HELP! HUMPING!!!!

[LittlePuffyTail]

Bonding work is going pretty slowly. After doing some pairs meetings on the kitchen chair to see which pair works best, Olivia and Storm, Storm and Bindi or Bindi and Olivia.  Stormy and Bindi seemed pretty okay with each other. Bindi wanted to snuggle with Storm. I decided to do a tub meeting with the two of them.

PROBLEM: As soon as they got in the tub, Bindi mounted Storm and started humping him! Poor Stormy was traumatized and kept trying to bite Bindi. I kept seperating them but it kept happening. What the heck is going on here? I need help, this bonding is going to go on forever at this rate.

Why is Bindi humping? He’s been neutered for years (and yes, I’m positive he’s neutered, I brought him to the vet myself!!!). Is this totally abnormal? What can I do?

ps. I will start a journal with pics soon.

[Sarita]

Humping is a dominant behavior. This is extremely common and happens frequently with bonded rabbits or those bonding. Not unusual.

You are going to have to let them work this out on their own. If Stormy is upset you need to allow him to get away on his own. Obviously Bindi wants to be the top rabbit. If you continue to separate them for every little thing you may make very little progress.

[LittlePuffyTail]

Okay, glad to know it’s normal. I had a hunch that maybe it was a dominant thing but I’m surprised that Bindi would want to be the dominant rabbit. He’s so mellow and easy going. Stormy is more territorial and aggressive. Okay so I guess I will just try it again but let them go at it. I just hate watching my bunnies be unhappy. Stormy was really stressed out when I put him back in his cage after. Oh, well. No pain no gain I guess.

I’ll just let Stormy defend himself. He beats up the cats all the time so he should be okay. Now that I know it’s normal, I won’t be so stressed about it!

[Deleted User]

Yes, it seems so ‘sexual’ but it really isn’t. My Deirdra does a scary thing to Lint from time to time: she will groom him and then hold him down between her front legs and back legs so that he is stuck under ther belly sideways. If he moves because he does get spooked, she squishes him down harder. It can last for 20 seconds. So, these things have a meaning in terms of denoting hierarchy or attempted dominance.

[Elrohwen]

Like the others said, totally normal. Have you tried stressing them? If the humping goes on too much, it can cause Storm to react by fighting, so you might want to try some stressing right before putting them in the tub. I used a laundry basket and shook them around for 30 seconds to a few minutes, then dumped them in the tub. It definitely made for calmer sessions. Hannah still humped, and still does chase and nip sometimes, even though they’re bonded, but the stressing snapped her out of it when she was taking it too far.

[LittlePuffyTail]

Ugh…VERY BAD attempt tonight. Put them both back in the tub tonight. They were both extremely aggressive and just went at each other. Growling and lunging. I sort of pushed them together and pat them so they couldn’t bite each other and let them go again and they did the same thing. I’m thinking next time put them on the washing machine with it turned on?

This is so stressful. Why do they have to make it so difficult? I had several sessions of them on the kitchen chair together and they were fine but I was petting and cuddling the whole time. Makes me wonder if this is worth all the trouble. I really want to pair up at least 2 of my buns. Then they can all have much bigger living space.

Wish I was rich, I’d hire one of you experts to come help me!!!

[Elrohwen]

Do you have a laundry basket you can put them in? I had a lot of success putting them in and shaking them around a bit. I did it right in the bathroom and I didn’t have to do it for long. I would definitely try this, then throw them in the bathtub together and see if you have a few moments of calm.

[LittlePuffyTail]

Okay. That will be my next move then. Operation Laundry basket. I do the bonding work in the evenings. Should I give them tomorrow off since it went so badly or just get on with it tomorrow night?

[Elrohwen]

I would continue with it, but make sure you change things up. Do some stressing, change up the bathtub environment a bit if you can – just make it a slightly different situation so that they don’t go into it thinking it’s the same as the night before.

[Deleted User]

Why they make it so difficult… LPT, I have spent much time thinking about this, LOL, as I was stuck in bonding sessions. Of course, we know it isterritorialism but to really appreciate a rabbit’s bonding behavior think of yourself: Imagine you come home and there is a strange person in your kitchen, cooking dinner on your stove, using your stuff…. and now imagine, you can’t talk. Of course, this is a far fetch and we are not rabbits but you get the idea. ~

[LittlePuffyTail]

lol Petzy!!!

[Elrohwen]

You know Petzy, I think my first instinct would be to hump that intruder cooking in my kitchen!

[Deleted User]

well, if you had no hands you might throw yourself on the stranger, which is basically humping.

[Elrohwen]

Hahaha. That’s the funniest image.

[Sarita]

LOL – that is funny! I don’t have a problem with a stranger cooking anything in my kitchen either as long as they feed me too :~)

[Deleted User]

The image is for LPT for her next session to cheer her up.

[LittlePuffyTail]

lol guys!!!!!

[Monkeybun]

I could repost monkey’s video of her humping moosie with her back foot propped up on the baseboard if you like. hilarious, it was.

[LittlePuffyTail]

I would like to see that! I have to read through your bonding thread, MonkeyBun. I want to read all the recent ones when I have time. I plan on posting my own bonding journal tomorrow so you can all get a better idea on what’s happening.

[Monkeybun]

I havent posted much in my thread lately. Its been pretty much the same stuff, so there wasnt much of a point I’ll see if I can find that video

[Author]

Messages