Why would 2 male neutered rabbits (brothers) start fighting?

[MyBoysHaveDogsNames]

My two rabbits are about 18 months old and live in a hutch within a run, so they get to run about all day.

At the weekend they managed to burrow out through the chicken wire on the bottom of the run and go into next door's garden. I was a bit worried as I had seen a fox there, but the rabbits came back to my garden, skipped about for a while and went back into their own run when it started raining.

However, since then it appears that they have fought, as there are clumps of both of their fur on the ground of the run. Also, one of the rabbits hides from the other and seems very wary of him. He has also had his bottom sniffed by the other rabbit quite a lot!

What do you think could have happened? Do you think the one that is hiding and being chased has picked up a scent that his brother is reacting against? I don't know what to do to help the one that is hiding. Give him a bath?!

Thanks for any help.

Are they moulting? My rabbits both are at the moment and are shedding lots of fur. Behaviourwise it sounds to me like they are just being rabbits, rabbits are pretty territorial and in pairs you would usually have a dominant one. It sounds like they are sorting their status out. Things should be fine providing one brother is happy to be submissive but 2 males together even if they are brothers doesn't always work so keep an eye on them. It also depends on how long ago they were neutered as they can still be hormonal for some time after the snip.

Fits the profile for politics - competing for the leadership of some powerless party

Didn't realise I was being topical.