2 Bonded rabbits suddenly start fighting. Help, please!

[Alicia]

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 got along well during their first meeting, but they were slow to bond. They finally bonded about 7 weeks ago and were getting along very well (living in the same playpen, sharing meals, and lying down together when they were sleeping). After 7 weeks of “bunny bliss” they suddenly started fighting on 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 (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 the next 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 but let her lie beside him. He 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 in the playpen. They usually sit next to each other and use the same manger when they eat, but this time they ate their hay from different mangers. 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 kept them separated for the rest of the day, and they slept in separate playpens last night. And I have kept them in separate playpens today. 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 indicate 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 were 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. I plan to take both rabbits to the vet tomorrow to make sure that they do not have any health problems that might have caused them to start fighting. The attached photo was taken about 2 months ago. Does anyone have advice for how I might try to bond them again? 

[tobyluv]

It’s good that you are taking your bunnies to the vet, just in case there is some health problem that might be causing the sudden aggression. I think that the best thing to do is to keep them separated for a few weeks, then start the bonding process again. Sometimes bonds will break. Hopefully, you can get them back together again soon.

[Alicia]

Zoe and Zephyr are going to see the vet today at 2pm (Chicago Exotics). I will post an update after their vet appointment.

[Alicia]

Zoe and Zephyr had their vet appointment. Zephyr did not have any wounds that required stitches or other medical attention. Zoe has two wounds that I had not noticed because of their position and because they were covered with fur. One wound is on her inner left thigh (back leg). The other wound is on her right armpit area (front leg). The vet shaved both areas and applied Nolvasan. The skin in those areas is thin (because of rabbit anatomy) so Zoe did not get stitches. Zoe is going to take probiotic, 2 antibiotics, and a pain medication. Zephyr is going to take probiotic and one antibiotic (because he had a small scrape that looked like it was from a bite). Both rabbits will have recheck at the vet in 2 weeks. Until after this recheck appointment, Zoe and Zephyr will stay in separate playpens and will not have contact with each other. So no bonding sessions until after the vet check.

[DanaNM]

Hi Alicia, 

I recently had a very similar experience with my buns, where they were with a pet sitter for a couple weeks and had no problems, and then got into a fairly serious fight about a week after I had been home! I posted about it last week! 

Luckily, after that first fight they have been doing well. A few lunges here and there, but no fighting. It sounds like your buns had a much fresher bond, so maybe not totally cemented yet, and more easily upset. 

The common thread that I see in both our stories is that we were both out of town and then came home. I wonder if we both brought home new smells? Or the cumulative stress of new caregivers coming and going? 

Sounds like you are doing all the right things. It is possible that in your case, the initial fight was due to you being gone and then coming home, and then maybe the injury resulted in ongoing hard feelings? 

One thing I have heard from many bonding experts is that you should always try to stop a fight with loud noises or a spray bottle, so the rabbits “decide” to stop fighting, rather than physically separating them. Just food for thought when you start up bonding again. 

. . . 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]

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