Fighting bunnies :(

Hello

We have two male rabbits who are around 18/20 months old. We have had them since 12 weeks old and they were neutered together at around 16 weeks when they started humping each other! One is a lionhead and the other is a lop eared bunny.

Since then they have lived for the majority of time in perfect harmony in their converted 8x6 playhouse with access to a run. In August, just before we were due to go on holiday they started fighting. The first signs where a scratch on the lops ear which unfortunately I assumed was just an accident, I checked the run etc for sharp edges but was quite happy. Then my wife witnessed a fight that seemed to be over as quickly as it started with no harm done.

The next day however the lop had quite serious scratches/cuts to his face. We set about dividing up their living space as we were due to go on holiday the next day. We split them up with mesh so they could still see each other and interact but without causing each other harm. We witnessed the lionhead try to attack whenever the lop came near to the mesh where he was.

Fast forward and they have been living that way for two months now and we would love for them to be back together properly. We have been told that now they've started fighting they always will but we haven't witnessed the lionhead attack through the mesh the way he was at the start and are hoping they have settled their differences.

Does anybody have any advice on how we could get them to make friends again or even why they may have started fighting in the first place?

Any advice would be gratefully received!

I can't give you any explanations as to why they started fighting, maybe one was a bit off colour so the other took advsntage? Maybe they have got older and feel they don't want to share with the other male. If you do try to rebond them it will have to be in a neutral area where neither rabbit has been - it might work, it might not, but if they have one more fight I would separate them permanently. Good luck.

Thanks for your reply. We will give this a try. Fingers crossed!

My two bucks fell out after being neutered (I put them back together before the hormones had a chance to calm down).

I then acquired two does from a rescue and bonded all four together. I separated the boys completely for a few weeks first. No sight or smell of each other and bonded in October (less hormonal time of year).

They have all been together happily for three years now and have managed to move house twice with no issues at all.

Hope it all works out for your two. ps The two boys often cuddle up together. The dominant boy always chases the others away at food times, esp. his brother!