Those naughty buns. They just need to get along and love each other already
Bonding is tough work, and can be quite complicated with certain pairs. It's looking like you have one of these complicated matches. Lucky you huh
You may need to take a step back at this point and re evaluate how to go about the bonding process with them. It sounds like the fighting has lead to them developing resentment towards each other, and this isn't good for a potential bond. It's not usually considered a good idea to allow fighting to occur at all, for this particular reason, as well as the risk of serious injury, though in some cases you do have to allow some minor bickering to allow them to work out who will be in charge. But you have to be able to know where the line is between minor nips and bickering, and serious fighting that could escalate into resentment and possible injury, and that can be hard without a lot of bonding experience to draw from.
It's hard to know what is the best way to go about bonding these two. There are different methods for bonding, and these methods really have to be tailored to the individual rabbits and bonds. There is the slow gradual method of introducing rabbits to each other, but there is also a fast track method. One may work well for one pair, but cause issues for another pair. I have a trio that I'm attempting to bond. I've been doing the slow method. The fast track wouldn't have worked for them as my old bun has needed time to get accustomed to a new rabbit being around. In the beginning when first introducing Penny and Dakota(old bun), I didn't allow any fighting or even any nipping, because I just knew that I needed to give Dakota a chance to get used to Penny, and if I had allowed any nipping, it would have escalated into serious fighting. And there were a few times that they started circling and were getting agitated, and it could have ended in a fight if I hadn't intervened. I would press both their heads down(gently but firmly, like a dominant rabbit would do) to stop them when they were on the verge of wanting to nip or bite, then with them next to each other I would start giving them both head rubs. After that when ever they got near each other I would start giving head rubs to both. In the beginning I wanted them to look at the other rabbit and associate good things. They started to get more used to each other, and at a point I knew they needed to work out their relationship with out my intervention. They did sort out who was in charge without any fighting, but I know if I hadn't stepped in at the beginning, that they would have ended up fighting and bonding would have been much more difficult or impossible if that had occurred.
With bonding, you in part have to kind of start and go with what feels like the right direction, but you also have to be able to change and adapt how you are going about things when you see something isn't working. That's basically what I have had to do with this trio. I started to bond and when I saw their reactions to each other, I've had to adapt what I did along the way. At first I was thinking I would allow some nipping in the beginning, but as I saw how they reacted to each other, I changed my mind and didn't think allowing it at the start, would be good for their developing relationship.
I'm thinking that it's possible your two may do better with the fast track method. Sometimes the slow method can cause issues for some buns, because they start to sort out the hierarchy and who's in change, and then they get separated til the next bonding session, where they have to sort out who is top bun all over again. One good example of this is RO member Troller, and him bonding his two flemmies. If you haven't read his blog you may want to as it is a really valuable bonding experience, and may give you some ideas on how to work things out with your two. He started out with the slow bonding method, and it just didn't seem to be working out well and the bonding was getting more difficult as it dragged on. It is quite lengthy so may take some time to get through, but is worth it.
http://www.rabbitsonline.net/f18/conan-bunbarian-xena-bunnier-princess-73217/
You also may need to give your buns a couple weeks break with zero contact or interaction. In some cases the other rabbit needs to be removed to another room entirely, to break the cycle of resentment that has developed, and sort of 'reset' the relationship.
Best of luck with their bond. People always say that it's better for a rabbit to have a buddy, but sometimes what is left out is the difficulty that can occur when trying to get those rabbits to be friends. Some rabbits just won't ever get along, and sometimes it just takes lots of perseverance. I have a feeling that your two can find a way to get a long, but it's just going to take finding the right way to go about it.
http://www.wheekwheekthump.com/2013...rs-guide-rabbit-bonding-everything-need-know/
http://www.rabbitnetwork.org/articles/bond.shtml
http://cottontails-rescue.org.uk/bonding-bunnies/
