Oh no.....more fighting

I posted on friday re my two buns.

Domino (neutered male) and Lulu went to a rehoming place to be bonded by them there. They stayed for 5 days and came away fine.

They had a fight on friday night though - I threw some water on them because they were really going some:shock:

After that they seemed fine until this morning when, again, they had another fight that I had to break up. When I got home this afternoon there was fur in their house so they must've had another spat while I was out (I feel so bad)

So this evening I have sat in a puppy pen with the two of them and watched them really carefully to monitor anymore pre fight signs and try to intervene.....I have been in there since 5pm! There have been a few incidents where they've looked like they were going to start again (lowering themselves and almost mirroring each other face to face) which I tried to diffuse by distracting.

There has been a bit of eye licking and they ate side by side etc but then I got up to go to the kitchen and all hell broke loose (again) :-( :-(

I'm so upset and frustrated....I am a novice bunny owner and I really need to know I'm doing the right/wrong thing with these two. Dom is my darling boy and the lonly reason I decided to get another is so he has a friend he can love.... But I hate seeing them both fighting and i now really don't like the idea of leaving them alone during the day in case they really so each other some harm.

My set up is that I've got some NIC cubes with levels and a puppy pen outside the door of the cube area as extra run space. So I could seperate them so that one has the pen and the other the cube area......? Until I work out what to do.

Amazingly enough, after they've been seperated following a fight, they will then flop down and sleep within 6inches of each other!??

So what on earth do I do? Do I give up and try another doe? If there's a chance they will be ok I'd like to keep her but the rescue centre have said she can come back......

I feel like it's such a shame...I wonder if I've done something wrong when they came home that broke their bond??

It's now a constant worry and I really need to sort it

(and I thought naughty Shire colts were bad....rather be near them in a scrap than these two....they've vicious!!!)

Suggestions/advice very welcome.......because I'm stressing now:roll:

i have no advice i'm afraid, just read your post and wanted to bump it up

mangobiscuit said:

I posted on friday re my two buns.

Domino (neutered male) and Lulu went to a rehoming place to be bonded by them there. They stayed for 5 days and came away fine.

They had a fight on friday night though - I threw some water on them because they were really going some:shock:

After that they seemed fine until this morning when, again, they had another fight that I had to break up. When I got home this afternoon there was fur in their house so they must've had another spat while I was out (I feel so bad)

So this evening I have sat in a puppy pen with the two of them and watched them really carefully to monitor anymore pre fight signs and try to intervene.....I have been in there since 5pm! There have been a few incidents where they've looked like they were going to start again (lowering themselves and almost mirroring each other face to face) which I tried to diffuse by distracting.

There has been a bit of eye licking and they ate side by side etc but then I got up to go to the kitchen and all hell broke loose (again) :-( :-(

I'm so upset and frustrated....I am a novice bunny owner and I really need to know I'm doing the right/wrong thing with these two. Dom is my darling boy and the lonly reason I decided to get another is so he has a friend he can love.... But I hate seeing them both fighting and i now really don't like the idea of leaving them alone during the day in case they really so each other some harm.

My set up is that I've got some NIC cubes with levels and a puppy pen outside the door of the cube area as extra run space. So I could seperate them so that one has the pen and the other the cube area......? Until I work out what to do.

Amazingly enough, after they've been seperated following a fight, they will then flop down and sleep within 6inches of each other!??

So what on earth do I do? Do I give up and try another doe? If there's a chance they will be ok I'd like to keep her but the rescue centre have said she can come back......

I feel like it's such a shame...I wonder if I've done something wrong when they came home that broke their bond??

It's now a constant worry and I really need to sort it

(and I thought naughty Shire colts were bad....rather be near them in a scrap than these two....they've vicious!!!)

Suggestions/advice very welcome.......because I'm stressing now:roll:

Click to expand...

I know exactly how you feel, my two didn't bond on their first attempt, and we're yet to try again. Just wanted to let you know I'm thinking of you, and though I have no experience, I don't think you should give up just yet - would the person who bonded them take them back to try them again? Perhaps they need a little more time?

Poppymoon-thanks for the bump

moss-thanks for your reply....feeling pretty disheartened now as Dom somehow got through door I've pit up between them and lept out of bed at 4.30am when I heard another scrap!

They're securely seperated now but in view of each other....she has become the agressor now abd Dom is pretty terrified of her. We were advised that she is a very strong character and the bonding may ne difficult...

Arggh nightmare... She's a lovely girl but not when near him-and that was the point!

oh dear think they'd have another go at the rescue for you?

did they start fighting the day you got them home? It may be the new area has set them off. Could you try separating them completely?-different rooms to give each bun a chance to forget.If they are constantly seeing each other they are not being given a chance to forget and each time you put them together they are carrying on where they left off.

Hi:wave:
You have my sympathies. I am in the same position as you.
My rabbit went to a rescue to be bonded, not an easy bond, he was a difficult boy and although he lived happily with his late partner we have tried and failed to bond him before.
We were thrilled at the sucess this time.He came home happy and loved up then fell out after less than 12 hours and I had to seperate them. They are now seperate but next to each other and waiting to go back to be rebonded. I haven't seen any signs of aggression while they are seperated by mesh.
I don't think you necessarily did anything wrong but I think, on reflection, that I gave mine too much space too soon. I have seen other posts on here since advising against this. I think the space allowed them to become seperate and then perhaps terratorial (I am just guessing).
I will be very nervous that if they do bond it will fall apart back here again but I will be very careful about keeping the space small and gradually increasing it.
I think, with him, I wouldn't try again if this doesn't work (though I have said that before) as this was the best chance of success and its so stressful when it goes wrong.
I do feel for you. My best advice is to take a bit of time to come to a decision and it will put things into perspctive. I was so stressed out in the first few days that it seemed overwhelming.
Nicky

Chookmum-I'm so sorry you're in the same situation....it's so disappointing isn't it?

What you've written really makes a lot of sense re the too much space too soon point... I fear this may have been a definite factor in the breakdown. When I got them home they were snuggly etc but soon after, girly explored the setup and they ended up having their own little areas away from each other.....

We have moved her into a bedroom out of sight of Dom now nut have no idea how long to leave it before trying to introduce them again...

Funny thing is, when they were next to each other in cages with just a grill between them, they were sniffing and licking each other through the bars!!?? But thrv when actually together syart to fight!

I really wish you all thr luck in the world with your two....please let me know of you get it cracked

x

mangobiscuit said:

We have moved her into a bedroom out of sight of Dom now nut have no idea how long to leave it before trying to introduce them again...

Funny thing is, when they were next to each other in cages with just a grill between them, they were sniffing and licking each other through the bars!!?? But thrv when actually together syart to fight!

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I'd leave it a week or so,just so that they forget then treat it as a completely new bond. I'd then leave them in the bonding area again for a week-or even longer,I kept mine in the bonding area about a week and a bit [I'm probably overcautious but I'd rather that than them fighting]. When you come to increase space do it gradually-watching for any signs of aggression from either bun but be aware there may be a bit of chasing etc.
Bunnies in cages give you a false sense of security-its surprising how a little piece of mesh can affect their behaviour :roll:
Good luck with the rebonding!!

Good luck to you too and similarly let us know how you get on.
I feel a liitle less confident after reading that they can be friendly with the mesh between them and not without it.
It's such a complex thing bunny bonding, I never realised. I wonder if you can get books on rabbit psychology like you can for dogs. I'll have a look on Amazon I'd like to be able to understand them.

Another point, is the living space the same that was previously used for Domino and if so did you use white vinegar to neutralise it?

I second Amy's post. If they have been bonded at a rescue, you will still need to bond them back home on neutral ground. If one of the bunnies has previously lived in an area, its best to do somewhere else i.e. kitchen or bathroom.

Janice from ARC has bonded a lot of bunnies and if you search her threads, they are very helpful. Janice bonds in a restricted space, which you can see from her photos

:http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?t=171233&highlight=janice+bonding&page=2
http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?t=177392&highlight=janice+bonding