Bonded and fighting - help!

[theevenstarlight]

Will a bonded pair ever fight to the death? I came home and found fur everywhere, but the buns acted as if nothing happened. I got a buck to keep my doe company when I'm gone but now I'm afraid to leave If he ever seriously injures her I don't know what I'd do...

 

[AngelnSnuffy]

Sorry, I am just wondering. Did you just post a thread on spaying a doe and then bonding the two you have, one being the doe?:shock: Not sure if you're talking about the same buns?

Did youlet them have a playdate? I'm confused:?. I hope you didn't just put them together, but that's what it sounds like...Please supply more information.

Isn't this your thread on the same subject?:?

http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=27675&forum_id=48

 

[MsBinky]

If I understood correctly, they were bonded already. The doe is unspayed but the buck is neutered.She is hoping to have the doe spayed in Nov./Dec and was asking if they'd be ok again after...

How long did you give them before putting them together? It sounds like they might have been put together a bit too soon. Even though things seem to be going well, you shouldn't leave bunnies unattented if they haven't been together long enough. It's better if you keep them seperate and let them play while you are there. Once you put them in the same cage together (after some weeks), make sure you are there tokeep an eye on them. They can turn on each other quickly and seriously injure each other. You don't want to put them together too soon and ruin the bonding by them injuring each other. It'll be harder to bond them once they've hurt each other, and well, you simply don't want anybun hurt.

 

[theevenstarlight]

Nope, these are definitely different rabbits!

Don't worry, I would never just put two together to "see what happened."

These two are older and are both fixed.

 

[theevenstarlight]

It took about 2 months for these two to like each other, and then I left them together in neutral territory for about 2 more weeks. Then I put them in non-nerritory for two more weeks and they did fine, so I let them be in the same cage.

 

[AngelnSnuffy]

They've been fine and getting along well since they've been together? You were gone and came home to see fur everywhere? Hmm, they could have had a tussle. Did you check them over for any injuries? You may notice some scratches on the ears and back. Keep an eye on them. See how they're getting along. Should be fine. They may still be working out their relationship, establishing dominance which is normal. Keep us posted.

 

[MsBinky]

Sorry, I should have minded my own business. May I ask why it would have been wrong though to bond the unspayed doe with the neutered male? I'm only asking for informational purposes. I did that with Wiggles and Bam-Bam and wondered if there was something wrong with that so I don't do it again in the future.

 

[theevenstarlight]

They've been getting along fine since then. I didn't see any injuries, so I was relieved. I was just shocked to see fur everywhere, and I wondered if they would ever kill each other even if they were bonded.

 

[theevenstarlight]

MsBinky wrote:

Sorry, I should have minded my own business. May I ask why it would have been wrong though to bond the unspayed doe with the neutered male? I'm only asking for informational purposes. I did that with Wiggles and Bam-Bam and wondered if there was something wrong with that so I don't do it again in the future.

I don't think there is anything wrong with it - I don't know if this questionwas addressed to me or not.

As long as no one has any babies, I think it is okay, but I am no expert, LOL.

 

[theevenstarlight]

theevenstarlight wrote:

Nope, these are definitely different rabbits!

Don't worry, I would never just put two together to "see what happened."

These two are older and are both fixed.

What I meant by this is that I would never put two rabbits together in a rushto see if they got along. I would probably take them for a car ride and then put them in neutral terrority and have a spray bottle ready in case they fought. I would take them on "bunny dates." I hope that clears up any confusion!

Some non-bunny people think you can just put two rabbits together and they will be best friends, and I wanted everyone to know that I am not one of those people, and that I know that bonding is a long process.

 

[AngelnSnuffy]

MsBinky wrote:

Sorry, I should have minded my own business. May I ask why it would have been wrong though to bond the unspayed doe with the neutered male? I'm only asking for informational purposes. I did that with Wiggles and Bam-Bam and wondered if there was something wrong with that so I don't do it again in the future.

Don't be silly! You did nothing wrong. I don't believe there is anything wrong with bonding an unspayed female with a neutered male. Except the fact that the female could have a false pregnancy, but I am not sure on this-anyone?

 

[MsBinky]

That's true about the false pregnancies. Plus, they get grumpy and push the male away so I guess it's better not to put them together until she is spayed. I gotcha now :biggrin2:Ty for the explanation.

 

[Haley]

There are lots of things that can cause a bonded pair to fight. Its especially scary if you arent there to break it up.

I have a bonded pair right now at my house, Winston and Vega. Last night another bunny, Nigel, came up to their cage to check them out. Since Vega was in her cage and couldnt attack Nigel, she took it out on poor Winston. They were fine after a while.

Any sort of new noise or smell can cause bonded pairs to fight. Heres hoping it doesnt happen again

 

[theevenstarlight]

Yeah, false pregnancies could be stressful...

 

[theevenstarlight]

Wow, Haley, does that happen often with your two?

 

[MsBinky]

Could he be getting possessive about the food? Do they have one food bowl or two? If they have only one, maybe you can add a second and see if it helps any...

 

[Haley]

theevenstarlight wrote:

Wow, Haley, does that happen often with your two?

Sorry, I missed this!

No, not too often, just every once in a while. Like the other day my boy Max got out of the bedroom and ran out into the living room (Tumnus/Lucy territory). This caused them to fight until the calmed down.

How are your kids doing this week? Any more fighting?

 

[theevenstarlight]

They've been great together. Maybe they just had to have one fight to establish dominance or whatever and now it is out of their system. Let's keep our fingers crossed

 

[Haley]

Thats great to hear :biggrin2: