Ok… I need some insight here…

[Tate]

 I have two bunnies right now: Velvateen (about 8 months old, dwarf mix, neutered at around 4 months before any “bad” behavior) and Fievel (about 4 months, holland lop, and has an appointment to get neutered in one week). It really only took about 3 days for them to bond and now they follow each other, snuggle/sleep together, just generally enjoy being with each other and are hardly separated. Oh but where to begin? Haha. Velvateen, as said before, was neutered quite early on and I’ve never had an issue with him. He really didn’t poop outside his cage, he LOVED to be held, he would follow me around, etc. Basically the most perfect bunny I could have asked for! And then I got Fievel… Now, I understand that now that they have each other, they really don’t need me and that’s ok! I wanted to get Fievel so that Velvateen had someone. Velvateen is a bit… angrier towards me these days, but whatever. Fievel and I really never bonded because he so quickly bonded with Velvateen and again, whatever. I can’t stand bunnies being alone and I know they are better with other bunnies. BUT, I have seen some strange behavior. Mostly, Fievel has taken to peeing on Velvateen. But it’s not really possessive as far as I can tell. Velvateen actually goes up to Fievel’s butt, lifts his tail up, and proceeds to sit there while Fievel pees on him. What a head scratcher. Hahaha. Any insight on this?

My one other question is this: For the past week or so, the bunnies have been getting in fights. Now, Fievel is really about that age that I would expect it and he isn’t neutered yet so.. I get it. BUT Velvateen is the one being territorial. He chases Fievel off any chance he gets! My good little neutered bunny all the sudden grew his balls back (my personal medical opinion) and now thinks he’s king of the house. Fievel is about 2.5 lbs, whereas Velvateen is a tiny 1.3 lbs, so no one ever gets hurt. Fievel is not vicious, but he sure can intimidate Velvateen! Haha

They have separate cages, but they are hardly ever in them. They stay out unless I’m not home, and I only feed them in their cages. 

So any ideas? Could Velvateen be getting some sort of testosterone contact high from Fievel?

[Tate]

OH and another thing: Velvateen used to be potty trained and not territorial at all. Now he poops everywhere! I can tell it is the usual territory marking, but is there any chance that this will subside once Fievel gets neutered? It’s getting ridiculous…

[Otti]

Well, it’s possible that Fievel’s mounting hormones are affecting Velvateen’s territorial nature. Rabbit’s often have to be re-bonded if they are initially bonded before one or both of them has gone through puberty. Once the younger rabbit hits puberty, their bond can be broken and might need to be restored post-neuter.

If they are fighting significantly, and you’re worried something might happen, you might want to limit their outside time to separate shifts, and only leave them outside and together when you can monitor very closely, and are standing right there to separate them if need be. The fighting will probably only get worse until Fievel gets neutered I imagine.

[Elrohwen]

Ditto to Otti. I think it’s just that time when their bond isn’t strong because of Feivel’s hormones. Just because Velvateen isn’t the one with the hormones doesn’t mean he can’t sense it and isn’t mad about it 😉 I would separate them before they get in a serious fight (even tiny bunnies can go for blood if they feel like it) and rebond them after Feivel’s neuter.

[jerseygirl]

That’s what I suspect also. That they are sort of unbonding. Fievels smell would be different now and Velvateen may be reacting to this. The getting peed thing is a “head scratcher” for sure! lol The only thing I can think of is it’s a way Velvateen can recognise his pre-hormone buddy, or that he thinks this is a whole new bunny because I believe the pee is one of the noticable changes when the hormones arrive. Peeing or spraying on another is supposed to be a compliment of sorts.

I’ll just share with you something I noticed with my pair (male/female) last night. I currently have a very young rabbit in the house whom I’m handling alot. My spayed Doe has been reacting a bit to his presence, my neutered buck does not seem overly concerned about him. Last night I must have transferred some of the baby’s scent to Jersey (my girl) when I picked her up because later, when she requested grooms from Rumball, he thumped and moved away. Much unlike him. He then went to her, sniffed around the hind end a bit, then eagerly when to groom her. All was well. I think the smell he may have detected on her confused him. It’s amazing how sharp there noses are and what a big role scents play in their interactions.

[Tate]

Interesting! I hadn’t even thought about the fact that Fievel may smell like a whole new bunny! Thanks so much for the insight! It will be good to get Fievel neutered next week.

[Otti]

The effects of his hormones might linger for a month after his neuter so you need to be careful keeping them together at any time up until his neuter or for about a month after. You can start to re-bond them a month after his neuter.

[Author]

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