We have two bunnies, both 2.5 years old, who were a nice couple. They groomed each other and cuddled for half the day. Recently, we left for a one-and-a-half-week vacation. While we were away, my mother-in-law took care of them. She opened their cage every couple of hours so they could roam freely within their fenced outdoor area and fed them like we use to do. She lives next door, and our bunnies know her well. Since then, they have occasionally started chasing each other and seem to have become unbonded. They don't groom each other anymore and sit in different places in their cage. When we got them about a year ago, they humped each for a week to figure out who is the boss in the new environment, I think. That was it. Before we left for vacation, I realized that the black bunny (female) doesn't like the white one (male) running and jumping around. Since he is bigger, he does his morning binkies outside. When he ran close to her, she grumbled at him and scratched after him, but not really serious. But that wasn't like what you can see in the video. They started to bite in each others fur and rip pieces out. Here's some more information: They are spayed/neutered, have enough space in their two bunny houses and cage, and are kept outdoors, as is generally recommended in Europe. They are also hesitant to be petted by people. Before we got them, they lived on a small farm, where the male obviously lost part of his ear in a big fight with another male bunny. For now, I have separated them.
What can I do to improve the situation?
by Clear-Impact3241