Newly Bonded Pair Starts Barbering

[laineyfitch]

I recently managed to bond my two holland lops together (male and fem) and as they have been in the same room but different housing until they got fixed, they were well acquainted with each other which made the bonding process quite quick (about two days before overnight housing). I’ve been having them stay in the same room with their ‘home base’ cage open at night which I hadn’t had any problems with for about a week until I noticed today that my male bun has missing fur next to his eye which I am assuming is a result of my girl barbering him at night. I have been keeping an eye on them and stopping her from grooming that area whenever I see it but I can’t do anything at night. Is this due to a change in environment or the stress of a quick bonding? Should I separate them for a bit? I don’t want to interrupt their bond since it is very new but I also don’t want him to be in pain. Thoughts or advice anyone?

[DanaNM]

Hmmm, over-grooming like that can be due to stress, but it would be good to rule out issues with the bond. Does the area look red or just bald? Have there been any changes in the household?

How long were they neutered/spayed before bonding? What types of positive behaviors do they show (mutual grooming, cuddling, food sharing, litter box sharing)? Do they show any chasing, hard nipping, or lunging (or any other aggression)?

Also, how large is the area they are in at night?

Sorry for all the questions, just trying to rule some things out!

If they aren’t showing aggression, and have been spayed/neutered for at least a few weeks, I think I would just monitor for now. I think separating might make things worse when you bring them back together (if it is over grooming).

Is there area large enough that they can get away from each other if needed? Adding some extra hides or tunnels might be a good move. That way they can take little breaks from each other if needed. My grandpa bunny Bun Jovi can be a bit excessive with mounting his bonded mate from time to time, so I have some hides where she can retreat to until he calms down again (it’s actually pretty funny, because she will be hiding and he will run around honking looking for her like “where’d she go!?”).

. . . 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.  

[laineyfitch]

It looks a bit red and inflamed (I wanted to attach an image but I’m new to this forum and don’t know how haha). We took out Grahams house that she was living in before after 3 or 4 days of them living with each other without problems but other than that there have been no changes in the household. I waited about 4 and a half weeks after they got fixed before bonding them.

They groom each other often, and sleep next to each other almost all the time. They share food and the litter box just fine as well. They have been chasing each other around a bit but it seems to just be playful. There have been no other signs of aggression other than the chasing.

They have access to a 9×11 room at night and their cage is 2.5×8 but the door is open for them. During the day I also let them out into my room so they have an extra 12×12 room to run around in. They have a couple hidey houses and and one tunnel around as well as a chair that they like to sleep under. I could make a couple more hiding spots out of cardboard if it would be beneficial.

[DanaNM]

Hmmm, is the chasing with ears forward or back? Forward is playful or “i want to mount you”, back is more aggressive.

And have you seen her grooming that area a lot? Could it be hair loss from an eye issue instead?

That sounds like plenty of space and hiding spots, so i think you are good on that front.

We are still having some issues with directly adding images but if you add it to your profile it will stay in your media library and that should let you add it to the post.

. . . 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.  

[laineyfitch]

My buns are holland lops so its a bit hard to tell when they’re running but once they stop they both seem relaxed. Graham isn’t tense once they stop running, she just hops around a bit or goes to get hay or water or she’ll just flop over in a cool corner until Mochi starts chasing her again.

I’ve seen her grooming that area a bit when I’m in the room so I try and distract her by making a noise or giving her toys but it doesn’t always work which makes me think it’s over-grooming rather than an eye issue. Plus his eyes aren’t wet or oozing and there isn’t any puffiness around the eye or redness/blood-shot looking symptoms.

I was able to insert the image, thank you for the advice. I hope the image helps identify if it’s over-grooming or not.

[DanaNM]

That does look like over grooming to me, since it’s higher than the tear duct area.

One other way to tell about chasing is to look at the tails. Tail up is more aggressive.

. . . 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.  

[laineyfitch]

Next time they’re chasing I’ll make sure to check, thank you.
Other than just monitoring them, I’ve heard about people suggesting putting Neosporin (the type without pain relief) to deter bunnies from over grooming. Would you recommend trying it out or have you heard anything about that before? Thanks

[DanaNM]

I haven’t heard of that as a remedy, but I have heard that type of neosporin is OK to use.  When we had a pair at the rescue start doing this, it resolved on its own once the situation was less stressful. I think unless it seems to be getting worse, I would prob just monitor them and try to avoid making any other changes for a little while.

 

 

. . . 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.  

[laineyfitch]

Alright, I’ll continue monitoring them. Thanks so much for your help!

[pinkiemarie]

I went through a period of this when my boys were newly bonded as well and it resolved after a few weeks so I’m keeping my fingers crossed that yours will too. With my boys they were just bonded and the submissive rabbit wasn’t fully onboard with being submissive and I think that’s why he was doing it. Even though they’re bonded, it’ss new and they’re still working things out so hopefully time will cure it. The behavior stopped with mine after they had more time to get comfortable.

 

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