2 unneutered male bunnies from brother to enemies

[Tasneem]

Hi,I have 2 new Zealand white bunnies,about 4 months old and unneutered.They are brothers and I got them when they were just about a month old from my friend’s farmhouse where they wasn’t being treated well.They used to be together all the time,from eating to sleeping and playing and we rarely forced them into their cage(they shared it too).From the past couple of days they have started fighting a lot.One time they were chasing each other and the next moment there was furr everywhere,with one with cuts on both of his eyes.I took him to the vet and he’ll be fine soon.But I am very stressed about this whole thing.Thanks to the forums on this page I’ve learnt that it isn’t impossible to bond two male bunnies but there is still 2 months to go before they get neutered and they might try and harm each other in this period.I have kept them in different rooms but this morning one somehow managed to get out and went straight to attack the other.Even while in a cage,who so ever is out will try to nip or use his claws to harm the other.This makes me worried.Are they really that aggressive when not neutered?Or is it their personality?Is there any hope that after neutering they will be back to normal?And do I let them see each other or they should be left completely isolated from each other?They seem sad on not having a company but they can’t even tolerate the smell of the other now(I tried changing litter plates and they didn’t liked it).What do I do?The thought gives me jitters that the incident that happened in the morning might get repeated again.I live with my family in a 2 bedroom apartment so both of the bedrooms and the living room are connected.

[Gina.Jenny]

Unfortunately, sometimes bunnies, siblings or not, do dislike each other, and as they have fought badly enough to cause injury, it is possible you will never rebond them. I have two rescue girls, who I think are sisters, and they would fight if they got the chance, and they have to be kept apart at all times. It is as much about personality as gender, as i used to have a pair of happily bonded boy buns, and the two boys who are each bonded to one of the girls would get on fine together if the girls would let them.

[Mikey]

I hope you dont mind a little story

My nethie, Bombur, turned from a cuddle baby into a huge aggressive jerk during his puberty and attacked his bonded mate, Blue the mini rex. The two had their own cages, but they were side by side. They would always be let out together for a few hours to free roam the living room. They would explore, play, get into trouble, eat, sleep, and cuddle together while they were out. There would be nipping now and then, but nothing bad or overly aggressive, just “youre in my way, *nip*” kind of nips. When Bombur hit puberty, he started to bite instead of nip, and he bit hard! He started with attacking me every time i entered his cage, or if he didnt like where i was sitting/standing in the living room. He saw those as his territory. Blue is my ESA so he doesnt like when i get hurt, it caused them a bit of tension, but they still acted normal together so i didnt separate them during their free roam times yet. It wasnt too long after he began to mount Blue to prove dominance. Blue really didnt care too much, hes much bigger than Bombur so he just shook him off. Bombur didnt seem to mind. Until one day, when Blue shook him off and he attacked full force on Blue. Blue can hold his own, and Bombur lost the fight. No major wounds, just a few spots of pulled fur. I was able to split them a few seconds after it started, but i have no doubt it would have ended terribly had i not been there. They were completely separated for about 3 months. No seeing eachother, only smelling eachother due to being in the same room. Bombur was completely blocked off from the sides as he could claw and bite through the bars, and would lunge and hurt himself. After the few months break from one another, and Bombur getting healed from finally being neutered, i put them in a box together. Blue nipped him a few times, i shook the box, he stopped. Since they were previously bonded, it went very well bonding them again. Blue never held a grudge, thankfully. After a few days of Blue mounting Bombur and Bombur grooming Blue, they were solid again. Now theyre together 24/7 as they share a cage and share free roam time

TLDR
Some rabbits get very, very aggressive from their hormones. I have scares up my arms and a few on my lower legs from my aggressive puberty bunny. He caused a bad fight between him and his bonded mate, but after a few months away from eachother, and after a successful neuter, they were back to being bonded. He is still a little mean to people, but he no longer leaves scares from clawing/biting/boxing. It will take time for them to be apart to cool off, forget their grudges, and being healed from their neuters. Dont lose hope yet

[tobyluv]

Is it your vet who wants to wait until the rabbits are 6 months old before they are neutered? Some vets do prefer to wait until the rabbits are a little older, but others will perform the neuter surgery as soon as the testicles have descended. Maybe you could speak with your vet and see if the surgery could be performed a little sooner.

Rabbits can fight and injure each other through the bars of a cage, so you might have to use an x-pen or sections of wire cube grids to surround the cage of the rabbit who is caged at the time, so that they can’t physically reach each other. If you don’t have either of those, try to block off their access as much as possible and be very careful when one is out for exercise. You don’t want any severe injuries and you don’t want the rabbits to come to hate each other and not be able to bond after their surgeries. X-pens are good to use for bonding, since you can get in there with the rabbits, so you could use one now to block off access and use it later to hopefully bond your rabbits.

[Tasneem]

Thanks a lot everyone
Yeah my vet is the one who wants to wait.The first time they fought is when I started reading about neutering and thought it might help calm them and I immediately called him but he refused to do it.The only problem currently is that I am afraid that any carelessness on my part will lead them to fight again.I can’t let them be near each other.As I’ve already mentioned that i’ve tried placing one in the cage and the other in the open in the same room and they tried harming each other,the only alternative that’s left is that I keep them in different rooms which increases the risk of door being left open by any family member.They don’t like staying in the cage because I have never forced them before.They used to roam all around the home.So now when I put them in the cage,they’ll get very aggressive,throwing food and litter everywhere inside and thrashing the walls of the cage.
Also witnessing the overnight changes in their personalities is quiet overwhelming for me.They used to be together all the time.It started when Boo started mounting scout.For a few days he let him mount him but he then started to run away from boo whenever he came to mount him.This was a week ago.3 days before they were chasing each other and my dad had just returned from work,so went to go check them.And there they were fighting and we heard a squeal.Lily had scratched both of boo’s eyes and there was furr everywhere.Luckily my dad was able to separate them on time.But since then they’ve fought twice.This whole situation depresses me and both of them look sad too on not having a company.Such dilemmas.I guess it’s a long journey ahead.

[Tasneem]

@mickey your story inspires me.I hope boo and scout will be able to bond together in the future just like your buns did
Boo just like bombur is bigger and the more aggressive one and I am still wondering how he was the one who ended up with injuries.Scout is very calm and a bit smaller in size than boo.

[Mikey]

Im glad it inspired you Im sure your pair will be able to bond later on after a good break. A break does wonder for angry buns

[Tasneem]

Just one last question though.Should I keep the separate until they are neutered(almost 2.5 months)?Or should I try bonding them before they are neutered?
Thankyou

[Mikey]

Yep! Keep them completely separated until they are both neutered and healed (atleast a month after the surgery). Its rarely possible to bond hormonal rabbits, so its better to be safe rather than sorry

[Author]

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