Help - Urgent advice needed!

Hi guys, hope you don't mind my slightly hysterical post, but I'm not having a good evening with my two (Neutered brother and sister).....let me explain....

They've been bonded since Feb this year, and so far have only had one scuffle with Milo ending up with a small tear in his ear, which healed fine no problems since.

Now, when I initially bonded them, it was a fairly easy bond and they were fine after about 48 hours. He seemed to have asserted himself as the dominant one (He was doing all the humping and demanding grooming, and she just obliged and put up with it or ran away). It has been like this ever since, so I assumed he was the dominant one.

However, this morning when I fed them, she mounted and humped him, till I pushed her off (There's always lots of circling and a bit of chasing at feed time, but that's normal for them, never seems anything nasty at all)

Now, to the point....I came home from work tonight, to find them laid out together as usual....but the run was full of fur (Mainly his), and he had another tear in his ear, a bit bigger than the last one, but not too bad (Have washed with salt water and will keep an eye on it). I thought they'd done the same as last time - Had a scuffle and got over it, so I fed them and watched them eating like I usually do. THen when they'd finished eating, they both went downstairs, but then started chasing again, until I stopped them.

I'm terrified they're going to fight again, so I've separated them at the moment - He's in the hutch and she's in the run attached to it, but they can still see/sniff each other through the bars, and have been laid down next to each other again.

I don't know what to do though - I hate the thought of separating them, but I hate even more the thought of them hurting each other. If I separate them I'll have to block off the ramp again, and have one in the top and one in the bottom of the hutch, which means whoever is in the top will not have access to the run during the day.

Should I try them together again tonight and see what happens, or separate them and try re-bonding them at the weekend?

I thought about taking them for a drive in the car in the carrier, but my husband can't come with me and I don't want to do it on my own.

Help!

Anyone? (Sorry, being impatient, sick with worry! )

how big is there hutch and run? They might just need more space.

They have a Thistle Hall with a 4ft by 4ft run permanently attached, and they go out in the garden free range every evening for about 4 hours. They've been fine up till now with this arrangement, but we are building them a shed soon (If they make up that is!)

So do you think I should separate them tonight? Or try and put them back together again?

Murphy30 said:

They have a Thistle Hall with a 4ft by 4ft run permanently attached, and they go out in the garden free range every evening for about 4 hours. They've been fine up till now with this arrangement, but we are building them a shed soon (If they make up that is!)

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Ok, you could really do with a bigger set up but if they are still chasiing and fighting each other in your garden then I can only see it being a dominance issue which won't be resolved unless one of them becomes submissive. The only thing I can suggest if you don't want to seperate them is to take them indoors with you and keep an eye on them untill they have resolved there issues. Otherwise you may have to seperate them and re bond them.

I would perhaps take them for a ride in the car in a carrier, I would have thought that they would be unsettled enough by the situation not to fight, so you would be fine to take them on your own.

If not, you could try letting them out to free range together now for a few minutes to see what happens, they may have worked out their differences by now. That they are laying next to each other seems quite positive. If you keep checking them regularly, you can monitor the situation.

Lastly, is there anything that could have set them off? My lot are moulting at the moment and I've noticed a bit of growling with them and chasing at times because they're feeling a little grumpy. When rabbits are moulting it can look like they are yanking chunks of fur out but they really are not.

Hi

Thanks for the replies....They were laid together again with her in the run and him in the hutch just now, so I let her into the hutch (Was stood by with a squirty water bottle just in case!), and they seem fine....so far.

They're both eating hay sat next to each other, and it's almost as if the fight never happened?

Do you think they may have just had a falling out and are ok again like last time?

Hmm....just looked out at them again, and she's grooming him, and licking the tear on his ear. He's also grooming her........I don't understand my bunnies at all! :?

Murphy30 said:

Hi

Thanks for the replies....They were laid together again with her in the run and him in the hutch just now, so I let her into the hutch (Was stood by with a squirty water bottle just in case!), and they seem fine....so far.

They're both eating hay sat next to each other, and it's almost as if the fight never happened?

Do you think they may have just had a falling out and are ok again like last time?

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maybe. My two girls fall out from time to time. Penny has a higher rank in the group and Ellie trys to mount her occasionally but Penny turns and nips or growls at her then Ellie legs it (comical really). Penny doesn't give chase as she has made her point but if Ellie had a go back then there would be trouble. I think the latter is the problem you have. The best advice I can give is just to keep a close eye on them.