Two Bunnies Fighting Over and Over

[SniffSniff186]

So we brought home two new buns back in May (it’s been slow to get them to warm up to us, but that’s another story!)  They were 11 months old, spayed (apparently) and bonded.

Anyway, on certain occasions, Zelda and Peach would get into a fight. Nipping, spinning around each other, pulling fur, and sometimes kicking each other back until we break them up.  I’ve never seen any blood, but they definitely seem more than just a “disagreement”.  They both share a decently-sized room, so it’s not like they can’t have their own space if needed.  When they’re not fighting, they’re in a cuddle puddle together, or cleaning each other, and basically just… loving one another.

Two nights ago it got really bad.  They were fighting and I came in and broke them up.  Then after about 15 minutes, they were at it again.  Plucked fur littered their room, and they kept trying to get back to each other to begin fighting again.  This happened a couple more times…  So I had enough, and basically split their entire room in half using a gate so they couldn’t get to each other at all.

It’s been a day now and Peach is trying to paw and bite at the gate to get to her sister.  Zelda is a little more chill, but she will also try to get to Peach from time to time.  This morning they were face-to-face through the gate and trying to get at each other.  It looked like they were biting at each other’s face, but it may have been them attempting to bite at the gate that was between them, its hard to tell.  Either way, I look at them periscoping at each other and wonder if I should let them be with each other again.

SO I’M WONDERING THIS:

Should I have separated them at all to begin with?  Should I bring them back together?  Or should I keep them separated, even going as far as separating by a different room?

We’re not sure what to do with this behaviour and any help would be much appreciated!!  Thank you 🙂

[LBJ10]

I have some thoughts. But first, define “apparently” spayed.

[SniffSniff186]

Heh.  I said “apparently” because the Human Society listed them both as spayed, but when I asked for documentation proving so, they didn’t have any.  Basically, rabbits don’t get the same treatment like dogs or cats when it comes down to having actual documents showing a spay was done.

So sometimes when they showed behaviour like this, or Peach trying to front mount Zelda’s head we start to second-guess if they actually were spayed…

[Wick & Fable]

If there is concerns that perhaps this particular animal shelter is not well-informed on rabbits, I would have a vet examine for a spay scar…. unsure if a physical exam can feel the absence of the uterus or not. Separately, if not a well-informed shelter, regardless of spay status or not, the rabbits may not have been bonded properly in the first place or there was a lack of knowledge about the temporary nature of baby bonds (i.e., bond between two young rabbits that is outgrown due to hormones).

I would not be concerned about what you “should” have done from the beginning, because it doesn’t matter right now. It sounds like you have two rabbits who are not bonded, regardless of past hx, so keep them separated with at least a 3in gap to prevent physical contact/opportunity for injury. If either’s presence is too disruptive, then you’ll need to house them with as much distance as needed so they can both adjust to your home, eat, poop, etc. in peace.

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.

[LBJ10]

Hmm… yes, I would be suspicious too. I think your best bet would be to see if you can get some confirmation that they are both, in fact, spayed. A vet can look for a scar. They could also do an ultrasound to look for a uterus and ovaries. They both have to be spayed, otherwise they will be virtually impossible to bond (I know there are exceptions out there, but they are few).

I agree with Chan. It’s best to treat them as unbonded bunnies right now. They likely had a baby bond and that bond has now dissolved. Separate them and if they are distressed by being able to see each other, then they may need to be in separate rooms.

Once you are sure they are both spayed, then you can start to rebond them.

[DanaNM]

Agree with the others. I think confirming they have been spayed would be a great first step. It’s also possible (and not unlikely) that they were spayed, but the move to your home upset their bond a bit. If they were newly bonded, or spayed recently before you adopted them, they could have been undergoing hormonal changes upset their bond.

In any case, you did the right thing by separating them and hopefully you will be able to repair their bond once you are certain of their spay status!

. . . 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.  

[SniffSniff186]

When we first got them, we took them into a local vet for a check-up.  He said they were healthy, but to prove they were spayed, they would have to do an ultrasound…. which costs over a grand.  So I haven’t been exactly jumping at the chance to have this proven.

What gets me so angry is that the human society’s site guarantees spays/neutering for all adoptions, so it’d be even worse to go through and pay for it all, only to find out they actually are spayed.

Now I’m thinking I have to completely separate them from different rooms… because earlier today Zelda found a way to leap over the gate between them and Peach went straight for her and they fought again.

But I’m wondering, how would they have been so loving to one another for 6 months before this started?  They had a few “disagreements” in the past, but since late April/early May they’ve been so good together!  They weren’t babies when we brought them home (they were both 11 months old).

[DanaNM]

Hmm that’s really tough! It’s hard to know why bonds fail. I had a bond break once, and one of the leads at the rescue described it as “sometimes buns are just roommates for a while and then they decide to move on”. There is some evidence that suggests that female-female bonds are a bit more fragile. And even though they weren’t babies, they were relatively young. Have there been any changes in your household, such as new people, pets, etc?

I think since the fighting was bad, a full separation is a good idea. This will give them a chance to “reset”. After several weeks you can move them back as neighbors and start the pre-bonding process. Since the buns weren’t badly injured I think they have a decent chance at rebonding.

. . . 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.  

[SniffSniff186]

Yeah, I really hope their bonds are completely broken!  When you had your bond broken, did they never get back to bonded after that??

One thing I forgot to mention before all of this is the day before they had their nails trimmed by us, so maybe that set them off the next day to start fighting?  Other than that, there hasn’t been any change in the household that I can think of.

Zelda and Peach seem comfortable right now being separate… however Peach is a lot more skittish being alone, I’ve noticed.

[DanaNM]

So, with bond that I had that broke, I don’t think they were ever truly bonded to begin with. They rarely cuddled and never groomed each other.. so I think it was more of a tolerance that eventually gave out. In that case, one of my rabbits was injured to the point of needing sutures on her lip, so I opted not to try to re-bond them.

In your case, you had lots of positive behaviors in-between the fighting, and neither bun needed medical attention, so I think your odds are much better that things can be patched up.

 

. . . 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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