PLEASE HELP: Bond broken after vet visit

[zhesiya]

I’m desperately in need of help – I’ve combed this website and other sites for answers, but it seems the notes there are theoretical/speculative at best (and not to mention over ten years old)… so in desperation I’ve made an account hoping someone has experienced this before and/or might know enough to help me.

 

TLDR: My two bunnies bonded (Mimi and Leo) back at the beginning of December 2020, and then I had to take one of them (Leo) to the vet. He’s the submissive, and the vet visit ended up taking 2.5 hours. I took him alone because I didn’t know better. When I brought him back, Mimi lunged at him, growling and scratching. She did this several times before I separated her in the kitchen with a gate. Now, whenever he comes to the gate (no matter how far away she is), she’ll rush at full speed to the gate, tail and ear pricked, and lunge, growl, and scratch/bite at him. My apartment is small and I have no neutral territory here. I have no idea where to even start

 

Some background:

My rabbits are free-roam.

Leo is a six-year-old Lionhead, whom I rescued two years ago from an abusive household. He’s timid and very calm, mostly keeping to himself.

Mimi is about 8 months old – we got her back in June (also a rescue), and she was meant to be a temporary foster, but I decided to try keeping her. She’s very energetic and impish, always causing trouble and getting into other people’s business.

I live in a one-bedroom apartment – half-laminate and half-carpet – and because Leo doesn’t know how to walk on laminate, we kept Mimi in the kitchen. She was separated from him by a gate, but could see him the whole time. The poop/pee war continued for about five months, until we could finally spay her – but that whole time they never once attacked each other through the gate. At best they were cordial to each other, at worst – apathetic. We spayed her and let her recover for about a month before finally trying to bond her and Leo in semi-neutral territory.

The bonding went ok-ish, they mostly ignored each other and tried to get outside the cage fence. After expanding their area of play a little more, we finally decided to just let her run through the apartment and see what happens. Leo was completely unbothered – and after a few days of long playdates, we felt comfortable enough to let her spend the night outside the kitchen as well. It all went amazingly from there, and in a day or two, they were grooming each other. They went together everywhere, cuddled, slept together, and Leo overall became much more outgoing and spent more time outside his hut.

 

Around this time, Leo started sneezing a lot, and his nose was constantly wet – so I made a vet appointment to get him checked out. Neither has been to the vet since they’ve been bonded, but they have traveled together for the holidays (1 hr car ride). I took him alone, and the vet visit ended up taking 2.5 hours instead of the projected 30 min. When I got him back, he was visibly distressed, and desperate to get out of his carrier, so I released him as soon as I could – first ten or so minutes went by fine. When it was time to feed them, I brought both of their bowls to their shared hut because I knew Leo wouldn’t want to come out for a while. That’s when Mimi first lunged at him.

I thought maybe she got a little too excited to see him and he wasn’t on her energy level, which could aggravate both of them – so I let it slide. But then she lunged for him again, growling loudly and scratching. After a few unsuccessful spritzes, I separated her back in the kitchen. She spent the night there – and I hoped by the morning, she’d have cooled off, but she’s more aggressive now than she was before. The moment she sees him outside her gate, she LUNGES for him – even from the other side of the kitchen – ears and tail up, growling, biting, and scratching. One time she ran so quickly, she slammed head-first into the cage. She follows his every move and looks visibly distressed/agitated.

 

We’ve NEVER seen behave like this before – despite her energy, she’s an incredibly kind and friendly bunny. I’ve covered the fence with a blanket so she can’t see him and called the vet (they promised to call back) – but I could really use some advice… my apartment isn’t very big, and there isn’t a single neutral territory left here  – except maybe the balcony, though Mimi’s been there once or twice. I have no idea where to re-bond them or even how – I’m scared she’ll lunge at him the moment I put them together. Should I take them outside somewhere? Into a park? Is it even possible to re-bond them at this point?

 

I’m absolutely distraught this happened – and I apologize if the above post is too long, but I wanted to be as thorough as I could. Any and all help would be so so so appreciated. Thank you so much!

 

[DanaNM]

Ah, so stressful, I’m sorry you are dealing with this!

Unfortunately vet visits are a commonly cited reason for a bond breaking, especially in a new couple. He probably smells very different to her so she isn’t recognizing him.

But don’t panic just yet. Here’s what I would try first. Take a towel and rub it all over Mimi. Then rub it all over Leo. Then rub it all over Mimi again. Then Leo again. Get their scents all mixed and mingled, and try to make Leo smell as much like home as possible. If you have a blanket or towel from their shared area, even better. Then take them on a car ride together. Have the car running and have someone else drive. Be ready with a second carrier in case they fight and you need to separate them. If they don’t fight, drive them around for 30 min or so and see how they do. If they do well, take them straight to your bath tub and see how they do. Sometimes in cases like this the bunnies kind of snap back to being bonded after a little reintroduction and reassurance. I’m optimistic that because their initial bonding was not too hard, that hopefully they will go back together without too much trouble.

If they are doing great in the tub, you can move them back to the main room and see how they do, or you might choose to set up a “semi neutral” type pen to observe them for 48 hours or so before letting them back in their main area, because going straight back to their home turf might be a bit much.

If things are not going well in the car or tub, unfortunately they will need to be fully re-bonded. I feel your pain about lack of neutral spaces. I used to be in a studio and had to use my friend’s garage for bonding sessions because mine didn’t really do well in the bathtub.

. . . 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.  

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