Bonding females :(

I am so mad at myself.

So if you don't know I have recently set up a rabbit rescue. It's all going really well on the whole and I did my first bond a few weeks ago with one of my rescues and someone else's bunny and they are now happily in love at their new house!

Another adopter fell in love with one of my females named Blackberry. She has a girl who is calm and placid and she really wanted me to give the bond a go to see if it would work. The adopter has waited more than 3 months for Blackberry to finish feeding her babies, have a month to rest and then her spay and 6 weeks after that for hormones to settle.

They have been in adjacent pens for 24 hours and I put them in a neutral small cage today and they were immediately at each other. Full on attack mode and made me bleed through my thick gloves I was wearing. I managed to separate them and both bunnies are uninjured. Can a bond between females that starts like this ever work?

Just wish I never said I would try it. It's all learning though I guess.

What would you do now? I have swapped them over now so they are in each others cages and there is a gap between bars so they don't bite each other.

Thanks x

Oh dear but don't be disheartened. 2 females are supposed to be the most difficult of bonds and it sounds like you will need to give them a lot of time. I won't do single sex bonds as I have read so many posts about boys fighting etc. even when they have been "fine" for months. I am glad to hear your first bond was successful.

She is probably still quite hormonal and protective of a familiar space, after all the things she has been through. Give her time and a truly neutral space.
I dread bonding girls. I find boys or mixed pairs / trios easier.