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Urgent advice needed

Lucymum

New Kit
Hi there - any advice greatly received - we have a 10 month old male neutered rex - very very bullish.
We have taken the advice of the vet, people on the forum and staff at My Pet Stop where he has stayed whilst we have been on holiday and found him some companionship, a female rex.
Per earlier thread we have both rabbits in the same run but seperate - they can see and smell each other and they have been pushing their noses through to each other - all seemed well.
However we took the plunge - brought both of them indoors and introduced them. Unfortunatley our older rex attacked the new rabbit and she was yelping and we had to seperate them instantly.

I know this was the first attempt at bonding but he was so vicious i am reluctant to try again and feel it only fair to consider only having one rabbit

Our daughter in now in tears (thankfully she did not witness the attack) and i truthfully do not know what to do.
 
Are they neutered? Neutering helps behaviour alot! :)
What about the place you bonded them, was it neutrel? e.g somewhere theyve never been before or a place thats been rid of any bunny scent?
 
hi there - thanks for response - i am sat here not knowing what to do.

we brought them to the dining room - Smokey has been in the dining room but not for many months and it has recently been redecorated as well.

Smokey is neutered but new rabbit has not not been.

My worry is he was just so vicious with her and i feel frightened that next time could be worse - he nips and scratches us regularly and to be fair they have had "mind your face" sign up on his cage when he has stayed at My Pet Stop in the past.
 
How long ago was he neutered, I understand it can take quite a while for the hormones to subside.

I would just go back to what you were doing. Keeping them side by side to get them used to each other, maybe letting them swap sides to get to know each others smell, or mixing thier bedding or litter so they get used to each others scent being around.

I don't know how long you have had them side by side and I guess it could take varying amounts of time to get 2 buns used to each other but I would certainly say you were looking at weeks or months rather than days.

If possible I would find a rescue or experienced person to undertake the bonding for you.
 
Hi, I answered in the other sub-forum. I can see a couple of potential problems which might have sparked the fighting. Both buns really need to be neutered first, an unspayed doe's hormones could have had an effect on the proceedings. There is also a possibility he remembers the dining room and it is not neutral enough territory. I am also concerned by his aggression - and indeed the sign above his cage when he was at Pets at Home - it sounds like he has quite substantial aggression, issues which can often be 'fear' based in fact and buns that feel threatened will do one of three things: cower, run or fight. This could also potentially be aggression related to pain - has he had a check up with a rabbit savvy vet recently? I would advise this to rule out any physical cause to his behaviour.
 
he was neutered in March. We spoke to our local RSPCA beforehand and they were not prepared to assist with any bonding - we are in Leeds, does anyone know of any rescues which may be able to help???
 
he has always been bullish - we have had him since he was approx 3 months old - he was looking for a new home, we had him checked over immediately and he was given the all clear - he has been back to the vets a handful of times, neutered, teeth and claw check etc and they have said he is fine.

His behaviour recently is nothing new - he has always been moody but we have simply tried to do our best and taken lots of advice but unfortunatley to no avail - could it quite simply be that this is his temperment?
 
could it quite simply be that this is his temperment?

Yes possibly, there is a genetic component in 'some' aggressive rabbits, but very often very early experiences i.e. in the 3 months before you acquired him, are when the socialisation foundations are laid with baby rabbits with regard to other rabbits and humans. Without knowing his history it is impossible to tell exactly why he is the way he is....but I expect there was some 'socialisation' problems in his very early life. Sometimes behaviour programmed so very early on is very difficult to 'change' and all you can do is 'work with it' in the best way you can, which it sounds like you are doing. I would personally seek some advice from a rabbit behaviour expert even if just to identify 'triggers' which may aggravate his behaviour. These buns are not a lost cause, but progress can be frustratingly slow and often finding different techniques that can help can make all the difference. I know this as we have a 'damaged' bun of our own, fortunately, one without aggression, which of course in some respects is a lot easier, I feel for you. I do think, however, that a bonded companion - if you can manage it and it works, could be quite an important thing for your bun, it certainly helped ours :)
 
Just to echo what others have said really - ideally both buns should be neutered - it may be worth neutering the other bun and trying again after a few weeks when the hormones have calmed down! :D
 
he was neutered in March. We spoke to our local RSPCA beforehand and they were not prepared to assist with any bonding - we are in Leeds, does anyone know of any rescues which may be able to help???

I believe BARC in Barnsley have people who bond for them. Speak to bunnymadhouse and she may be able to help you.

It is a sad fact that some bunnies can't be bonded, some are just better off as single buns (although not many) but I wouldn't rule out a bond just yet.

You may have been better getting another bun from a rescue and letting him choose a friend seen as he seems very picky!

However, if it's any consolation, the first bond I ever did was horrendous, full on fighting, biting, locked on agression (with 2 normally placid buns). They went on to be completely loved up and happy together. :)
 
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Aww, I know how you feel. I went throught this when I brought Katy home from the RSPCA to bond with Homer who had recently lost his partner. She attacked him and he still has a scar on his ear 3 years later.

It took us 4 months to get them to bond. It was a last ditch attempt in the end and we bought a wendy house with a plan to put a permanent partition down. Anyway I went in and sat with them so it was totally neutral when it arrived. As soon as I saw any sign of aggression, I separated them and this continued each evening until one night Homey licked Katy, the next night she licked him back. She absolutley idolises him now - who couldn't :love:

I hope that you can get to this point with your two. My message really is, don't give up hope yet but also don't try it again too soon as it is emotionally distressing for you too. At times we waited a couple of weeks before trying them together again as I could not cope. However, you do need to bear in mind that some will not bond, I really hope this is not the case for your two.

Some people have taken rabbits for a car ride in a carrier together and this has helped, some put them in a bath or a small dog cage. I believe most people find the smaller the area, the better to start off with and then gradually increase.

Good luck and hugs to you.
 
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