Bunny “digging” into another bunny’s back..?

[mimimomo]

Hi there, I have a quick question. I have two “bonded” bunnies (one is only 3 1/2 months old, so I’m not sure it can be called true bonding yet). The older bunny Mochi is neutered, but Mimi is too young to be spayed. I plan on getting her spayed when she’s a few months older.

When they first met each other, Mochi made a few halfhearted attempts at humping Mimi, but after a few hours he gave up and has never tried again. Since then, they’ve become inseparable – they share a cage and they love to snuggle and groom each other. They’ve been living together for 5 weeks with no issues whatsoever.

Just yesterday, I noticed a new behavior from Mochi that I’d never seen before: he climbed onto her back and started “digging” with his front paws into her back. It seemed relatively gentle, and when she moved away he let her go, but I saw him repeat the behavior a few times later that day. It really didn’t look like humping to me – there was no hip movement, just digging with his front paws.

Has anyone seen this before or does anyone know what this is? I’m not sure if it’s just a weird form of grooming, or if it’s a response to Mimi’s hormones. I know that as she goes through puberty, their relationship might change and they might need to be separated till she’s spayed, but I would’ve expected Mimi to be the one with the behavior change…

[sarahthegemini]

My Peanut does this to Buttercup. He used to do it when he wanted her to move but now he sniffs her, digs a little. She moves, he’ll repeat. She’ll move. He’ll repeat etc. This usually happens 3 or 4 times in a row before Buttercup puts a stop to it by demanding grooms. In my case it isn’t aggressive at all, just annoying (for Buttercup bless her, I do sometimes wish she’ll nip him to tell him off!) I’m trying to train him to not do it.

[mimimomo]

Thanks for your response, Sarah – that’s exactly what I was hoping to hear! Annoying, maybe, but harmless

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