Bonding two female rabbits

Question
We have two female rabbits. One is seven months old (oreo) and the other is 10 months (thumper).  We had Thumper first for about three months and then we got Oreo.  For the first two months they got along just fine, until we brought Oreo to get spayed. After she got home, we kept them in separate cages for about a week (the vet told us to do that) and then we let them back in the same area.  Well, Thumper freaked out because I'm assuming Oreo's smell was different.  But then they began to get along again, but a few weeks later they suddenly started fighting. We separated them into their own cages and tried to reintroduce them.  Over the past few months we've been having short little dates with them, where they don't fight, but aren't cuddling up right next to eachother like they used to.  But, we now have them in cages right next to eachother (there is only one wire wall seperating them) and they get along just fine.  They will groom eachother and sleep next to eachtoher.  My question is: Do you think its time to open up the barrier so they have contact with eachother other than through the wire barrier?  We've tried switching them into eachothers cages so they can get used to eachother scent and then get along through the wire barrier, but I don't know if they'll be okay if i open the wire barrier up.  I'm just afraid that they will fight again. I've also heard that bonding female rabbits is pretty much impossible, but they seem to be ok together.  Is that true that its hopeless to bond female rabbits? Thanks for your help!

Answer
Hi Megan,

any time you physically separate bonded rabbits you risk destroying the bond.  Often people will take both rabbits to the vet even though only one may have a problem.

It also is harder to bond two females when one is in the house first (her turf).

If you do attempt to rebond, use a neutral area of the house (where neither claims it as their territory).  See how they do together in a neutral space for 10 minutes.  Then as the days go on, expand the time in teh neutral area longer if things are okay, up to 3-4 or more hours.
If things go bad, break for a few days, and then start back at ten minutes, and work up again.

Don't mistake settling dominance with fighting.  Fighting is ears back, growling, lunging to bite hard, kicking, fur-flying tussling and rolling over, going after ears to bite.  Dominance settling is a little chasing, possible whimpering/crying from the more submissive rabbit, light nips, mounting.  Dominance settling must be allowed ot occur.  Just watch it and realize with bonded rabbits one is the dominant one and they have to figure this out.  You can watch it just ot make sure it doesn't spill over into a full-blown fight.  This can occur if both want to be dominant and neither back down.

As you are doing this, keep them separate in cages like you are currently doing.  However, swap a little bit of used litter/fecal pellets from each of their litterpans and place in the others' pan, so that they get used to the other 'in their space' again.  This will help if/when you try to reintroduce them.  It is good the rest of the time they are separate they are in close proximity to each other.  As long as you see no negative behavior through the gates, this will be helpful to the rebonding process.

Emphasis is to go slowly.  

Once they are together for 1/2 day (6 hours) and looking well with each other, then try shared territory.  

I'd also check out the House Rabbit Society web site, and do a search for articles (at the top of the main page) on "bonding".  They have a lot of good articles you can read and print out.

As long as both females are spayed, and if one doesn't hate the other off the bat, they should be able to bond.  But be aware that sometimes dominance may shift because of an event or incident, and every bonded pair will occasionally have a small spat now and then.  We do, our pets will too.  They're around the other one 24/7 after all.

Write back anytime.
Lee