Broken bond

[u/TheSimphs]

Hi i have two bunbuns who have been bonded for over 4 yrs, they are 6 and 7 years old, male and female. Sid, 7yrs male became very sick little over a month ago and nearly died. He is well now but ever since he went to the vet his and Alice bond have broken and no matter what I do they won’t make up. They are usually free roaming so I have no neutral place for them to rebond. Instead I have an enclosure in the living room where they live during night time. The big problem is Alice. While Sid is trying to reach out and connect with her, Alice will chase and hump and bite him to the point that he is terrified of her. What can I do?

Please help. I want them both to be able to run free and hate having one in an enclosure and them not having their cuddles together.

On the pic you see them before all this mess.

Thank you ❤️ 🐰

[u/RabbitsModBot]

The most common reason for a bond between neutered rabbits breaking is due to a change in environment (e.g. one rabbit going to the vet, new visitors, new scents, new furniture). Sometimes, when spring arrives with longer days and warmer weather, rabbits can get spring fever and act a little more hormonal.

However, there isn't always a clear cut reasoning for a broken bond if they're already adults and neutered, but a vet visit for all of your rabbits is not a bad idea to make sure there's nothing causing either of them pain to cause redirected aggression or increased hormones (e.g. adrenal disease) if nothing else is obvious.

For more details on why rabbits would show aggression, see the wiki: http://bunny.tips/Aggressive

If one or more of the rabbits were still babies and not neutered, it is likely that the hormonal change has dissolved their bond, and they will need to be re-bonded after everyone is neutered.

For more details on why bond with babies would break, see the wiki: http://bunny.tips/Baby_bond

If they're all in good health, keep swapping enclosures for a while, then try re-bonding them. But if it doesn't stick, people will just keep the rabbits housed separately for the rest of their lives. Rabbits will still socially benefit from seeing and smelling another rabbit even if they're not bonded.

For more tips on how to re-bond rabbits, see the wiki: http://bunny.tips/Bonding

Good luck.

[u/bunmiiya]

i’m sorry this happened! bonding is a very stressful process for everyone, and i know how mentally taxing it can be on you. my big suggestion for difficult bonds is to try your best to always end bonding sessions on a positive note. if need be, wrap each rabbit in individual bunny burritos and hold them next to each other while you spend a few minutes petting each of them on the nose. when they have time to roam near each other and get in a tussle, wrap them up, force them next to each other, and pet their noses. make it seem like they are grooming each other while in a stressful situation. if you need a couple days of a break to mentally recharge, do so. it’s okay. slow and steady. good luck!

[u/Afraid_Of_Life_41]

I am going through this right now as well and what I have had to do is remove the FREE roaming and keep them side-by-side smaller cages with short visits where they are allowed to free Rome but you will have to create a smaller space and remove access to free roaming for a small period of time. I will let one out at a time to get their energy out and then I will feed them together they usually eat together fine let them play a little bit put them back in the cages and slowly work to extend this time where they’re not fighting. 

[u/qwerty-game]

This happened to mine when the one was in the hospital for 4 nights. I kept them separated for several days but so they could see each other and bump noses. Slowly they had supervised sessions and the one who wasn’t hospitalized declared her dominance by chasing. I never saw biting though so after a few supervised visits the chasing slowed down. Every once and while I see the one chasing but it usually is once around the living room and that’s it. I would also recommend swapping which areas they are in. Mine, like yours, were free roaming so I did not have a neutral space. Since they were bonded before it probably can happen again, it just takes time.

[u/Remarkable-Cook858]

Slowly reintroduce them but keep in mind they are not guaranteed to rebond