Were bonded but no longer

[Harvey Hare]

I’ve a dilemma, we went to pick up the 2 boys and the Female from the boarding kennels, and when we left them all 3 were together in a huge hutch and pen as all 3 were fully bonded. But when I got there to pick them up after our holiday, one of the males were by himself and the other male and female were together. The owner was concerned as the 2 boys were fighting and the male that was split from the group was spraying all over the white female. But she said that the female had bonded really well with the other male and cuddled up all the time.
So now I’ve put those 2 together in one hutch and the other male in another hutch.

Ive just attempted to bond the 2 boys and female again, but there was alot of fur flying and the less dominant male had its ear bitten by the other male and drew blood.

Plus I’ve yet another female to bond with too. But from what I’ve just witnessed, the lesser dominant male is with the original female and bonded, but if the more dominant male is seen by the other 2 it’s all hell let loose.

So I’m guessing in my eyes not to eventually bond all 4 together ( 2x males & 2x females ), but to have 2x pairs in separate hutches and separate pens.

[Asriel and Bombur]

Are they all fixed? Spraying is typically hormonal and it shouldn’t be happening if he’s fixed. You can’t bond bunnies unless they are all fixed because they will fight and the only solution is to get them fixed. My suggestion is completely separate all of the bunnies. There’s been blood spilled so a grudge will be held. They need to forget each other completely so they can forget this incident. If you keep trying to put them together odds are they won’t bond. So completely separate them all, especially if they aren’t fixed. If you can have the males in completely different rooms. Wait for at least 1-2 months. Don’t prebond until it’s been about 2 months. After this you can move the males back into the same room and prebond for a month by switching them between enclosures. After a month of prebonding you can start introducing them in short sessions in neutral territory.

[Harvey Hare]

Hi yes there all fixed. The female was done 14 weeks ago and the 2x boys were done 6 weeks ago.

[sarahthegemini]

Good grief A&B, was it necessary to post that 10x ??

[Asriel and Bombur]

Stupid iPhone ? you click twice and it posts 10 times ?

What did you do to bond them the first time around? Is the second girl spayed? If she isn’t she could be causing issues with the dynamic and it would be best to hold off until she’s spayed as well. Non hormonal bunnies can still feed off the hormones of unfixed buns. A lot of bonds tend to break when you add a hormonal bun into the house.

[Harvey Hare]

The first time I bonded the 2 boys with the female by seperate pens for a long while the putting them together once neutered.
No the female isn’t neutered yet but I only got her mid afternoon yesterday but all the upset started before that.

I’ve now decided that 2x seperate pairs is my best bet and I’ll try bond the second female once she’s been neutered. But she’s in a blocked off two tier hutch above the male I intend to bond with. So it’ll be several weeks yet until I intend to get her fixed.

[Asriel and Bombur]

That’s your problem right there. You can’t just put rabbits together and call them bonded. They aren’t like cats and dogs that can coexist peacefully and have tiffs and go back to normal. Bunnies can legitimately kill each other if you don’t properly bond them.

So take a step back. Keep them all separated at all times. Don’t prebond for a good month. Just so they can have a fresh slate. Then when the month is over you can start prebonding all 4 of them (wait till the second girl is spayed so you can do it more efficiently and it’ll give time for everyone to settle). Prebond for at least 1 month, but the idea is prebond until you see no aggression. Then you can begin short sessions in neutral territory (territory neither bunny has been in). And you gradually build up the length in sessions. It’s more complex than that once you get into actual sessions, but you’re not near ready enough for that.

[Harvey Hare]

Please don’t get me wrong, as the 2 males are brothers and always been together. I then bonded them both with the female properly over alot of time 6 weeks after they were all neutered. Prior to going to the holiday home, they were bonded for at least 3 months and getting on fine, but being at the holiday home must have done something to them for the 2 brothers to fight like they did. It’s like they’ve both decided to fight over the female again after 3 months of bonding and getting on. It’s obviously messed with there heads and dynamics.
My ideas were to eventually bond all 4 once the female was spayed that picked up on our way home from our holiday’s. But obviously I’m better of having 2 pairs.

[Asriel and Bombur]

“The first time I bonded the 2 boys with the female by seperate pens for a long while the putting them together once neutered. ” this is why I said you can’t just put them together. Because that’s what this statement sounds like.

So the males were probably fighting because they had been together since day 1. Boys don’t recognize family units. And several people in a previous thread told you to separate the boys because of that. Having them together since the first day isn’t having them properly bonded. After they are fixed their scents change and it causes issues for pairs that have been together all their lives without having been properly introduced post neuter. Which is why it’s important to have had them separate after the neuter, then gone through prebonding, then gone through actual bonding sessions. So something like going somewhere new would disrupt that “bond” because it wasn’t made properly.

Even if you do decide to go for 2 pairs, I still think it’s best you start completely from scratch.

[Wick & Fable]

A&B: I got rid of the duplicate posts. Your enthusiasm can be shown through other means, haha.

Harvey Hare: Thanks for your engagement and keeping users updated with further details. Personally as I’ve read thru bonding journals here, i was surprised to hear that there are rabbits who seem to get along fine, but things suddenly change. I later learned a couple things: 1) rabbits don’t acknowledge family members and 2) rabbit bonding can be difficult. Achieving a healthy, stable bond takes time and monitoring, while unstable bonds can come about, even when I’ve heard of owners taking their time. Although I have no bonding experience, it seems like for one reason or another, the bond is unstable and it would be good to build from the ground up again. I think it would be best for everyone’s overall happiness, especially because you’ll have these rabbits for years to come! It’d be best to make sure the relationships are steady so nothing bad happens in the future.

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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