Creating better tomorrows for all pet rabbits
Reintroducing Rabbits After Separation
Sometimes, a bonded pair of rabbits has to be separated for a while, and this puts the bond at risk of breaking down.
There are three main reasons why bonded rabbits may be separated.
- For medical treatment
- After neutering
- After a fight
For medical treatment
Rabbits should rarely need to be separated for medical treatment. Medicine can be given to one rabbit either via a syringe or on treats. RWAF recommends that bonded pairs of rabbits should be hospitalised together to reduce this risk, but this is not always possible. We would advise that a bonded pair of young rabbits should be neutered at the same time and not separated.
This means there is a higher chance of easier reintroduction, and the healing benefits of stress relief outweigh the low risk of injury. However, we do acknowledge that there is always a risk of injury, and you know your rabbits better than anyone, so if you want to make sure to avoid injury whilst they are recovering, they can still be neutered at the same time and then housed next to each other so that they can see/smell each other at all times.
For rabbits that are separated for a short period of time, try to keep them within sight and sound of each other and preferably able to touch and smell each other. Rabbits separated for brief periods during hospitalisation should be reintroduced in the hospital setting before they go home (rabbits are much less likely to fight in the stressful environment of a very clinic than at home).
If this is not done, introduce them through a wire divider in their enclosure. If there are no signs of aggression, remove the divider after 24 hours. If the rabbits both show aggressive behaviour (growling, biting, lunging at each other) and neither backs down. If they do this, follow the instructions in ‘After a fight’ below.
After neutering
A common reason to separate a bonded pair is when both the rabbits need to be neutered (if only one needs to be neutered and the other is already neutered, then treat this like any other medical procedure, as above). Although RWAF would not recommend bonding rabbits until both are neutered, sometimes situations arise which require this (i.e. if two rabbits were adopted at the same time and were thought to be both male and it was later discovered this was not the case).
If both are neutered at the same time, there is a risk that the male will continue to try to mount the female, that their hormones will decline at different rates, and they may injure themselves by opening their surgical wounds. For this reason, it’s often recommended to keep them separated by a wire divider that they can still see and touch each other through, but could not mate through
After a few weeks, once the wounds are healed, the divider can be removed. They may allow some hierarchy behaviours (mounting, chasing, even fur pulling), but one should keep submitting and they will re-establish their relationship. Only separate them if they both show aggressive behaviour (growling, biting, lunging at each other) and neither backs down. If they do this, follow the instructions below.
After a fight
In a rabbit fight, both rabbits bite at each other and try to scratch each other with their front and back paws. This is not the same as nipping, chasing and fur pulling which can occur during initial introductions. Fights can result in serious injuries or death, and fighting rabbits should always be separated. Try making a loud noise, or, if that doesn’t work, use gardening gloves to physically separate them. Bonded rabbits should never fight – fighting is a sign that the bond has broken down.
If rabbits fight, there are several things to check.
- Are both rabbits neutered?
- Is either rabbit sick or in pain?
- Is there something in their environment causing them stress?
Rabbits should be neutered or treated before they are reintroduced. Make sure they have plenty of food, space, and things to interact with, with enough hiding places, feeding, hay and water stations (usually one per rabbit and one spare for good measure).
Rabbits have strong emotional memories which can make it very hard to reintroduce them after a fight. You’ll need to follow the RWAF guide to bonding and take it very slowly, watching carefully for signs that the rabbits are starting to show aggressive behaviour towards each other. If they do, go back a step in the process.
However, if you’ve tried several times and they keep fighting, they may never be able to re-form a stable bond. If this happens the options depend on your individual circumstances. Some guardians chose to split them and adopt a new rabbit for each, creating two separate pairs, whilst others decide to work with a rescue to rehome one rabbit and rescue another to give them both the best chance of a happy life with a bonded companion.
References: RWAF bonding study .
