Help! Bonded pair sudden aggression.

[freesaysaloha]

I have owned a very loving neutered/male rabbit (Mister) for over a year and introduced a new female/spayed rabbit (Lil Miss) around 3 months ago. They bonded almost instantly and have been in love ever since, they have never shown any aggression towards each other. 4 days ago after their morning feeding they started fighting, not just playful chasing, but pinned down- bite your face off fighting. I figured this was just a temporary dispute and separated them for a couple hours then reintroduced them, they again started fighting. I have had them separated since, but try to bond them occasionally and they continue to fight. Mister has always been docile and very friendly. I adopted Lil Miss from the humane society as a 1 month old and she is slightly skittish and a bit naughty-although she has never shown aggression towards me. They are house rabbits, have room to roam, they are fed well, they are healthy and nothing has changed in their environment recently. My first thought was that Lil Miss is coming of age and its just hormones, but she was spayed before I adopted her. I am perplexed and not sure what to do- Please Help!

 

[iLuvMyLilBuns]

Are you sure she's spayed? bunnies should stay with the mother until they're 8 weeks, so 1 month is young. Also it's not very common to get them spayed that young.

 

[freesaysaloha]

Thanks for your reply- that was my first thought- since they should not be spayed until they are at least 3months. I called the humane society this morning just to check and the receptionist assured me that she was. Maybe I should check for a scar or something?

 

[JBun]

I agree. I don't know of any vet that will spay a rabbit at 4 weeks old. Usually they have to be 4-6 months old to be spayed. At 4 weeks old they should still be nursing from mom.

If she is spayed and is now around 4 months old, this is right when their personalities can start to change, as they are becoming fully mature. So this could very well be the cause of the fighting. You will probably have to separate them for several weeks before attempting to rebond in a neutral area. You will need to be careful and not allow fighting as this could result in serious injuries.

 

[freesaysaloha]

Is there a way for me to tell whether she was for sure spayed? perhaps I should take her to a vet to double check? If she is in fact spayed and showing hormonal aggression, how long will it last?

 

[JBun]

Do you remember if her belly was shaved when you got her? Sometimes the vet will mark the spay incision with tattoo ink, may be green, so you can see if you can find a green ink spot mid belly. Otherwise they would have to either ultrasound or open her back up to check.

If she is spayed it won't be hormonal aggression, but just a change of personality from maturing.
ETA: Meaning, this is her adult personality now.

 

[freesaysaloha]

I don't remember if she was shaved, but I will ask my daughter. I will also check for the green mark. Thanks for taking the time to help me. I will keep them separated for a few weeks and try to bond them again- lets hope that works!

 

[iLuvMyLilBuns]

You can feel and look or shave the tummy and look for a spay scar. However, when veterinarians use certain stitching techniques, there is no scar whatsoever. Hopefully, these veterinarians will tattoo the tummy to indicate the spay has been done, but otherwise, your vet could look at her.

 

[Azerane]

The humane society adopted her out at 1 month old... wow.

I agree that it's unlikely that she's been spayed if she was that young when you got her. It might be worth having a vet visit, the vet might be able to shave her belly to have a look to see if there's any remnant of a scar if you can't find one just looking otherwise.

 

[freesaysaloha]

It been a few days since my original post. I took Lil Miss to the vet to make sure she was spayed and it was confirmed. I still have the rabbits separated. Mister found a way I to her pen this morning and they instantly started fighting again! I am at my wits end, I have no idea why this is happening. They are both healthy, nothing new has been introduced, and their environment is quiet and peaceful. What else could be causing this?
I am pondering taking Lil miss back to the humane society, that would break my heart, but I don't know what else to do- before she came along everything was peachy. Mister is the most wonderful, loving rabbit, no bad habits, and Lil Miss is changing the way I view rabbits all together! Any suggestions will be appreciated.

 

[whiskylollipop]

I'm thinking the spay could have been botched, meaning she still has remnant reproductive tissue the vet didn't get to that is now pumping out hormones. Spaying at one month old is so unheard of, even our very experienced rabbit vets aren't comfortable spaying before 4 months due to the likelihood of complications with a patient that tiny.

Rabbits are an exotic pet and many don't know too much about their medical needs. It's possible some authorities at the humane society were so adamant about fixing all their animals that they didn't consider the need to wait for rabbit kits to grow bigger - so their vet had to spay her way too young, and couldn't do a good job.

Is she exhibiting any other hormonal behaviours like aggression towards you, stinky pee outside the litterbox, running circles, honking, or humping toys?

 

[Azerane]

The other possibility is simply that some particular rabbits just won't get along with each other, it's a harsh reality but it's true, even if you do everything right, they will never be compatible.