Bonded Pair Squabbling and Now Big Fight

[Buffy88]

Hi all, my boyfriend and I have two bonded rabbits – Bella (female, about 5 years, spayed) and Gimly (male, about 5 years, neutered).  They have been together for almost two years now.  The initial bonding process was quite smooth; the only issue between them was Gimly’s almost constant mounting/attempts to mount, which settled down a few weeks after they met.  He does still try to mount occasionally.  He is definitely the dominant bunny, receiving the vast majority of grooming.

They had never been aggressive toward each other, but a few months ago we moved them to a new place.  After a few weeks at the new home, Bella began nipping at Gimly randomly.  Sometimes it would happen as they were being petted together and she seemed to think he was getting more attention.  Other times she would lash out at him seemingly for no reason.  They would have short scuffles but go right back to sitting together and Bella grooming him.  This went on for a while and then quieted down somewhat.

Last night, Gimly returned from a solo vet visit to get his teeth burred, which he has had done 3-4 times now without incident afterward between the two of them.  When he returned, Bella was sniffing his fur and my hands – we had obviously picked up a strange scent from the vet.  He was understandably grumpy from his day, and she kept coming up behind him to sniff his fur.  This has become a touchy behavior due to her repeatedly nipping him in the rear.  I am not certain if she was only sniffing or actually nipped him, but suddenly they got into a huge fight, rolling around on the floor biting each other, fur flying everywhere.  I was able to separate them with a blanket after a couple minutes and a few tries, and then got them into their separate cages to settle down (they have their own cages so Gimly doesn’t eat Bella’s food).  They calmed right down, but I am traumatized.

I am hoping all is well when they are freed again tonight.  Any advice as to what is going on here or how to stop Bella attacking him and preserve their bond is greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

[Mikey]

Its not abnormal for rabbits to get upset over their humans or other animal friends smelling differently. Its possible that while at the vet, you two picked up a smell that she doesnt recognize, which made her nippy. If there were other bunnies there, she likely smelled another rabbit on him and thought he may have been a different rabbit. Its also possible she thought he was a different animal all together since he didnt smell like himself. I would recommend that after vet visits they have a few hours apart but near one another. That way they still see one another, but sniffing is limited until the vet bun smells “normal”

[Buffy88]

All seems well with the rabbits post-vet visit. I will have to watch for strange scents next time.

[Author]

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