he hadn’t been in there for over a month and I had fully scrubbed/vinegared it and rearranged the furniture. That went fine – they lived in there together for the last week.

But I think the mistake I made was that I was letting them still have the run of the living room, and Sebastian was spending a lot of time up on the window ledge behind the couch. JoJo’s much more cautious and so had only just started getting up on the couch in the last day or so. So when I went away overnight, I left the living room door open, thinking it would be good for them to have a bit of space…but I think that that’s also when JoJo got up the confidence to get up onto the window sill. There was a tuft of his fur up there, which wouldn’t have gotten there otherwise. I think that Sebastian decided to be territorial about it and that led to the fight.

Anyway, when I got home yesterday, I did the stress bonding session in the laundry cart and then locked them up in their x-pen. Sebastian groomed JoJo and then they spent the rest of the day sulking at separate ends of the pen.

My mom came and spent the night on the couch (my mom is amazing) to make sure they’d be okay. They were fine all night – no more fights or even scuffles. She let them out into the kitchen this morning after breakfast and they’ve been fine so far. They’ve started snuggling again and grooming.

I got home around 11:30 and they’re just hanging out, resting beside each other in the pen now.

I’m going to just leave them in the kitchen now for the next few weeks to make sure their bond is truly cemented. Luckily I’m off work for the next 4 days so I can keep an eye on them.

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