Littermate babies issuing dominance?

[HopsiclesMommy]

Hello all,

We have adopted two baby boys, Jelly(the brown one) and Bubbles (the white one), from our local shelter. They were born on Feb 17, so they are about 2 months old. They are very close together. They groom each other, hang out together, eat together. We are going to get them neutered as soon as their testicles descend, but I am concerned until then they will get too hormonal and their bond will be broken. 

Currently they seem to be doing great, however Jelly chases Bubbles around and tries to almost mount him. We observed the behavior and he didn’t hump Bubbles, but he definitely chased him down and mounted him. He also almost harasses Bubbles when he is eating or drinking, basically preventing him from eating and drinking. Bubbles grooms Jelly all the time, which makes me believe that Bubbles is aware that Jelly is dominant. Right now there is no fighting, but I am not sure how to prevent future fighting and make sure they stay bonded.

[Mikey]

Separate them now while their bond is still strong. Either put a separater in their cage or get them each their own cage and put the cages next to one another. Alternate their free roam time. Youll have to keep them apart until a month after they are both neutered so ensure their hormones are mostly driven out. Hormonal buns can end up fighting very badly which could lead to them no longer being bonded, and possibly not wanting to bond again in the future as a worst case outcome

Also, theyre both very adorable

[LittlePuffyTail]

I don’t have any advice. I’m sure some other members will. But I just need to comment on how ridiculously adorable those two are!!!! That hair on Bubbles! I’m just gushing at the adorable…..

[HopsiclesMommy]

Aww, thank you! They are super adorable.

This morning I walked in on them when Jelly was humping Bubbles -_- . Bubbles wasn’t fighting, just hanging out. I did check twice to make sure they are both boys by the way. I just thought we had some time until they would start getting hormonal. They are only 9 weeks old! Oh well…

Bubbles doesn’t seem to be bothered by it, I wonder if he would eventually get tired of it. I don’t want to separate them unless they start fighting because they are very close, but I don’t know if I should just leave them as is for now.

[Mikey]

Do it before they stat fighting. A fight can often lead to the two bunnies hating one another (never bonding together in the future), and if you arnt there to stop the fight one could end up severely hurting or even killing the other. You can separate them and still keep them close so they can see and smell one another, just not fight/mount/nip/ect. You want to avoid fights rather than stopping them when they start

[Love4Bunny]

I agree with LPT, your bunnies are swoon-worthy. The colour of the flooring in the background is also a really nice backdrop for bunny pics. Edit: I’ve read how bunnies can get abscesses from being swiped in the face during a scuffle, and I would do what Mikey suggested and separate them as a preventative measure. You can always supervise them at other playtimes, but the time will pass quickly, and before you know it, you’ll be bonding them. If I were concerned like you are, I would take the steps to have some peace of mind for the future.

[Author]

Messages