Spraying of two female rabbits

[JessieL]

We were recently given two 1-year old female rabbits and decided to get them sprayed right away. Took them home yesterday evening and they had already pried off the ecollar the vet put on (tightly) . Tried to put it back on and it happened again. Decided to sit with them alllll night to make sure they didn’t lick their incision. They cuddled and licked each other all night but today they are so angry towards each other. First time I have seen this sort of behaviour. Biting and running reallllly fast and they just has surgery yesterday.

Would love any recommendations to what I should do as I can’t keep an eye on them all the time.

Cheers

[DanaNM]

Hi Jessie,

Great job getting them spayed.

A couple things. Usually e-collars are not recommended for bunnies, as they are very stressful for them, and prevent them from eating their cecals. Are they messing with their incisions without the collar on?

Second, spaying changes the buns’ hormones and behavior, so they smell differently to each other. This often happens when bun’s hit puberty as well, or when they move locations if they aren’t properly bonded. You should separate them completely (but they can be side by side as neighbors, as long as they cannot nip each other through the fence), and then once they are healed and their hormones have calmed down (usually several weeks), then you can work on re-bonding them.

They definitely should have their space restricted so they don’t injure their surgery site. Check them over and make sure their incisions are OK since they’ve been running around.

. . . 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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