re-bonding buns

[layla20]

I have 2 buns 1 female 1 male.

Female is 8 months old and was spayed in October.
Male is 6 months old and was neutered 17 days ago.

for the first 3 months both lived together and got on really well!
Prior to the females op we separated them, since then they have been separated.

In the past week we have been trying to re-bond them but it has ended in fights. It appears that the males hormones have settled as he has not tried to mount/hump the female.

Sometimes the female is fine and allows the male to clean etc... other times she attacks.

Do you have any recommendations? How long does it normally take to re-bond?

 

[layla20]

P.s they still "share" the cage and room.
The female will be in the cage from 7am to 7pm and the male is in the cage the rest of the time. When the other bun is out the cage they are the same room and only separated via the cage.

 

[layla20]

Some pics

 

[Blue eyes]

It's usually not recommended to try to re-bond until a minimum of 1 month after a neuter (possibly as long as 2). Anytime they fight, it greatly reduces the chance of a successful bond.

Your boy has just passed the 2 week mark. I'd highly suggest you keep them completely separate for the next 2 weeks so that.. 1. they have time to forget that they fought, and 2. so your male has more time to allow hormones to dissipate.

 

[Imbrium]

it can take up to 2 months for a male's hormones to dissipate... however, it sounds like your girl is the instigator.

how are you going about bonding them? are you using neutral territory? (females can get very territorial, so you need to use territory that *neither* bunny has been to before when doing bonding sessions)

here are some good sites on bonding if you haven't read them yet:
http://www.cottontails-rescue.org.uk/matchups.asp
http://www.rabbitnetwork.org/articles/bond.shtml
http://www.examiner.com/article/bunny-bonding-part-iii-bonding-challenges

 

[JBun]

Is it real fighting that is going on like biting and chasing, or is she just being grumpy and doing a little nipping? I have a bonded pair, and my female is just a big grump and will occasionally nip at my male rabbit. Luckily he is bigger than her and very patient and easygoing, so he just puts up with her grumpiness.

They are very cute and seem to look very happy together in the pictures.