what do i do for the best?!updated

some of you may know i rescued benji and oscar from freecycle from some person who decided to give them away to free to just about anybody! i managed to persude the woman to choose me with experience in having a rabbit and i could give them a good home or find them a nice home.
as soon as i saw benji bun and oscar piggie (who were then kept together) i fell in love with them both. benji was being fed guinea pig food, never given hay or nails never trimmed. nor was he ever vaccinated because the owner didnt realise they needed to be.

since benji and harvey managed to get each other and a huge scrap happened they are always fighting. i dont let them together no wayyy but when harvey has free time in the garden with me following him about he goes nuts when he can smell benji and runs upto the hutch and they start scratting through the bars.
benji can have free time in garden without getting to harvey because harvey is in the shed.

im seriously thinking now i may have to go back to my orginal plan and rehome benji to a new home and try and get past the fact i fell in love with him. he is a gorgous bun and i am attached to him but is it for the best to rehome him?(would get him neutered before doing so) ive tried standing infront of the hutches so harvey cant get to benji but cas i have a huge garden i have to follow harvey if he goes out of sight. this is ususally when he sprints over to benjis hutch and go crazy at each other.
i dont think its fair on either of them and i was hoping maybe i could bond when both neutered but with this violent past between them will that ever happen?
i dont know what to do for the best! i feel im selfish for wanting to keep him because i love him loads but i feel maybe it would be fairer to have him go to another home when he wont have to fight with another rabbit.
it hurts like mad even considering it and i just dont know what to do. im glad i helped him, got him eating proper food and onto hay, sorted his vacs and nails etc and hes happier without oscar around him.
if anyone was in my situation what would you do?!

Its a hard one. Can you not wait until after they are both neutuered and see how they react to each other then? If you are not going to rehome him til after he is done surely a few extra weeks wouldnt hurt? At the end of the day you need to do whats best for both buns though. If yours really doesnt like him its prob not fair to keep him as they will wind each other up. good luck x Jess

Can you not put a barrier up so Harvey can't get near to Benjis hutch or move the hutch to a part of the garden H doesn't go to - I think it was Phill last week or was it Elve, who said they put a board between rabbits who are bothered by each other and it worked fine

I think it would be a shame to rehome him as you obviously love him

Aww Kirst, what a toughie. What about in the short term putting benji inside the shed while harvey is out... a bit of a hassle I know but might work until you figure something else out?

Completely sympathise with you. We have two pairs of buns who live next door to each other and whenever one pair is out they immediately try to attack the other pair through their hutch wires!

Obviously this is quite distressing but we couldn't bear to part with any of the buns so we have bought some of those run panels which we use several ways to help the situation

1. Barricade the area with the hutches so the buns can't get at each other
2. Use as a run for one set of buns in the house whilst the others run outdoors
3. We have started trying to get them more used to each other and have one pair in the run outdoors whilst the others have free range. The tinniest one bopped our Giant on the nose through the bars the other day and she didn't react so I thikn we may be getting somewhere!

HTH definitely don't give up, I'm sure you will come up with some way to keep them both happily

thank you to those of you who did reply. i have been off the site for awhile trying to decide what was for the best and after speaking to my vet practise we decided it was for the best to find benji a new home. so today he was taken to a place in northants which will find a new home for him. it broke my heart and i burst into tears when i handed him over, it was one of the hardest things ive ever had to do but i feel better knowing i helped him. i know they will find him a new home and he may even get a lady friend.
gave a donation to help and will try and get a couple of bags of hay to them aswell.

Don't feel bad. You have done what was needed because it wasn't working out for him.

He will undoubtedly find just as great a new home with no fighting!!

Hope you aren't taking it too hard

Fiona x

That's a tough call hun but you have done what you feel is best for your buns. At the end of the day, you know them best and you have made the best decision you could. I am sure he will be fine, and the reduced stress levels will make you all feel better. Don't be too hard on yourself. take care x Jess