Bonded buns had a sudden fight! Why?!

[DanaNM]

Hi everyone, Was wondering if I could get some advice! 

My buns are Bertha (~6 yr old spayed female) and JP (~3 yr old neutered male). They’ve been bonded and living together since April. They have never been the madly in love type, but they do seem to enjoy each other’s company! This past week, I’ve noticed Bertha getting slightly food aggressive, but nothing major, just a few lunges at JP over the pellet bowl. It has also seemed like there has been more marking outside the litter box. Then last night, seemingly out of nowhere, a real fight broke out. 

I was doing dishes, heard the start of some scuffling, and within seconds they were kicking each other and fur was flying everywhere! Was able to break up the fight with loud noises and the water bottle, and they ran into their condo and chilled on separate levels for a bit. They were fine all night and this morning (in their condo together, not separated or anything). Ate breakfast together fine, although JP is still acting very skittish around Bertha. WTH?! 

Is this just a random argument? I have made an appointment for a vet check-up on Monday to make sure there aren’t any underlying illnesses, but both are eating, pooping, and grooming normally. SO WEIRD. They only things I can think of that might have contributed are that my husband and were gone for about 2 weeks, and had a pet sitter (who noted zero problems with them), and we’ve been home for a little over a week. Maybe all the shuffling of people upset them? The other thing is that JP has always refused to groom Bertha even though she is dominant (or maybe he is just too socially inept??), but he has been asking her to be groomed. She will only groom him if it’s on her terms, and very rarely. Maybe as he is settling in he is getting more pushy and demanding, and she won’t stand for it??? 

Maybe I am just humanizing them too much! It’s so weird, since they seemed to be sleeping near each other more and more! I’m considering removing the levels of their condo to force them to hang out together on the same level, but I want to make sure I can be home for a while when I do that, because right now they can avoid each other for the most part. Do you think that’s a good idea? Any thoughts would be appreciated! These buns are being so difficult and confusing! 

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[Mikey]

Keep separated levels. If they dont like one another, but dont hate one another (they just tollerate one another), you will want to make sure you leave spaces each can hide where they wont see the other bun. If one like hiding on the top and one likes to hide on the bottom, i would leave it like that

As for why they fought, both scenarios you mentioned would make sense. It could be that hes asking to be groomed much more often and she is getting progressively more upset at his askings. It couldve also been the shuffle of people the past few weeks making her more territorial. The only way you would really be able to tell, is if you saw how the start started and who initiated it

You also mentioned that shes getting a bit controlling over the pellet dish, have you ever fed them their pellets without the dish? Just tossing their pellets on the ground? This often seems to work for buns who are controlling over food, since the dish is not there to be ‘claimed’

[DanaNM]

Thanks Mikey, I’ll keep the condo the way it is for now then. Their bond has always reminded me more of siblings than bff’s, so that makes sense. 

Yeah, since the fight, i’ve been putting some food in the dish, then scattering the rest on the ground, so I’ll keep that up!

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[Mikey]

Sounds like a good plan Some rabbits also have surges of hormones every now and then, even if they are fixed. If her grumpiness is more recent, it could be that shes just having a surge that should end in a few weeks. Best of luck!

[Alicia]

I also need advice about a bonded pair that suddenly had a fight. I share my home with 2 rabbits. Zoe is a spayed female Mini Rex rabbit who is approximately six years old. I adopted her from a shelter when she was about six months old. Zephyr is a neutered male Jersey Wooly rabbit who is about three years old. I adopted him from a shelter so Zoe would have a companion. Zoe and Zephyr first met when they “speed dated” at the shelter about 2 years ago. They seemed to get along well during their first meeting, but it took them about 2 years to bond. They finally bonded about 7 weeks ago and were getting along very well and no longer fighting (living in the same playpen, having meals together, and lying down together when they were sleeping, etc.). After 7 weeks of “bunny bliss” they suddenly started fighting 2 days ago (September 15). I was in the room with them when they started fighting, but I did not see which rabbit instigated the fight. I separated them, checked them for injuries, and gave each of them some Rescue Remedy. Neither rabbit was injured (just some bits of fur pulled off in the fight). They seemed to calm down so I let them sleep in the playpen together. The next morning (yesterday 9/16) I discovered that they had had another fight during the night. Zephyr (the male rabbit) had chunks of fur that were hanging off (but no cuts or bite marks on his skin–he has very thick fur). Zoe’s fur looked a bit scruffy, but she had no bite marks. I groomed both rabbits, changed their litter boxes, cleaned the playpen, and gave them fresh hay and water. I called the shelter where I had adopted them and was told to observe them and separate them if they fought again. They did fight again. Zoe instigated the fight. I sprayed her with water to stop the fight and moved her into a separate playpen. They spent the night in separate playpens. After talking to the shelter again this morning (9/17), I was advised to put the rabbits together into a playpen and observe them. When I first put them together, Zoe approached Zephyr and put her head against Zephyr as if she was requesting to be groomed. Zephyr did not groom her and hopped away from her after about 5 minutes (traditionally in their relationship, Zoe is the dominant rabbit who wants to be groomed. When Zoe wants grooming, Zephyr does not always groom her). About 30 minutes after Zephyr failed to groom her, Zoe suddenly lunged towards Zephyr. I sprayed her with water and she stopped her attack before she had the chance to bite. Both rabbits seemed nervous, but later went back to eating (there are 2 hay mangers and 2 litter boxes in the playpen). About an hour later, Zoe lunged at Zephyr again. Zephyr cried out in fright (this is the first time I have heard him cry). I sprayed Zoe with water before she had the opportunity to bite. I put Zoe in a separate playpen.
Neither of the rabbits are injured, but because they both seemed stressed, I have kept them separated for the rest of the day, and they will sleep separately tonight. They were getting along really well and seemed very happy together before they had the fight on 9/15. I had been out of town on a vacation and had a pet sitter from 8/29 to 9/04. The pet sitter did say that the rabbits had any problems getting along while I was out of town. And during the 11 days that I was home before the fight, Zoe and Zephyr seemed affectionate towards each other. Neither of the rabbits has health problems. And before the fight on 9/15, I had not observed any signs of illness or changes in their behavior towards each other. Does anyone have advice for how I might try to bond them again?

[Mikey]

Alicia, i think you are supposed to make your own topic for your own bonding problems so you can get more/better/specific advice to your situation. I will answer you though, since im not sure if that rule only applies to old threads, or all threads

If its been two years and they still fight, they are not going to get along. Stop trying to bond them as its not going to work out. Youll either have to find them two new bonding buns and make two sets of pairs, or have them both be single buns. They will need their own cages and pens, and are not allowed to share either of them. Not all rabbits are going to like one another and trying to force them to will only make them more aggressive towards one another

[DanaNM]

I responded to your post in your thread, good luck!

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[DanaNM]

**Update** 

Since the fight, I’ve been scatter-feeding their pellets, and feeding them right at the start of play-time, and they have been super mellow and much better. No incidents to speak of, aside from a few lunges here and there. 

Both buns were checked over by a rabbit vet today, and were given a clean bill of health. We didn’t do blood work or anything, since they had no symptoms that didn’t seem necessary. JP did have a bite that I hadn’t noticed, but it is healing well and already scabbed over so we are just going to keep an eye on it. 

The did pretty well in the carrier at the vet’s as well, although Bertha did nip at JP a bit a few times if they started getting antsy. 

I kept an eye on them for a while once we got home, and they seemed totally good. No aggression or fear towards one another, just happy to be home I think! 

So, I have some ideas about what caused the initial fight, but this is really just speculation: 

While we had a pet sitter, they were only getting fed veggies and pellets once per day, while we usually feed them twice a day. This might have fostered a bit of food aggression, especially since they were prob getting less exercise. That coupled with new smells when we came home with a bunch of camping gear probably just upset them a bit too much. 

I’ll be continuing the “scatter feeding” indefinitely, and will remember to keep a close eye on them next time we go out of town! 

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[Author]

Messages