My boys fighting after neutering - help!

littley · Nov 22, 2006

Hi
I wonder if this has happened to anyone else? I've searched the forums but can't find exactly the same problem.

I had Ollie and Liam neutered on Tuesday and everything went fine. They have made the perfect recovery apart from this: Liam has started being very aggressive towards Ollie and keeps thumping his foot, then chasing him around and biting his backside.

They have fought on occasion before, but I just put it down to hormones and finding a pecking order. Ollie is usually the one to thump his foot and I always thought he would be the dominant one, but now he is pretty terrified! I have always stopped them fighting before but have not separated them. They are brothers and 3 months old. Do you think I will have to separate them? I am not keen to do this as I hope that this is just a temporary thing and they have always sorted out their differences before. They are in a dog crate and I let them out to roam whenever I am in the kitchen, which is cable-free!

Many thanks in advance for any advice.

Littley

Becca · Nov 23, 2006

I got my two boys from the rescue shortly after they were neautered.I noticed Smokey was also doing this to Fudge chasing,nipping and thumping.
They have never had a proper fight but still the chasing and nipping goes on occasionally.
If they are not proper fighting i would leave them and see how they go on.
I know someone on here had to seperate her two boys because they were fighting quite bad.
Hope everything goes ok.

Angie65 · Nov 23, 2006

Hi

Hormones don't disappear straight away. My Cracker's took about 8 weeks after neutering for him to stop humping & spraying everything in sight

Make sure they got plenty of space & can't smell other buns & they might sort it out

Rushie · Nov 23, 2006

I personally would just wait and see especially as they are not having a full on fight.

Their hormone levels will also still be high for a few weeks yet.

Kate

littley · Nov 23, 2006

Thanks

Thanks everyone. They seemed to have settled a bit by this morning, but I heard a few scuffles during the night!
I realised that the hormones would settle down eventuallyrather than straight away and thought it might have been the stress of going to the vets for the op that caused the problem.
They haven't got any other buns nearby but there are a couple of guinea pigs in the same room, which had caused no problems so far. Maybe that has something to do with it, so if they don't settle I will move the piggies to another room.

Thanks again.

Littley

TRACEY · Nov 23, 2006

Hi,

I had 4 boys who all fought really bad following being done. We did have to seperate them all because they were causing nasty wounds etc.

We have managed to get Roger and Dave back together now but the other 2 are still seperate.

I would say try and leave them if the fighting is not too aggressive as the bonding again afterwards is not too easy as they dont seem to forget the fighting

Good luck

Tracey x

sezzy5889 · Nov 23, 2006

Yeah you must know when rabbits are neutered they are still fertile for up to 6 weeks after, this is why you can't introduce a female until a couple of months after, so i expect the hormones won't dissapear until then too, i say give them a few weeks (but still introducing them briefly so they don't forget eachother, or keeping them in side-by-side enclosures) and they will probably be ok after then :wink:

My boys fighting after neutering - help!

littley

New Kit

Becca

Wise Old Thumper

Angie65

Wise Old Thumper

Rushie

Banned

littley

New Kit

TRACEY

Banned

sezzy5889

Warren Scout

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