Help! Bonded Bunny Tiff!

[JackRabbit]

Marlee and Moshi have been bonded for over a year, but in the last week, Marlee has been so snitty. Three times she has started biting Moshi’s butt out of the blue (not like she’s trying to get him to play either). She starts it, they start circling, she tries to hump his face, he flings her off, and she jumps on for another try. I stop them, and she hops off in a huff and Moshi hops over to me with a WTH look on his face. A few minutes later, she’s grooming him. I’ve only seen her get snitty like this in the play area that is also used by Kieko, and it seems to happen when I’ve been petting Moshi after he’s flopped.

Moshi can be a very needy bunny and demands grooming non-stop sometimes and I imagine that could get annoying. He’s always been like that with Marlee and she has always just groomed him. She would pull the humpy stunt with him once in a while in the past, but he would get fed up, hump her for a split second and all was done.

Has she decided she wants a turn at being top bunny? Anyone ever seen bunny pecking order change? Is Kieko’s scent causing this (the play area has always been a non-neutral area)? Suggestions?

After the tiff tonight, she’s fine with Moshi, but had thumped at me 5 times and still giving me the butt.

[Deleted User]

NO idea!

But what you described is what I have been enduring with my dog’s. Sam was always top dog but in the last few years her daughter George has decided she’s taking over and physically attacks Sam – out of the blue for no reason. When Sam could give it back, as much as it upset me and we break it up, I now find it distressing as Sam can barely defend herself being so old/bordering on fragile. And George will go for her with no warning.
I have no idea how to deal with this – I am a huge Sam supporter as she is in her last years and I won’t tolerate George’s nasty behaviour, so once I break them up, George gets timeout! But she’ll do it again – if not days later, weeks later – she does!
I know timeout won’t work for bunnies, gee I’m not even sure if this works for dog’s? All’s I know is, it’s distressing. The why and what, and how to ultimately deal with it – I wish I knew….

[LBJ10]

It sounds like something has made Marlee think perhaps she can turn things around. The dynamics of any relationship can change over time. Sometimes you have two bunnies who want to be top bun, but one eventually has to step down in order for there to be peace. That doesn’t mean that whoever becomes the submissive bunny is happy about it. So they will continue to test the boundaries thinking that maybe the dominant bunny will give in. It sounds like Moshi isn’t giving in. He’s top bunny and he’s letting Marlee know it.

[ChesnutKC]

My bonded pair does the same thing sometimes. March has always been the underdog but lately she has refused to groom and has started to try and hump her bond. She is getting older so maybe she feels she deserves a little more respect lol. There’s always the squirt bottle idea. Although I’ve never used it before so I don’t know how well it would work.

[Little Lion Head]

At first I thought maybe the scent of Kieko, but I would imagine Kieko’s scent is everywhere so maybe not?! I imagine if Pumpkin had a partner she would demand grooming all the time too. Hope they work out their issues!

[JackRabbit]

Marlee was relentless tonight. Biting Moshi’s butt and trying to hump his face. He threw her off twice, I removed her twice, and the last time hubby said to let Moshi handle it. He chased her off the last time she started after his butt. Nowhere near the normal amount of grooming going on tonight. Each would occasionally give the other a few licks and that was all. Moshi tried his normal flop right under Marlee’s face but she just hopped away. Moshi seemed to follow Marlee around a little, but would seem to then get right in front of her and give her the butt.

I’m totally confused and and am starting to worry about them being alone together even though I haven’t seen this behavior in their room.

[LBJ10]

Unless they are actually fighting, I wouldn’t worry about it. They should work it out.

[JackRabbit]

No fighting, just butt biting, humping, circling, chasing. Moshi even throws in the occasional binky when running away. Kids! Ugh!

[JackRabbit]

This may sound odd, but Moshi has been unusually sweet since about the time all this started. Usually too busy for much petting, he has been coming over and sitting next to me, flopping within reach and letting my pet all the way down his back (lots of tooth purrs), and just letting us pet him whenever we want. He’s still very active, but somehow more subdued. He’s eating a little less pellets (but still trying to grab the bowl out of my hand when I set it down), maybe a little less hay, and still climbing all over me for treats. Poops are normal but one of the two is still leaving a few small poop smears on the fleece at times. Is there any reason to think he may not be 100% well?

[JackRabbit]

Things are not getting any better. While I haven’t seen any humping while they are in their room, it could be happening overnight or while I am at work during the day.

Marlee doesn’t seem to care what part she tries to hump but the majority of the time its Moshi’s face. So far, I’ve either removed her from his face or he has thrown her off, but I’m concerned that he might bite her sensitive parts if she does this when I’m not around and he can’t get her off. He must think she’s playing some of the time because he will binky away from her when she bites his butt sometimes. Her nipping turns to humping or to chasing and circling. Sometimes Moshi just stays away from her, sometimes he turns and chases her off, and sometimes he seems to ask for it by sticking his butt in her face.

The one odd thing — if he is grooming himself, scratching, peeing, etc., she always waits until he is done before she starts butt biting. You can tell she’s waiting because she’ll often have her face right there ready to go.

They just went to the vet last Friday for nail trims and the stress of the vet visit didn’t have any affect.

Does anyone have any idea what is going on and how to get it to stop?

[Author]

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