So sad. We got our 2 bunnies spayed and now they hate each other

[gale65]

After surgery the vet made sure to keep them right next to each other so they could see, smell, touch, etc and after we brought them home, we did the same. They gave the OK to let them together on Friday and it was like a prizefight. They were vicious. We separated them again (putting them in each other's hutch so they might smell each other or smell like each other) and tried again and the same. Today we tried again and one got a small cut on the tip of her ear so now I don't feel comfortable even trying again. We can't divide their kennel easily and I can't make them live in a hutch all summer so now on top of paying $400 for the surgery I have to buy new fencing and a hutch so I can make a second kennel. Since they'll have to be in separate areas (they will be right next to each other, sharing a fence, but still separated) they'll probably never rebond. I wish I never got the surgery done. I had no idea this would happen. They were so close-they are sisters and have been together since birth. They have always laid together, groomed each other, etc. Rarely fighting. I was told that they would start fighting and that they could get cancer if we didn't have them spayed so I did it. Now I regret it. And the worst part is how sad my kids are about it-especially my oldest, who is the one who mainly takes care of them. At first I said we might have to give one away but after thinking about it, I can't make my kids choose.

 

[punk-a-doodle]

Their hormones are out of whack right now, and they are probably in some pain (did the vet's give you pain killers to give?), making them extra defensive. Keep them in a split cage (that'll be good for reintroduction too), and let them be apart for now. Try introducing them again later down the road, after about six weeks. Introduce them as they were new rabbits, using methods such as neutral ground and split cage introductions. I am so sorry for teh stress of this situation, and hope it works out for you!

 

[redhen]

How long has it been?? My animals ALWAYS want to fight with each other right after a vet visit.... cause they just SMELL different.

 

[redhen]

I bet they will get used to each other again....

 

[gale65]

They were spayed on the 16th. We were told to keep them separated but in contact until 10 days after surgery (during this time they were on antibiotics). It ended up being 11 because we were so busy last Thursday we wouldn't have had time to supervise. I had no idea they would only be together 10 seconds before fighting or I would have had time. I was willing to keep trying every day until today, when one of them had her ear torn within 20 seconds of them being together. I'm just not willing to risk one of them getting seriously hurt-the vet is an hour away and I can't afford any more vet bills. The vet did give them pain meds after surgery. They stayed at the vet's until the friday after the surgery for a couple of reasons. One being that I couldn't get there to pick them up before then and also, we had no good way to confine them in a consistently clean place. We only have an outdoor hutch. I can't make them live in the hutch much longer. Each half is only about 2' x 2' and with the heat and flies, they need to be able to get around more. I am changing out litter boxes (which are underneath and the hutch floor is wire) a couple of times a day and I haven't seen flies in the hutch but I am nervous about that. Also it is getting to be pretty hot out and rabbits can't tolerate heat very well. We are putting frozen soda bottles in there but they don't last long and there really isn't enough room to put 2 liter bottles out (which is what we use in the kennel). I had wood floors in the hutch before but we took them out to allow more ventilation. The walls of the hutch are solid. The only ventilation they get is through the door and the bottom. I just don't think I can make them live in those cramped quarters for another month (or more).

 

[dutchhollow]

Odds are, yes, they would have started fighting anyway. Are you putting them in the yard, or in a room of the house or just together in the cage when you try to put them together. If you put them in the yard and they have grass or something else to do but fight, your odds are better, then one or the others cages?
What kind of rabbits are they? For a mini or dwarf breed 2x2 isn't horrible, I always like bigger but if they have to stay there for a while, it isn't going to hurt them. I don't know that I would ever trust them caged together unattended put if they had yard time each day to get out and move around, then caged separately it wouldn't be bad. But then I am a rabbit breeder who would never even try to keep two rabbit in the same cage (seen the damage they can do to each other)

 

[gale65]

Quote:
I'm putting them in a kennel that is about 10 x 6. The hutch is inside the kennel so it takes up some of the room. Before the surgery they both lived there together happily. The hutch itself isn't really designed to be a confinement type thing. It is just made to be a place to go if they want shelter or if it's cold. We tried putting grass out before letting them out but they don't even look at it. There isn't any grass in the kennel itself, other than some bits that have grown since they've been out of it. They ate all the grass right away when we got them and they kept it down ever since. They are mini lops and they are 2 yrs old. It's supposed to be in the 90s today and tomorrow.

 

[animalpro24]

Same thing happened with my cats ,bug and cricket, they hated each other for a bout a week or so. Be patient, let them make noise at each other but still keep them separated but separate them so they can see each other. now they are two happy sisters who love each other.

 

[Cambium29]

Don't give up.

You CAN re-bond rabbits, it will just take time and patience on your part. Instead of building another hutch and pen, buy (or borrow) a puppy pen. If you put them both in place they have never been, sometimes just being in a new, scary place will repair a bond. Or, if you have a willing friend or neighbor, have both rabbits spend some time together in that new environment. Again, it's a place neither rabbit has "claimed".

Get in contact with your local chapter of the House Rabbit Society (www.rabbit.org). They can offer you some help and tips on how to repair a broken bond.

Good luck!

 

[gale65]

Thanks for the advice. There is no local house rabbit society chapter and since our rabbits live outside, I'm not even sure they would help. At any rate I don't want to listen to lectures from them but the closest one is over 2 hours away. I live in the middle of nowhere. We have no neighbors and I wouldn't feel comfortable asking anyone to let us bring rabbits over. I really don't have any close enough friends to ask of something like this. I thought about getting a small pen but my kids are begging me to not let them hurt each other anymore-the one rabbit has a chunk out of her ear and that happened in a matter of seconds. They are trying to fight viciously through the chicken wire that separates them and it freaks us all out. I don't have time or patience to devote to this daily. The whole reason for getting two already bonded rabbits and for spaying in the first place was to avoid all this. My husband wants to get rid of both rabbits or at the very least one, and I've managed to talk him out of that with the separate pen idea. This whole thing has us all stressed out and I have 5 day old chicks to worry about, not to mention my kids' activities (dance recital this week, dance camp in two weeks, karate tournaments, etc). The rabbits are completely miserable trapped in the small hutch which, I think I mentioned, has almost no ventilation. I don't want to spend money on fixes that may not work only to end up having to build a new pen anyway, and even if they seem bonded again, I honestly could not sleep at night worrying about them being together unattended. I would hate for the kids to wake up to a bloody massacre and a dead bunny. I do appreciate the advice but I've thought about this endlessly every which way and can't imagine anything that's going to work for us. We have to get them out of the hutch soon or they're going to die of heatstroke (not to mention boredom-we can't even keep them fed because they keep dumping their pellets or scratching them out of the bowl if we secure it, and digging at the hay until it's all through the wire floor). We put toys in the hutch but they aren't interested in them. If it was winter, it wouldn't be so bad. I wish I'd at least waited until cold weather. But I didn't and we have to deal with this now.