RE: Peanut and Buttercup's Bonding Journey

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RE: Peanut and Buttercup’s Bonding Journey

01/20/2017 at 5:23 PM

sarahthegemini

Participant

5584 posts

Important Update!

I gave the bunnies their cardboard castle today, which was a mistake. Peanut tried humping Buttercup in the castle, I just about saw her bottom through the doorways and it looked like she was moving quite hastily. I looked through and saw Peanut trying to mount her and her trying to get away. I immediately lifted the castle up and they were circling, there were two tiny tufts of fur on the floor. One from each bunny. Buttercup then chased Peanut and I tried to stop them with a loud banging but it didn’t work so my partner scooped Buttercup up.

Oh lordy. From what I can gather – Peanut has mounted Buttercup, she has tried to get away (altho I don’t know why she didn’t run out of the castle) and possibly nipped him to get him to back off. Maybe be didn’t listen and continued. I’m not sure. It was all a blur tbh. There are no Bite marks on them that I can see, the only evidence of nipping or whatever was the two small fur tufts.

I’m wondering if Buttercup simply got fed up and wanted to assert her dominance – I originally thought she was submissive and happy to be, she has never mounted Peanut but maybe she is just fed up of the humping and snapped so to speak. I’m not sure what to think right now.

Once Buttercup calmed down, we put her back on the floor and they both ignored and avoided each other for a few minutes. Then they started coming closer again, hopping about, giving the odd sniff. Buttercup then flopped next to him. At this point, Peanut is still timid and wary. A couple minutes later, he groomed her. I don’t believe she asked/demanded grooming, he just did it. Another couple minutes later and she asked him for grooming and he obliged. Now she’s bunny loafing and he’s grooming himself. Side by side.

Thoughts??? Is (aggressive?) circling and nipping considered a scuffle? Is this to be expected? Is this their way of establishing hierarchy? I did wonder how it was going to be determined what with Buttercup not wanting to be humped and all, I guess this had to happen to progress? Or do you disagree? I feel pretty awful. I shouldn’t have given them their castle because I might have been able to stop it before it got going, ie. stop the circling as before it begun. Needless to say it’s been removed now, until further notice!