2 Male Rabbits Won’t Complete the Bonding Process

[JJ]

These guys were apperently bonded when they were given to me. Not neutered at the time. They were shy in the day but rowdy at night. Didn’t take long to realize they were fighting over a dominence issue, as there was lots of mounting, chasing and nipping. Perhaps the move broke the bond, maybe they were never properly bonded to begin with, I’ll never know. There was not room enough in my small room for separate bunnies, so I had to find a home for one of them quickly. I gave the shyer—black bunny—to a close friend, with a list of DO’s and DONT’s and sample bags of hay and pellets. I asked about him often, and it became apparent that he was not getting proper care. Then she moved him to her mothers house who has a lose dog in the house. We fought over him for a while, but I eventually got him back when they adopted 2 more dogs. Let’s just say we are no longer friends.

Before we gave him away he was just very shy, and the lesser dominant of the two. We got him back with new aggression. Stomping and growing if you even looked in his direction. He scared me. We struggled with the decision of what to do with him. But decided the poor thing had moved around enough and that he became that way because he felt he had to. Our small room became even smaller in order to keep the rabbits separate. And it took months of very slow progress to get him to trust us again. I don’t know if he’ll ever really forget his time away from us, but he’s more like his old self now. Only he’s the more dominant of the two now.

We neutered them both, and took all appropriate bonding steps, and all went pretty well except that no one will mount and finally establish who the boss bunny is. They play nice downstairs where the territory is neutral, lots of laying together, eating together, grooming each other, but only for so many hours. Then someone, usually the black one, will start a hair pulling fight. There’s no putting them together upstairs, where it’s their territories, a fight breaks out immediately.

I don’t know what else to do. I know they love each other and want to be together but they can’t seem to decide on who will be the dominant bunny. I know it’s probably the black one, but he doesn’t try mounting the other. I’d love to hear your advice.

[Sirius&Luna]

Are they neutered?

Have they had a skin-breaking fight? If so, you need to fully separate them for a couple of months and then start again.

If not, you need to establish what happens before the fight starts, and preferably intervene before it happens. Can you try shorter times, and seperate them before the fight starts? It might just be a habit now, and they know they get to go back to their own areas if they fight. You could also try feeding some veg around the time the fight normally breaks out, to distract them with something new. Also stress-bonding is an option – take them for a car ride together and see if that solidifies their bond. Don’t try putting them in either of their territories until they’re totally fine in a neutral area for 48 hours.

None of this is relevant if they aren’t neutered though – if they aren’t neutered that needs to be your first step.

[JJ]

Yes, they are neutered.

It’s butt chasing and butt sniffing that starts the fights. Usually done by the black one. We try to intervene when we see him hovering around the other buns backside. It doesn’t happen EVERY time, but too often for 2 buns who act like they love each other.

Yes, stress bonding was very helpful to us.

The other bun had a scab on his side recently, that’s the worst skin breakage we’ve had since we first got him back. Buts he’s all healed now and still loves the black bun.

I keep them together downstairs for long periods of time because it’s the part they can’t get past. They can be fine for hours on end, laying together, grooming each other, eating together. Sometimes nothing happens and sometimes it does.

I’m stumped.

[Sirius&Luna]

If stress bonding helps, perhaps go back to that. I know its frustrating when it seems like they’re SO CLOSE to being bonded, but its often the last bit that takes the longest!

It sounds like the black bun wants to be dominant and perhaps your other bun is refusing to let him…

I think persistance is key unfortunately. Keep going, and keep trying to stop the chasing before it occurs.

When I was bonding, my Luna would occasionally chase Atlas, but I used to sit between them and intervene until she learned she wasn’t gonna be allowed to chase, and he learned not be scared of her.

[JJ]

Thank you for the advise guys, I’ll keep at it. It’s just been a long, time consuming process, but I want a happy ending!

[Author]

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