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Please help - we're so upset :(

We have three rabbits (all girls) ages 2 and 3 years, and have had them for 6 weeks, two weeks ago they were nuteured. This afternoon they have all begun fighting. We have been at home all day, they've been fine all morning, came in for lunch and when we went back out there was clumps of fur all over the grass, but the rabbits were fine and then all of a sudden two of the three began chasing each other and then really fighting, my husband had a job seperating them, the children ran in crying it really was awful. He got one of them then the second one ran after the third and they also began fighting. We've checked them all over and there doesn't appear to be any injuries.

Has anybody got any idea what this can be, they are all sisters were well bonded when we had them and have been so close since being here. Always sleeping together, grooming etc and never any problems at all.

We're all very upset, they are obviously all seperated at the moment and I guess will have to be once we put them back in their run but we just don't know whats happened and what to do, would really appreciate some advice, thankyou. :cry::cry:
 
Really sorry this has happened. :(

I don't have any experience of bonding, but if you put a thread in the 'behaviour and bonding' section of Rabbit Care Discussion you might get more experienced replies.
 
Were they bonded already before you had them neutered? I was told to wait 4 weeks by the vet before trying to bond them and some people on here advise waiting up to 8 weeks to let their hormones die down. Do you think it could be that you introduced them too early? Could you leave it for a few more weeks and try again to bond them in a months time?
 
Were they bonded already before you had them neutered? I was told to wait 4 weeks by the vet before trying to bond them and some people on here advise waiting up to 8 weeks to let their hormones die down. Do you think it could be that you introduced them too early? Could you leave it for a few more weeks and try again to bond them in a months time?

Yes they were very well bonded, had lived together since birth (so 2/3 years) before we got them and happily lived together with us for 4 weeks before we had them 'done'. I thought it was to prevent them fighting?
Or do you mean we shouldn't have put them back together so soon after their ops? I thought once they were better it would be ok, which it has been until today.
 
I'm really sorry to hear about this :(

After they were spayed, did you separate them? I'm no expert in bonding - but if you did separate them did you put them back together on neutral territory? x
 
I'm really sorry to hear about this :(

After they were spayed, did you separate them? I'm no expert in bonding - but if you did separate them did you put them back together on neutral territory? x

yes they were seperated so we could tell if they were eating drinking etc etc, they could however still see each other and they were put back together in their hutch/run which was almost two weeks ago now. They have been absolutely fine since then and as normal as they usually were, grooming each other, sleeping like a sandwich! etc, they're very rarely apart, which makes this whole situation even more heartbreaking.

My neighbours just said she saw a cat sitting on our fence earlier and chased it off, would this have anything to do with it? I can't see why it would cause them to fight though, just thought I'd mention.
 
yes they were seperated so we could tell if they were eating drinking etc etc, they could however still see each other and they were put back together in their hutch/run which was almost two weeks ago now. They have been absolutely fine since then and as normal as they usually were, grooming each other, sleeping like a sandwich! etc, they're very rarely apart, which makes this whole situation even more heartbreaking.

My neighbours just said she saw a cat sitting on our fence earlier and chased it off, would this have anything to do with it? I can't see why it would cause them to fight though, just thought I'd mention.

That happened with my two giants. They are the most loved up couple ever, bonded within 12 hours with no problems at all. One day they were free range in the yard as we often do ( supervised of course) , something spooked them and they started fighting. My husband struggled to seperate them. Fortunately they were ok with each other when they went back into their shed, although the female seemed very submissive to the male - you could tell things were tence between them for a day or two.
 
That happened with my two giants. They are the most loved up couple ever, bonded within 12 hours with no problems at all. One day they were free range in the yard as we often do ( supervised of course) , something spooked them and they started fighting. My husband struggled to seperate them. Fortunately they were ok with each other when they went back into their shed, although the female seemed very submissive to the male - you could tell things were tence between them for a day or two.

Thankyou, thats good to know. You would think they'd all want support from each other if they were frightened of the cat not fight between them! The cat didn't get any of them or come into our garden, as our neighbour saw it all and just shooed the cat away (thank goodness). So annoying as we've been outside with them all morning and since and only popped in for lunch.

Have yours been ok since with no more fighting? this gives me hope. Not sure what is the right thing to do for tonight, we're thinking to keep them seperate still to give them some cooling off time and try tomorrow?
 
Everybun is different, and so its very difficult to say.

I suspect if they were mine and i was available this evening to keep a very close eye on them I might be tempted to try to reintroduce them. But - it depends how they seem. At all costs you want to avoid another fight. Every fight damages the bond, if you think they seem funny and will fight I'd keep them separate. But the trouble is, the longer you keep them separate the higher the chance you'll have to start from scratch with the bond.

Having said that, you say they are rescues. Can the rescue offer any advice? They might be able to help you rebond them?
 
I definitely agree that it's important to look at why this happened. I too would think about something spooking them (could have been the cat, could have been the neighbour, could have been something different) or I would be considering the health of them all in case the fight was triggered by a health related issue.

It's often very difficult to identify injuries immediately after something like this so you will need to keep checking for the next few days whilst any wounds there are scab over.

The adrenaline that fear brings can provide a 'fight or flight' instinct and it might be for one bunny it was a fight instinct, but obviosuly she couldn't fight what she really wanted to, so turned on the others (sort of similar to referred aggression almost).
 
I definitely agree that it's important to look at why this happened. I too would think about something spooking them (could have been the cat, could have been the neighbour, could have been something different) or I would be considering the health of them all in case the fight was triggered by a health related issue.

It's often very difficult to identify injuries immediately after something like this so you will need to keep checking for the next few days whilst any wounds there are scab over.

The adrenaline that fear brings can provide a 'fight or flight' instinct and it might be for one bunny it was a fight instinct, but obviosuly she couldn't fight what she really wanted to, so turned on the others (sort of similar to referred aggression almost).

Thanks, I didn't know about the health issue that they would fight, but having said that they all appear to be well, but I guess having them seperate will throw up any eating or toilet issues, although we have no concerns about any of them at the moment, but worth bearing in mind.

I can see now about the fear factor and considering what our neighbour just told us, is probably going to be the cause, how awful.

Will continue to check for any injuries for the next few days then.

We are around for the rest of the evening but have decided to divide the cage / run and see how they behave, they will beable to see each other still but not contact. And take it from there.

I also didn't know that bonds can be broken, I've just read a little on searching here, I really hope this isn't the case, we would all be devastated.
 
Thanks, I didn't know about the health issue that they would fight, but having said that they all appear to be well, but I guess having them seperate will throw up any eating or toilet issues, although we have no concerns about any of them at the moment, but worth bearing in mind.

I can see now about the fear factor and considering what our neighbour just told us, is probably going to be the cause, how awful.

Will continue to check for any injuries for the next few days then.

We are around for the rest of the evening but have decided to divide the cage / run and see how they behave, they will beable to see each other still but not contact. And take it from there.

I also didn't know that bonds can be broken, I've just read a little on searching here, I really hope this isn't the case, we would all be devastated.

Often health issues don't show up to us when they are clear to rabbits, so if it is a health issue, it may be clear to them, but not to you for the foreseeable future, so be very careful in watching everything about those bunnies.

Are you going to keep them separate for now? Are you able and prepared for a full rebond in the future?

Yes, rabbits can and do divorce, the same way that people can. No bond is ever guaranteed and all bonds can break down, some more easily than others, and some can be repaired, but others are not reparable.
 
Often health issues don't show up to us when they are clear to rabbits, so if it is a health issue, it may be clear to them, but not to you for the foreseeable future, so be very careful in watching everything about those bunnies.

We do and will but apart from the fighting everything appears normal so far.

Are you going to keep them separate for now? Are you able and prepared for a full rebond in the future?

What do you mean?

Yes, rabbits can and do divorce, the same way that people can. No bond is ever guaranteed and all bonds can break down, some more easily than others, and some can be repaired, but others are not reparable.

Thanks
 
If you separate them and keep them separate you're going to have to start from scratch and rebond them as if it's a new bond.
 
If you separate them and keep them separate you're going to have to start from scratch and rebond them as if it's a new bond.

Oh I see, so you think keeping them seperate just for tonight isn't a good idea?, we just thought just for tonight to give them time to cool down!, they're all settled at the moment, had some tea and seem a lot calmer now.
 
If they are rescue bunnies, the rescue should be open to helping you re-bond - have you tired talking to them? I'm suprised the rescue didn't have them neutered for you! If not there are plenty of people around who can help you re-bond, however being all girls they may not go back together.
 
Oh I see, so you think keeping them seperate just for tonight isn't a good idea?, we just thought just for tonight to give them time to cool down!, they're all settled at the moment, had some tea and seem a lot calmer now.

In these situations there are a variety of different ways forward.

The one I take, if I know the fight was sparked by something external, is to shift their scrappy mood and that's often enough. The way I shift the mood is take them on a car journey, in the same carrier and normally, very quickly, they lose the scrappy mood and settle down together, then when I put them back, they are fine. I have to 'repair' Candyfloss and Dusk's bond on a semi regular basis like this. I have found food works in the immediate present but as soon as they finish eating they start scrapping again, so something to shift the mood compeltely is what is needed for my pair.
 
Well I'm sitting here in tears and waiting for a call back with an appointment for the vets they wouldn't stop spatting last night and had another fight this morning. I'm trying to figure out if it's one that instigates it and I think I have and this morning she's done a cloudy yellowy orangey wee so now guessing that could be an issue!
 
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