Unsuccessful bonding (aggression)

[miaauu]

Hi, so. I've had a male bunny T for 4 years and got him a bunny friend, B, female. We got them spayed/neutered and had B for a month now. They both have their own space and we put them together to bond, at first without being able to access each other and then with, but B keeps attacking T, pulling fur and biting. They got into the tornado fight a couple of times, always because of B. The only time she can tolerate him is if I'm petting them next to each other, os sometimes when she's busy with something (eating, playing) and he's next to her, but even then I dont trust her not to hurt him without me being ready to separate them immediately. B is around 1 year old and very active, T is very chilled out and seems interested in her, but I can't let them be together without her biting him. Is there anything I can do? Or is it possible they just won't work together? Before I adopted B, she was living with other rabbits and they were okay. I thought T would be the bigger problem here, not B, since I knew B got along with bunnies before... The only thing I can think of is that she can sense T has been living here even though everything is washed so she views it as his territory and she's not handling it well. I also thought their personalities would complement each other, she would bring T out of his shell and he'd start being more playful with her, but maybe I was wrong. I don't know what to do. I don't want to give B away, but I can't let her stay with T if she keeps doing this..

 

[Blue eyes]

For how long has T been neutered? Perhaps the bonding attempt started too soon after their surgeries. It can take awhile for hormones to settle after surgery and those hormones can negatively affect any bonding attempts.

 

[miaauu]

For how long has T been neutered? Perhaps the bonding attempt started too soon after their surgeries. It can take awhile for hormones to settle after surgery and those hormones can negatively affect any bonding attempts.

T was neutered on october 23, 2024, B was spayed on november 4 and we took her from her foster home on november 14 (she got spayed while living in foster care).

I thought maybe taking them outside would help since its a completely different place, but it's winter, I don't want to bring them out into the cold

 

[Blue eyes]

ok. When were they first allowed together?

Usually after a tornado fight, the chances of a successful bond are slim. If you wanted to continue to try, my suggestion would be to completely separate them so that they are out of sight and smell of each other. The idea here is to have them apart for several weeks in hopes that they completely forget each other. (That they forget that they've fought and that she hates him.)

Then you could try the process all over again, taking it slowly. They could begin by being separated in side by side cages (that have a couple inches between the adjoining cage walls). They would live side by side for a month or so, acclimating to each other's presence.

After that, can begin the process of letting them interact in a small neutral territory for short periods of time.

All of this will, as you can see, take much time and patience. However there will be no guarantee that they will eventually bond.

You will have to make that decision as to whether you want to continue the bonding attempts or find a different home for B.

That B had gotten along prior with other rabbits is probably irrelevant since that was before she was spayed and (presumably) still young. Pre-hormonal rabbits usually get along regardless.

With bonding, it really is a very individual thing with each rabbit. A particular rabbit may get along easily and bond with any number of potential individual rabbits and yet take a particular dislike to a certain rabbit. OR one particular rabbit may reject several potential bondmates before deciding he/she likes one particular rabbit.

This is why the easiest way to find a bondmate for an existing rabbit is to go through a rabbit rescue that has already fixed rabbits. There one can pre-screen for potential compatibility. Then if a bond just won't work, they generally will not only offer guidance along the way, but allow for exchange of the rabbit if it just isn't working out.

[Along these same lines, we can help find a local rescue if you decide you might take that route. Your profile requires a location. Please update your profile to include your state, or better yet, at least the quadrant (eg. southeast Montana) or nearest large city. This also helps people to answer more accurately regarding climate-related questions or product availability, etc.]

 

[JBun]

Along with what Blue Eyes said, here are some good links on the bonding process.

https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Bonding_rabbits_together

https://rabbitsindoors.weebly.com/bonding-bunnies.html

https://cottontails-rescue.org.uk/information-resource-centre/health-and-welfare/bonding-bunnies/

https://www.rabbitsonline.net/threads/when-to-intervene-rabbit-bonding.104770/

It's important to thoroughly understand the signs of escalating aggression so you know when to intervene, before a full on fight breaks out. As mentioned, once that happens, chances of a successful bond are slim, along with the very real chance a serious injury can occur.