bunny bonding behavior problems :'(

[emily13hsiao]

my bunnies are sisters and have been together since birth. they have been fine. i mean every once in a while they'd have a little scuffle but that's it. recently we had them spayed (like 4 days ago) and now they sort of bounce between acting like they're bonded and not. like, they will start grooming each other in the cage and all of a sudden start circling and scratching. then all of a sudden they will calm down and groom each other again. what is going on and how do i stop them from doing this???? i separated them because i am afraid they will rip their incisions but i have no idea what's to be done about this.

 

[whiskylollipop]

Hormones can take up to 2 months to subside after a spay/neuter. Your bunnies are likely still hormonal and feeling occasionally aggressive. Just give it time! Don't separate them too far from each other as they may lose their bond, but see if you can put a wire divider in their cage or cage them side by side so they can still see each other but not fight (with supervised playtimes together). And wait it out for at least 6 weeks.

 

[Liung]

Agreed, after a surgery they should be separated until they've recovered, both to prevent their stitches ripping and to allow the hormones to dissipate. Big changes in hormones affect behaviour in anyone--think all the horror stories ever about puberty (hormones suddenly appearing) and menopause (hormones suddenly disappearing).

If they're still having troubles after a month or two, looking into some bunny relationship therapy--rabbits can have trouble in paradise, and car rides are your friend.

There are small things you can do meanwhile, like putting them together at mealtime, when they'll be more focused on eating than deciding how they feel about each other; sharing mealtime is a great bonding experience. And as whiskylollipop suggested, as they are separated, keep them next to each other. Rabbits are totally capable of cuddling through a separator like the bars of a cage.

But the #1 thing: don't let them fight. Rabbits relate to each other based on associations, and once they have bad associations with each other, it's really hard to get that reversed. Everything you do as part of bunny bonding is intended to form good associations with each other. And one big, fur-flying fight can be all it takes to form a permanent bad association that will never be forgiven. Do not, I repeat, do not ever let it get to a fight. Preventation is way easier than intervention. In the interest of not letting them fight, it's better to separate them for a time than risk putting them together when things are volatile.