Playing or Fighting

[BunMoms08]

Hi, Everyone, 

We lost one of our buns a few months ago and have since found a new companion (Logan – spayed hotot male) for our remaining bun, Coconut (neutered lionhead female).

The first two weeks of bonding (we started with only 2 minutes and increased to 5 slowly), Coconut willingly groomed Logan, which he was very happy about. On the third week, Coconut would only groom him once, and when he tried to get close to her again, she would bow her head down to be groomed. The problem is, Logan would also bow his head, and both of them would just stay in that position until someone (mostly Coconut) runs away. We understand this is normal behavior but is there anything we could do to coax Logan to groom Coconut? We tried the banana trick, but Logan just smelled Coconut’s forehead.

Recently, we’ve noticed that Coconut would jump up when Logan gets close — almost like a binky. We’re not really sure if this is a good thing or not? The two of them start running around and both do some binkies, but there was one time when they both almost crashed into each other while jumping. We immediately stopped the bonding session because we were afraid they would get hurt. We have not seen any humping behavior or even circling. 

I’m linking a video from YouTube here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0I2TPZgORCw) where the buns exhibit the same behavior of our buns during bonding. Unfortunately, we have not had the chance to record this specific behavior. You can see the behavior about 23 seconds in. Here’s the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0I2TPZgORCw  

Is that behavior playful or are they fighting? If they’re fighting, what can we do to prevent it from escalating? 

Thank you!

[DanaNM]

That’s not full on fighting, but I’d call it more like sparring, or feeling each other out. In the video the interactions are definitely aggressive, but not full on fighting.

That said, rabbit play can also involve jumping up and running around. The main things to look at are ear and tail position. Ears back, tail up = aggressive. Ears facing forward and tail down = playful. My bonded pair will binky and run all around the room, but it’s more side by side.

Circling (as is seen in the video) is aggressive and can lead to fighting, so it should be stopped. You can do this by petting them both to calm them down. You can also try a loud noise (like a vacuum cleaner, or even clapping and saying HEY!).

Sounds like Coconut has partially submitted to Logan, but maybe isn’t quite there all the way yet, or at least Logan isn’t sure he trusts her yet.

For now don’t stress too much about him grooming her back, but work on keeping them calm when they approach to build trust. So when Logan approaches, pet Coconut. When they go nose to nose, pet them both and swap scents. Sometimes this is enough to trigger grooming.

A short chase of a few seconds is OK, but if it turns into fast chasing or circling, stop them.

. . . 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.  

[Wick & Fable]

Dana is definitely the one to turn to for bonding. I am not experienced in any sense, but the interaction at 23seconds reminds me of what I saw when I helped with speed dating at a rabbit adoption event. It occurred when one rabbit wanted to completely avoid interaction with the others, so they would just continuously jump over them to run to another side of the cage.

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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