Bonding going horribly wrong :S

[vitryolic]

I've got gotten a new girl bunny (unneutered 1 year old) for my little boy (castrated 5months old) rabbit.
She came from a pet shelter where she was fine housed with 2 castrated males. He hasn't seen another rabbit since the pet shop 3 months ago.
The lady at the pet shelter said to just put them together on neutral territory and watch them closely, that they should be fine after a few hours and that a bit of fighting was normal.


My bunny Spaz kept trying to attack her, biting her nose and scratching her face, and even though she'd go up just to sniff him she'd fight back as soon as he would start.
I separated them and kept her in his old cage inside his run but they kept fighting through the bars. So I put the run and cage next to each other but out of touching distance and swapped the bunnies over a few times to get used to each other's scents.


Rung the lady at the pet rescue and she said just to try again and they would get bored of fighting. This time I tried for an hour instead of 20 minutes.
They spent the whole time chasing and trying to mount each other. Each time 1 would get on top of the other and hold on to the skin/fur on the other's back for dear life as the other tried to escape.
Spaz mounted girl-bunny the most, and sometimes she'd just sit down submissively and take it, mostly she'd retaliate though.


About 5 times the fighting got really violent, when 1 would bite or mount the other's neck or face they'd scratch, go mad and box mid air. I separated them anytime this happened.
It was only when they separated that I noticed Spaz's nose and mouth was covered in blood. That's when I called the bunny date to an end. I knew the girl bunny had lost quite a few tufts of fur but didn't realise it was that bad, she didn't seem to have any open wounds on her back.


I really don't know what to do. The lady at the rescue said the fighting was normal and just keep putting them together but everything I've read on the internet seems to say otherwise?
It's always Spaz who starts the fighting and the girl just copies every thing he does from biting, to mounting, to resting. Is this bond salvageable? Should I try again with a different bunny or does it sound like Spaz is better off on his own?


Sorry for the very lengthy explanation, just wanted to include all the facts!

 

[Daisylop]

separate them now and dont try again until you've had the female spayed.I wouldnt even keep them in close proximity,until she's spayed they need to forget each other.Chasing,mounting,nipping and fur pulling is normal but sounds to me they are actually fighting so should be stopped.Personally I'd never try and bond when only one bunny is neutered.

 

[abbymarysmokey]

I suspect that the bonding area wasn't as neutral as it needs to be. If your bun has been everywhere in your house, then you'll need them bonding elsewhere (a friends house, or at the animal shelter?)

Definitely don't put her in cage inside his territory...that will only lead to competition and fighting.

 

[tintin]

I think the first suggestion of most posters on here would be to get your girl speyed. Even though your male rabbit has been neutered, non-speyed females are very hormonal and until she is done I think bonding them will be difficult. Speying should calm her down a bit and presumably she won't be as smelly to your boy.

From what I have read on here, most people go for the 'let them sort it out' bonding, where you let them establish a hierarchy. However, the general advice is that you must intervene if this goes beyond chasing and fur-pulling and the bunnies are trying to lock-on when biting the other. I think you were right to stop it - I have seen ours fight and know they could kill each other if left.

After the spey, you may have to do the long-bonding thing. This means swapping over the bowls etc. and keeping them in a divided run so that they can see and smell each other but separate enough so they can't hurt each other. There are lots of good hints on the forum about bonding - when I bonded ours I found the spraying them with water when aggressive worked after a while, but it sounds like yours may be beyond that stage.

I sympathise, though. Our two neutered males have fallen out and now hate the sight of each other. I do plan to re-bond them when the weather gets warmer, but at the moment they can't even be allowed to see each other. Even if separated by two lots of mesh, they throw them selves against the wire trying to attack the other. I swap them round so they alternate in each others hutches, but it is making all 3 of us (them and me) quite stressed and none of us are as happy as we used to be.

 

[Candiflare]

I'd go with everyone else and say that you must get her spayed. It'll make a world of difference in their attitudes to one another.I managed to bond my neutered boy and unspayed girl, but only because she was very young (5 months) and still growing. I'm sure if she had been 1 year old, your girl's age, bonding would have been a lot more difficult, as her hormones would have already been very well established.

I'd say separate them now, get the girl spayed, allow a week for her to get over the spay, then completely wash all smells from the living space you want to keep them in using vinegar and water.

Good luck! I know it seems like a wait for them to be together, but it's definitely worth it!

 

[areia]

yup, this sounds like a bad bond, spay may work but damage may already be done, dont wanna put a downer on it,

it maybe best to find someone or a rescue local to do the bonding for you neutral ground is important more so with these 2

 

[beki]

after the spay if you do decide to put them back together i would suggest a water gun/spray bottle. I did it every time ruby tried to fight with reggie, after about an hour of ignoring him alternating with fighting she gave up and started trying to snuggle him (and hump him). The water put her off fighting him. They are now very much in love

(both mine were neutered whilst bonding - well actually i put them together before reggie's neuter for one go and it didn't go well at all as ruby locked onto his neck and i had to practically tip a bottle of water on her to make her let go, had to be separated instantly, but no harm done)

 

[BB Mommy]

Definately separate now - the bond will not work with that level of aggression and is unfair for both of them.

Your female may well still smell of the other males, and whilst she is unneutered her hormones at this age will be firing on all cylinders.

I agree with other posters that you should consider neutering your female, and try rebonding in a few months time on completely neutral territory.