Rebonding

[Jazlyn]

Hello, my bunnies are getting neutered within this month, one this Tuesday and one by early July, and I can already tell they’ll need at least some rebonding as the one getting neutered on Tuesday is getting very aggresseive. They’ve been separated since I noticed they were getting aggressive, 4 days ago, and I wanted to try and collect as many bonding tips as possible within the next little bit before their hormones die down and I can begin the process. They’re cages are still next to each other and they share hay inbetween a makeshift hay rack. I thought maybe sharing would reduce some territorial issues. Hasn’t really worked. They do occasionally still lay next to each other besides the cage and the barrier between them. Any other help is greatly appreciated!

Also, the other day the aggressive one was able to get to the other bunny through the cage (quite shocking as his snout is wide) and he made a small cut on the other’s back. I only noticed today even though I thoroughly looked him over. It doesn’t look deep or bloody, and only red was where the cut was made. Is there anything I can put on it though to make sure? I have sudocrem for their sore hocks and any urine scald they have(one has 3 legs and cant pee properly, other is a mini rex and gets sore hocks every once in a while) could I use sudocrem on it? Or should I find something else? No neosporin, its discontinued here.

[Mikey]

They need to be completely apart. Their cages need to be atleast 10 inches apart so they can see and sniff but cannot reach. They need to be like that until atleast one full month after the second bun is neutered (so in mid August at the earliest). Stop putting them together because the more they fight, the more aggressive they get towards one another, the less likely it is that they will bond again in the future. Rabbits can and will hold grudges.

[Azerane]

Mikey I believe Jazlyn has stopped putting them together, although I agree that more distance is needed between the cages to prevent biting.

As mentioned, you will need to keep them apart for 6 weeks after the last one has been neutered. This not only allows time for proper healing, but also gives times for their hormones to dissipate and will help reduce their aggressive tendencies. That does not mean that they will be ready to start bonding then, it’s just a minimum recommend time, they may still need more time apart since they have fought in the past. In the meantime, you can work on prebonding, which includes swapping cages, toys and supplies between them to share their scents.

[Jazlyn]

Yes, they are completely apart and have not had any time together since they got aggressive as I knew the next time would be a real fight. They do have a barrier between them so they can’t reach each other since I realized the following day that they can reach each other. It also doubles as their hay rack right now.
And thank you, Azerane, I will start swapping their cages and toys and whatnot. Thanks for the information.

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