Previously bonded bunnies no longer bonded?

[Oopsie]

I have two six month old rabbits who were spayed two weeks ago. They were from the same litter and were very close beforehand. They started fighting a couple weeks before the spay, but its only been getting worse since then. One of them constantly chases and bites at the other one who has taken to hiding in corners and making herself small. I was hoping this would end after the surgery, and I’m not sure what to do about it now.

How can I help them get along again? Thanks for any tips you can give me.

[Mikey]

Since they first started fighting you needed to separate them. The longer the fight, the less likely they will ever bond again. You are training them to fight by allowing it to happen often. Separate them. Give it 2+ months. Then start prebonding. Once prebonding shows no aggression, then you can start real bonding

[Oopsie]

Thanks for the quick reply, I forgot to mention that they tend to be fine when they are in their cage at the end of the day, and that virtually all of the fighting is when we let them out. We use an x-pen in the living room then. Should we still separate them, or would it be worth it to try setting up a new area?

[sarahthegemini]

Why did you not separate them when they first started fighting? You’re very lucky you didn’t end up with a dead rabbit. They were not bonded before, babies do not form proper bonds because when hormones come into play – all is forgotten. You need to keep them apart for a while so they can try and forget their fights then do pre bonding. 

[Author]

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