Mixed Signals

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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

This topic has 3sd replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 3 years, 5 months ago by DanaNM.

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- 07/11/2021 at 12:36 AM
  feireia
  Participant
  21 posts
  I am a little over 2 weeks into marathon bonding my two rabbits and was curious about a behavior I observed. Nova (F, spayed) will mount Pekoe (M, neutered) then groom him afterwards. There has only been one minor scuffle since I started marathon bonding and that was because I expanded their space too quickly. What does the humping then grooming mean? I always thought humping was a sign of dominance and grooming another rabbit was a sign of submission… Am I missing something here?
- 07/11/2021 at 4:59 AM
  LittleLionMan
  Participant
  133 posts
  I’m in the middle of bonding as well, so I’m by no means a bounding expert. Wolfie was very into mounting in the beginning —face mounting more specifically haha — but from the start Pixie was clearly more dominant. I think there was a brief period of Wolfie mounting and grooming in the same dating session, but then he stopped mounting altogether. He was a dominant, spoiled only bun before she came. So I viewed it as Wolfie trying to hold onto his dominance, but also reluctantly settling into the submissive role. Basically he was like “I’d like to be alpha please!” And pixie was like “request denied. Now groom me!” I’m not sure if that relates to your experience at all, but that was my experience. I’m sure others will be able to provide more insight! 🙂
- 07/11/2021 at 10:09 PM
  feireia
  Participant
  21 posts
  Bunny behaviors are so confusing 😥 Nova is seemingly more dominant because she’s the only one that humps but 9 times out of 10 she’s also the only one that grooms, and it’s been like this since day 1. Good luck with your bonding!
- 07/12/2021 at 12:36 PM
  DanaNM
  Moderator
  9055 posts
  Both rabbits will groom, and often the mounting rabbit will groom before mounting. I don’t think it’s a problem that she’s grooming after.
  
  I’m convinced that half the time both rabbits think they are dominant, so try not to worry too much about which bun is dominant and submissive. As long as you are seeing positive behaviors like grooming and cuddling, then you are on the right track. 🙂
  
  . . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.
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