Can only One Bunny be Bonded?

[Ellie F.]

I’ve been stalking the Binky Bunny forums for awhile every time I have a question, and I think I’ve finally found one that hasn’t been answered, so it was finally time to buckle down and join the forum!

I have two rabbits: a dwarf female named Willow who’s 2 1/2 years old and a giant male named Julius who we believe to be just over 1 year old.

They were bonded by a volunteer from the House Rabbit Society and finally were given back to me in September, and since then I’ve noticed something kind of odd; Willow shows affection for Julius, and he doesn’t return any of it!

Willow cuddles with Julius all the time and I occasionally catch her grooming him too, but he very rarely does the same. I’ve even seen him nudge her away when she’s already laying in a spot where he wants to lay. And, at feeding time, I had to get a second food bowl because he’ll chase her away from the food or try to steal her treat when I’ve already given one to him!

Willow doesn’t seem too bothered by this, and aside from the occasional nip it never really gets aggressive… But should I be worried about their bonding failing if this continues? Is there anything I can do to strengthen it?

[drwil]

There are posts on this forum about people bonding multiple bunnies. Also there is a zoo in Hungary with an entire room full of bunnies all living together. Must have been at least 15-20 of them in one room, so obviously people get multiple bunnies to work out.

[Ellie F.]

That…has nothing to do with the question I asked, but thanks for the information anyways!

(I would love to be in a room with 15-20 bunnies.)

[drwil]

Sorry I thought by the title you were asking if only 1 bunny can bond to another and that you were thinking about bringing in another rabbit to be friends with Willow.

Could it be Julius is the dominant bunny and just expects to be groomed with nothing in return? I know monkeys act like Julius…they expect the world out of lower ranking members of the troop but ignore them as they please.

Could it be Willow is just small and too submissive and eager to please? There probably not much you can do about this other than pay Willow lots of attention when she is rejected.

[Ellie F.]

I suppose that’s possible… I’ve never thought of Willow as a submissive bunny before. She’s older than Julius and certainly acts like she’s the boss of ME, but then again, since Julius is so much bigger than her, she might have taken that for dominance and simply doesn’t like playing with me.  

[Azerane]

Posted By drwil on 2/25/2016 8:02 PM

Sorry I thought by the title you were asking if only 1 bunny can bond to another and that you were thinking about bringing in another rabbit to be friends with Willow.

That’s what happens when you just skip through and don’t even bother to read the post…

I don’t think it’s particularly uncommon for one rabbit to show more affection than the other, however the chasing away from food etc is a little concerning. Julius is most definitely top bunn of the pair, accepting all the grooming and giving none, chasing away from food and sleeping places. If Willow isn’t reactive to Julius being pushy and dominant then eventually Julius might settle down a little and things will just continue along. However if Willow reacts one time in a way that Julius doesn’t like they may end up in a bit of a scrap. I would think you are fine to leave them together, just keep a close eye on them and pay attention to any changes in their relationship either for the positive or negative. You want to be able to notice the changes before it breaks out into a fight (if it happens).

Sounds like Julius is just a pain in the butt who’s too stubborn and high and mighty to groom back for his own good.

[Love4Bunny]

In the beginning, my boy didn’t like to groom my girl too much, and would chase her away from the food when I dispensed it (but would pretty much share a bowl – go figure ). Now, my boy gives as much grooming as he gets (maybe even more), and my girl stays in the background when the food comes out, to keep the peace. I always catch them lying next to each other in their pen, so there’s always hope for your rabbits. Yeah, like Azerane said, if your girl gets feisty in return, there could be a problem (my girl isn’t), so keeping an eye out is important. I’ve also read a post where the dynamic can change between the rabbits, to almost weekly, as to who gets the most grooming. Lately, I’ve noticed Thor nudging Crysta out of her spot (not uncommon). What is uncommon is that he lies down, and she puts her head under his, and he’ll give in and groom her for a while. Thor was never this generous in the beginning, but he is now.

With treats, I would treat the dominant bunny first and then treat the submissive bunny with the other hand just afterward. It stops chasing because it’s a distraction, and there’s no food for anyone to get jealous of. Basically, give them treats at the exact same time, with the dominant getting subtle preference. It works for me.

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