Grooming then nipping

[Deleted User]

So I’m pretty sure Ophelia is going to be the dominant one. I added litter boxes to today’s sessions and she keeps giving him a few grooms but then she nips his ears. Is she trying to assert her dominance and demand that he groom her instead? Could this be related to the new “territory” of adding litter trays? It’s super rude of her and I don’t like her being like that to Quincy

[Dface]

I’m not sure, but I know some rabbits need to learn proper etiquette. As in they aren’t totally sure how to groom without being an a$$ because they’ve never learned how to behave properly( having been taken from their own species as a baby and no communication til now)
If it bothers Quincy he may let her know, but if he’s okay with it then I think it’s just a phase.
Both times I’ve bonded mine they did that ‘love biting ‘ thing.

Could this be similar?

[Deleted User]

Hmm not sure why she’s doing it. She stopped after two hours.. wonder if it was related to the litter boxes being brought in?? Neither bun got into a litter box until after two hours. It was silly actually lol. They just sat outside and ate hay over the side haha. But she stopped nipping him and they ended up using the same box a lot so yay to that with no fights. I was in the room though and I feel like they try a lot less s#^+ when I’m in there lol

[Mikey]

Nipping is ok! Nipping doesnt really hurt bunnies very much and its how they communicate together. Bunnies dont see it as rude, so try not to see nipping as a negative. Shes trying to tell him she doesnt like what hes doing. My guess is that she doesnt like that hes not atleast trying to groom her back.

Any new territory added will cause a slight shift in a bond. A cemented bond will work it out quickly or seemingly be unphased. A bond thats not get cemented will need to be bonded in that new territory. This might include hidey boxes, litter boxes, tunnels, blankets, ect.

[Deleted User]

Well when she does it more than a few times he starts jerking his head and getting annoyed, so I was trying to discourage her. He wasn’t fighting her back but he obviously was getting annoyed after she would keep doing it. They seemed to take it pretty well actually. Last week when I tried to add litter boxes, they got humpy and fights broke out. This past week they seem to have made some good progress in their relationship.

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