Male and Female bonding

[Spangles]

Hi!
I’m quite new to bunny owning and bonding and I’m starting to get a bit worried about our two bunnies!
We’ve had Arnie over 2 years and after the first year he started to display signs of loneliness so we decided to get him a friend. I found Siggy from a breeder and kept her seperate until she was old enough to neuter, and then left her seperate for a few months after to make sure all the hormones etc had settled. At this point I should point out Arnie has been neutered too.
We started bonding them a while ago and they seemed to, whilst they had a few dominance battles to begin with, get along fine and there were no signs of aggression. They groom each other, cuddles together etc and showed signs they were all bonded so we started to house them together. Months down the line and everything has been fine except they still hump each other. And that’s both of them humping each other, not just one humping the other. Its mainly Arnie who tries to hump Siggy, gets a few goes in until she flips round and humps him back- I assume to reinstate her dominance over him. Its something I thought they’d grow out of, and other people seemed to think it wasn’t a big deal as it wasn’t aggressive or anything, just a bit of humping. But Arnie has started to follow Siggy around the cage for a hump now- it’s not quite chasing but she is clearly not wanting him to hump her until he manages to finally get her to give in and let him. We can here them hop back and forth until she lets him. She also has started to growl and swipe at him if we touch or pet him and not her. All these things I feel are her trying to assert her dominance, and he’s not quite letting go and submitting. But I’m starting to worry this is something that at some point could escalate to something else. They display all the signs of being bonded other then this. But we’ve done all the tricks in the book for bonding and they’ve lived together in a cage for months- I just don’t know what else we can do! If this a worry, or if this is just the dynamic of their relationship with him slightly getting cheeky to challenge her dominance until she squashes it. He’s never aggressive to her at all, if anything he just always wants her attention.
I guess id just like some reassurance really! She’s only aggressive to him when were involved (she’s not a big fan of people) but I don’t know what else we can do and I worry that if we have to seperate and try with a new bunny he might be incredibly upset because if anything Im sure he’s at least bonded with her the way he acts around her!

[Bunnybuzz]

Hi! Bonding is something that I’m not the best at either since my rabbit is very aggressive. It seems to me that Arnie is the leader and Siggy isn’t okay with it. Now this might be surprising but females tend to be more aggressive and males more calm although it always depends on your rabbits, so Siggy is mad and wants all your attention. I have a few questions that are going to help me out to know, so I can help you out:
Do they get their own food bowl?
How often to you guys play together?
Do they have their own litter box?

One thing that might help is for you to set up a time just for Siggy to be pet and then a time for just Arnie to be pet. I also used to have a rabbit that would hump y female a lot and she would do the same things as Siggy does to Arnie. I learned that if she gets to be alone for a little each day it helped her out a lot and after a little alone time she would come back a snuggle with August (the male who would hump her). Maybe try a little area with a hidey house where Siggy can go and be alone for a little while? Let me know if this helps

[Spangles]

See we always assumed she was dominant because she’s so aggressive but maybe he is because he seems to assert himself more, until she gets annoyed and tries to put a stop to it. It’s so hard to tell!
They share everything; foodbowl, toys, litterbox etc. I changed them all to neutral ones once we housed them together, and there’s never really a squabble over food or anything. We used to play with Arnie a lot (I think he slightly bonded to me, or as much as they can to a person as he used to groom my feet and flop and lie across them!) But now that Siggy is with him, as she’s so aggressive towards us we don’t pet them as much anymore. When they run around they investigate us etc but probably only handle them once a week or so- I can’t get her out it’s only my boyfriend who can so i have to get him to!
Thanks for the tip though, that sounds like a good idea- she’s always happy to run off alone then Arnie runs after her and bugs her! He’s too needy!

[Bunnybuzz]

Hi! So I would say it’s best to have their own litter box, food bowl etc but you can still put them next to each other. As long as theirs two. Siggy might feel better to have some of her own things It’s good there is no fights over food, it’s a good sign! It’s good that Arnie is bonded to you! Awww so cute, that’s for sure a good thing=) It’s fine that you don’t handle them, most buns don’t like it anyway.
Yeah I could never get my girl out either lol. One thing that might help is to get your boyfriend to take out Siggy, put her next to you (you don’t need her on your lap or anything) and you start giving her treats (doesn’t have to be store brought you could try fruit or oats, which is my bunnies fav once she’s at ease with you start slowly petting her. Make sure to come from the side so she can see you and doesn’t get scared. Do this every so often and see if it works.
It’s also best that once she calms down, to set aside a time for you to go and play with the buns for while.
It’s good that she gets to be alone! Sometimes they just need to get away from the boys for a while!
Let me know if this helps and how everything goes!

[DanaNM]

The humping isn’t a problem… but only if the one being humped is OK with it. It sounds like they aren’t, so it’s worth paying attention to.

Have there been any changes in your household? New pets? New people? New cleaning products?

Any new scents can trigger dominance issues.

Also, how much space and exercise do they get? Ideally you should not have to pick them up to let them out to exercise, as that can damage trust. Siggy might be protective over the cage because it is “their” space, and she is right! Anytime you reach in there you are invading their safe zone, so if you have to do it anytime they come out to play it can trigger aggression as she is protecting their zone.

Most store bought cages are too small, even for one bunny, so I’m wondering if they are having issues because they are too crowded.

My bonded pair has two litter boxes (side by side), and two food bowls, even though they often each out of the same one.

Also, if Siggy is suddenly aggressive, it could be due to a medical issue. Anytime there is a sudden behavior change it could be due to a rabbit in pain. This can also trigger issues in bonded pairs, so it might be worth a vet visit to get them both a check up.

I also think Bunnybuzz gave some good tips on earning trust from both bunnies.

I think you can also try a quick “couples therapy” bonding session to see if that helps. Try either a car ride together or popping them in a basket or box and vacuuming around them. You can follow up with banana on both heads to end with good feelings all around.

. . . 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.  

[Bunnybuzz]

DanaNM: Yes I think that’s a really good idea for the litter boxes and food bowls- that way they have a choice

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