Mounting Anxiety

[sgregory]

So I’ve been working on bonding Mumbles and the new bun. They get along pretty well, they groom each other and lounge near each other. I took them on a 45 minute car ride and let them out in a friend’s house, and they snuggled a lot. Butttt, then Mumbles mounted the white bun and the white bun screamed. She wasn’t hurt at all, it was just scared/shock. Needless to say, they haven’t snuggled since. They are still comfortable around each other though. Mumbles is definitely the dominant one. She always goes to the white bun’s litter box and pees and poops in it. She holds it in all day just to do it. :-/

Either way, they get along fine, groom each other and lounge near each other. But every once in a while Mumbles mounts the white bun. The white bun doesn’t scream anymore, but she only puts up with it for a few seconds and then darts away. And of course Mumbles can be pretty persistant.

I’ve tried petting her to make her feel more comfortable, and it seems to help a little, but not enough. Should i try something else to calm her down during this mounting or should I just let her run off and stop Mumbles from persuing her?

 

[RabbitPam]

It sounds like the white bun is getting more used to it. If she isn’t screaming now, that’s better, as scary as it was for all of you.

I think BB is the expert on mounting dos and don’ts. I’ll ask her to pop onto the site and reply today if she can.
Sorry I am not more help. I am hoping that it is dominance and, once established, will lessen. Are both bunnies spewtered?

[sgregory]

They aren’t fixed, they are both girls and neither are old enough. The white one is about 2 months and Mumbles is 5.
It is definitely dominance mounting, she does it to the cat also.

[Beka27]

I’m not sure I would start the bonding process until after both are spayed. If one or the other (likely the younger one) has a bad experience with the other bun, it could make the bonding progress even more difficult later on. It’s possible that they could co-exist up to and thru the spays, but it’s not guaranteed.

[BinkyBunny]

I would also encourage bonding AFTER they are spayed as the dominance and territorial issues driven by hormones my be challenging to overcome.

But if you decide to try this anyway, or just do this after the spays then here are my tips for the mounting situations.

Normally during bonding, it’s okay to let the dominant bunny mount for a little bit. However, if it’s on a constant bases then the passive bunny will need a break, as this can cause fights or cause too much stress for the passive bunny – to the point where the “stressed” bunny stops eating or deals with a gi slow-down.

Also, if the passive bunny allows mounting at all, then comforting, like you are doing is good. Just don’t let the mounting go on and on and on. After a 20 seconds or so just gently push the dominant bunny aside for a couple of minutes. Eventually the dominant bunny should feel satisfied with getter her point across. The mounting should start to subside (for some pairs it can stop after a few days, but the average is a few weeks – but this is also based on bunnies that are fixed)

I’m glad that the white bunny isn’t screaming anymore. If it happens again, I would just double check that the white bunny, being new, doesn’t have any physical issues that may cause pain when being mounted. (some bunnies do just scream when their are scared, not physicall hurt, but I would do a body check to make sure there isn’t any place on the white bunny that may seem more tender than normal)

Keep us updated on what you decide to do.

[bunnymama]

I suggest the spay — when my rabbit was a teenager before she was fixed – she was brutal – nippin me and just being plain naughty. After she was fixed at 6 months, she was like a new bunny – attitude gone — and pooped in poop dish all the time going forward.

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