Separating Bonded Pair Before Spay/Neuter

[MazzyStar]

I have two bunnies that are about 11 weeks (female) and 13 weeks (male).
I recently separated them after I saw the male mount the female. I stopped it within 3 seconds and put her in the carrier immediately.
I’ve since built her a cage out of the x-pen and he is in their formerly shared crate.
I let them out for play time separately but they spend all of their time biting the others cage in a desperate attempt to get inside.
They’re housed on opposite sides of the room with a couch obstructing their view of each other. I thought that keeping them further away from each other would help with angst behaviors such as cage biting and possible urine spraying from the male.
I took the male into another room for play time and he just hid under furniture instead of his usual exploring, zooming and binkying. She is out now and doing the same
How long will it take them to adjust to the separation? I feel so bad because I don’t want either of them getting depressed.
I already tried swapping cages so neither gets territorial but my male immediately showed his displeasure by peeing on the ground as soon as I shut the cage door. He’s back in his own cage now.
I’ve also swapped their stuffed animals.
Any advice out there?

[Mikey]

While still hormonal, they likely wont “adjust”. They have their own hormones starting to rage, and they can smell the others hormones as well. Be careful letting them near eachothers cages as rabbits can still mate through the openings pretty easily

Keep with the cage swapping. Hes not peeing in displeasure, hes peeing to show that it is also his territory

[MazzyStar]

When they’re out of their cages I watch them like a hawk. Maybe that was a bad reference while we’re talking about prey animals :/
I guess I need to get a Tupperware container or a lid that fits the dimensions of the x-pen in the shape I have it. They’re pretty good about their litter habits but this territory marking isn’t acceptable when it soaks into the floor, so I definitely need a floor liner.
She was fine out of her cage after a while and although she likes to visit him, she also likes playing, binkying and getting her pets. He on the other hand is just desperate.

[Author]

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