Re-bonding after bad breakup, is it fixed?

[2bunnymummy]

Question: I THINK they’ve rebonded after so much effort and 4 months later, thankfully, but does that mean their more susceptible to a bond breaking in the future? That’s what scares me, or that they could just start fighting again for no reason after seeming bonded again.

BACKSTORY BELOW:

I’ve been doing so much research trying to find specific answers but I’ve been unsuccessful. I’m hoping you great people could help me. Bear with me while I give the back story.

I have 2 buns, male and female. Adopted at 8 weeks and 12 weeks. They were kept separated until we could fix them at 6 months. During this time, they loved hanging out by the others’ cage. Once they were fixed and a few weeks had passed we let them together. They bonded instantly. They adored each other, it was a match made in heaven! Fast forward 3 weeks post bond and we have to go on vacation. We left them with our usual sitter. (Although this was the first time as a bonded duo) We told her since they were young and the bond was very new, do NOT let their own bun anywhere near their cage or room. Just let them be. Of course I’m sent a video of her letting her male rabbit sniff my male rabbit through the cage and both growling and batting at each other. I was upset to say the least.

We pick them up on our way back from vacation and she tells us they’ve been “chasing each other non-stop all weekend”. I wasn’t surprised, it’s a new territory and they need to get their bearings, etc. When we arrived home they were perfectly fine, thankfully. Cuddling like usual. not even 48 hours later there was a loud sound coming from their area. They were fighting. Circling like a tornado! biting growling, wouldn’t let go of the other. It was terrible to witness and breakup. I wasn’t sure what happened so after a few hours I let them back together to see how they were. They were fighting again within 10 minutes. So I made the decision to separate them into separate enclosures and figure the whole thing out. When one was out during free time the other would be batting at the cage of the other. So we had to make sure they couldn’t even get to the others’ cage during free time.

Well, my female stopped eating and drinking. Pooping barely at all. Extremely upset. I was scared it was GI Stasis more than anything (what we lost our last baby to) and rushed her to the vet. X-rays and checkups were good thankfully. The vet said she may be stressed from the move back and forth for babysitting during our vacation and needs help getting started eating and drinking again. We had to give her IV fluids 2x a day and oxbow critical care for 5 days. I was a wreck. On day 3 she still seemed so upset and unable to eat/drink, I didn’t want our male to see her that way (even if they weren’t getting along – even in separate cages he could still see her and vice versa) so I put a temporary wall up between them. Within that day she began eating and drinking on her own like nothing happened. Just his presence and seeing him near her had her stressed out so much she wasn’t eating or drinking. It was then that I knew it was going to be a long road to attempt to re-bond. And man, did a scour site after site.

It went from just hating each other and trying over and over to get them to even tolerate their presence through cage bars to months later (4 to be exact) they are able to peacefully be together. Occasionally having a fight that I would have to clap or spray to breakup–but it was easily able to be broken up and they would go about life like it didn’t happen. Fast forward to this past weekend. They were good without ANY fights (just the very occasional mounting) and lots of grooming from both parties. I had them together running cage free for 12 hours on Saturday and then had them together in the large cage for 8 hours without issue on Sunday.

So last night, I went for it. I left them together in the cage at the end of the night, set up the nanny cam and went to bed. Every single sound I shot up awake for, but they were fine all night together. Today they’ve been ok also. I’m so scared their bond could break at any moment or a fight could break loose (although that hasn’t happened in a couple weeks) and then one would be badly hurt. So I guess my question is, I THINK they’ve rebonded after so much effort, thankfully, but does that mean their more susceptible to a bond breaking in the future? That’s what scares me, or that they could just start fighting again for no reason. Does anyone have any insight or experience they could share regarding this?

Spay/Neuter
Are your bunnies spayed/neutered? YES
If so, for how long (for each)? 6 months

Housing
Lived seperate in 4×6 pens with several hours outdoor time until they were fixed and bonding was initiated after healing. Once bonded they had free roam together and lived in 5×7 enclosure together when we aren’t home. Once bond was broken they went back to previous respective cages before the bonding.

 

[DanaNM]

WOW, what a saga! And good job rebonding them!

I think since you’ve taken your time and slowly rebonded them, they will be fine! It’s recommended to supervise closely for the first 48 hours together whenever they are in a new space, so I would say you are still in that cementing phase, so keep monitoring them closely for a few days. I would also be sure to very slowly expand their space.

I think I would actually be MORE nervous if they had gone back together without issue…. the slow rebond means that they REALLY established their relationship.

Here’s a list of the behaviors I like to see to consider a pair bonded:

-mutual grooming (or at least lots of grooming. grooming requests that are unmet shouldn’t lead to fighting or chasing).

-food sharing

-litter box sharing

-cuddling

-general relaxed behavior (can they get all up in each other’s personal space without tension)

-NO scuffling, lunging, hard biting. A light nip is OK. Mounting is OK as long as it doesnt cause fighting.

 

 

. . . 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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