Stalemate?

[Ellen]

So I am trying to bond two (neutered) male rabbits, Oreo (1.5 years old) and Winston (1 year old). Winston is my original rabbit and has turned out to be very aggressive. The first week of pre bonding was done in my room, one bunny was free roamed while the other was in the cage and they alternated this way for a whole week. In the beginning Winston would lunge, box, and hiss at Oreo anytime he moved no matter if he was free roaming or in the cage, by the end of the week this dialed down and the two were laying side by side next to the cage bars. I saw this as an opportunity to begin bonding, I started off with a small neutral box and well this went terrible! They immediately began fighting with winston being the main aggressor, when a tornado started I took out oreo and both him and I were injured. I seperated them completely and allowed Oreo to heal in a separate room. That took about a week then I went back to step one, prenonding in side by side cages. This time BOTH bunnies are in cages and it’s in a neutral room. This seemed to lessen some tension at first, but Winston is right back to lunging at the cage and trying to fight through the cage bars. Winston will lay near oreo but it doesn’t seem in a friendly way because oreo is often as far away from him as possible. Almost as if he puts up with oreo because he has to but I know as soon as they have the chance they would tear each other to shreds. It’s been almost a month and there’s no progress. Should I just call it quits for their safety and my sanity?

[DanaNM]

That’s a really tough situation. Whenever the buns fight badly enough to injure each other it’s important to assess the situation. How long did you let them cool off after that fight?

In really tough bonds I’ve had luck with both adding an element of stress (car rides), as well as using a very large very neutral space for bonding sessions. It can also help to get an opinion from a bonder at a rescue, if there is one near you.

I also like to use very large spaces for bonding, I’ve always had lots of fighting in small spaces (despite what many blogs recommend). I think of it in terms of the “fight or flight” response. When a scared animal has no space to flee, they can only fight if they are attacked, so things can escalate very quickly.

It would be understandable to quit, so it’s really your decision. If you wanted to try one more test to see if you should keep trying, I would see if you can set up a very large area (like 2 or 3 x-pens linked up) at a friend’s house or yard. This will make sure it’s VERY neutral and slightly stressful. Then take the buns there and do a really short date in that area (like 2 or 3 minutes). If they still attack each other immediately, then I would call it quits. If they do OK (maybe some tension but no immediate fighting), then I think there is hope that it could work out and you could keep trying.

. . . 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.  

[AmberJox]

I feel your pain with the sanity situation as I am bonding aswell and going mildly insane! Good luck and please let us know how it goes.

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