Bonded bunnies started fighting again

[Mariam+Theo]

Hello! My male rabbits have been bonded since April, but this morning, I woke up to them fighting and rabbit fur all over my room. I have checked them for wounds and I found nothing so hopefully this was just them pulling fur. They have been best friends since the day they were bonded and have never had any issues. They are always following each other around and cuddling with each other.

I’m not exactly sure what caused it, but I have my suspicions. I really think it could have something to do with them having one litter box. I’m going to add a second one to hopefully prevent more fighting. Right now I have them separated with Theo in a playpen and Will free roaming around my room. Theo was the one that started fighting (he’s the boss of the pair) so I thought it be best to lock him up. Should I continue to let them free roam or should I keep them separated? Should I put them together again but limited their space? Right now they are laying beside each other on both sides of the playpen so they definitely miss each other but I’m scared they’ll start fighting again.

Thanks!
Mariam

 

[JBun]

I would try putting them back together to see if they're ok with each other. Though it would probably be good to do something as a distraction when you do, like feeding them their veggies, and also be ready to break anything up should they start scuffling again. If they do try to fight again, you'll have to keep them separated for a while, maybe a few days or even weeks, then try rebonding.

 

[Mariam+Theo]

I put them back together a while ago and they have been ok. My room is really big (it was the bonus room before we bought our house) so i blocked off part of it to make their area smaller. I monitored them for several hours and there was only one bit of chasing which I quickly stopped. Since then they have flopped beside each other so i’m not worried about them anymore. Thanks for your help!

 

[Mariam+Theo]

I am officially the worst bunny mom.
Today the fighting resumed and this time Will got hurt. A bunch of fur was pulled off his ear and it was torn at the top (see picture) and he got a bite on his front leg that is swelling. He also has two bites on his back but they aren’t bad. He is still eating, drinking, playing, etc. but I know he is probably in pain. What should I do to take care of his ear and leg? I have antibiotic ointment and Vetericyn, is that enough? Should I order Metacam from the vet?

Yesterday morning I woke up to them fighting and quickly stopped it. The fighting always consist of Theo chasing and biting Will and Will running away. I do not think Theo has not been nipped once. Throughout the day there was only a tiny bit of chasing, but that night I didn’t want them to fight while I was asleep so I separated them. This morning I put them back together and everything was going well. Until I went into my room and found fur everywhere and Will’s ear torn apart.

I really don’t know what the next steps should be. I had planned to put them in a small bonding pen and do some immersion bonding and see if they were doing ok but now that Will is hurt I would feel awful putting him back with Theo.
I have several questions:
1. Should I separate them for two weeks and start the bonding process all over? or Should I only separate them for several days?
2. How do I know that if I do rebond them their bond won’t break again? This whole fighting thing came out of nowhere because nothing in their lives have changed.
3. Is it stupid to think they will bond again? Will still loves Theo and grooms him and tries to cuddle with him. But anytime Will goes near Theo, Theo chases and bites him.

Thanks so much for your help!

 

[JBun]

You weren't to know. Bonded pairs will occasionally have small scuffles, but it doesn't usually result in anything more than a little chasing and maybe minor nips, which is all normal behavior. It rarely escalates into fighting that requires separation.

If there is torn skin or deep wounds that might require stitches, you'll need to have it checked by your vet. Or if you're concerned about infection. If the wounds are only minor surface wounds that don't require stitches, I clean up the wound and put a light layer of plain triple antibiotic ointment (not with added pain relief) on it twice a day. I haven'tever used vetericyn with my rabbits, so that's up to you. I'll also distract my rabbit with something like feeding their veg or pellets so they don't immediately try and groom it off.

If a rabbit is still eating and behaving normally, that usually means they aren't likely in much or any pain, that would require pain meds. However, if a rabbit isn't eating or behaving normally, or if there is any swelling/inflammation, then meloxicam would likely be needed as prescribed by your vet. Along with other meds or syringe feeding, as the vet determines is necessary. If in doubt, or you're uncertain about your rabbits condition or what's needed, it's always best to consult with and/or have your rabbit checked out by your knowledgeable rabbit vet.

Your rabbits will need to remain separated for at least 2-4 weeks. After that you'll need to decide if you think they're still able to be rebonded or not. There's no way to know except by seeing how they respond to one another, closely monitored and supervised, so they can be immediately separated if any escalating aggression occurs, and before any injuries occur.

If they've been perfectly fine together until now, one thing to consider is that when a rabbit is in pain or feeling unwell, this can cause them to act out and behave uncharacteristically. So if anything with Theo seems off, it might be a good idea for him to also get checked out by your vet.

 

[Mariam+Theo]

Thanks for your response!
The bite on Will’s ear is not too deep and is not bleeding, I think it’s mostly red because the fur was pulled off. I put some vetericyn on it and I am going to put antibiotic ointment on it also. He has been acting his normal self but I still am worried about him. I do want to take him to the vet just to make sure he is ok.

Now that you mentioned it, Theo has been acting a bit off recently. He recently turned 5 so I guess he is considered an older rabbit and would be more likely to get sick. I will also take him in for an appointment to make sure he is doing ok.

After 2-4 weeks pass do I need to rebond them in neutral territory or will my room be ok? I am not allowed to let them out of my room so finding neutral territory will be very difficult. My room is really big though so I can section it off so they can’t get to some areas if that would work?

 

[JBun]

Theo could be showing signs of early arthritis, or it could be something else. If the vet can't find anything or
isn't sure, it might be worth doing a trial of daily meloxicam to see if it's pain related. If the meloxicam helps, then you know there is some sort of underlying pain causing this change of behavior. Once you get it treated and under control, then you can think about attempting rebonding. Until then, I wouldn't think it would be a good idea to make any attempts, as he will still be reactive to your other rabbit being near him.

Setting up some sort of neutral bonding pen is usually necessary. It could still be in your room but would need something covering the floor and walls to change their appearance and smell. Though how neutral it needs to be just depends on your two rabbits. Some rabbits don't need any neutral space to rebond, others need a completely different space.