Which one of my rabbits is showing dominance?

[BB03]

~ This is going to be long so prepare yourself ~

I finally took the leap and decided to
bond my two females. Today session lasted 5 hours and this was my first session. Some might say 5 hours is a long time but their cages are right next to eachother and they've been like this for 2 years now. Also, when they free roam May likes to lick Autumn between the x-pen. (I let them free roam at the same time with a x-pen between them). I've tried bonding them in the past and small session didnt do much. But today I saw a lot of positive things and was shocked, but I'm confused as to which rabbit is showing dominance. At first they were nipping and chase but made sure to end it before it turned into a fight. There was no mounting, when I tried to bond them in the past there was mounting but not today. Once I hit the 3 hour mark May began licking Autumns face, but more specifically the inside of her ear. I had to push her away a few times because I didnt want her to bite the inside of her ear causing a wound. But this went on for a good 30 minutes. The thing that I'm confused by is that Autumn and May still both put their head down like they're waiting to be licked. Autumn has yet to lick May, and she also puts her head under May and refuses to lick her. I was starting to think that May was sub but she was putting her head under Autumn then she would lick her. One other thing is they would be laying down next to eachother then the next moment one rabbit would nip the other causing an argument. It's like something good happens but then an argument breaks out right after. I know this is my first session but I want some more advice for tomorrow. I also ended it on a good note and I put them in opposite cages so they can get use to eachother scent.

 

[FuzzyBunny ph]

Seems like you're doing well! not sure what else I can suggest, have you tried feeding them at the same time? thats what I did with my trio, I feel it helps

 

[BB03]

Seems like you're doing well! not sure what else I can suggest, have you tried feeding them at the same time? thats what I did with my trio, I feel it helps

I made sure that there was hay and pellets in the area. I also fed them some cilantro. The only thing is I'm not sure who is asserting dominance.

 

[John Wick]

I'm no expert in bonding, but I don't think it impacts how you maneuver bonding, especially at this early stage, whichever rabbit is the "dominant" one-- they are sorting out their hierarchy and in many cases, this looks like the mixed signals that you see.

 

[BB03]

I'm no expert in bonding, but I don't think it impacts how you maneuver bonding, especially at this early stage, whichever rabbit is the "dominant" one-- they are sorting out their hierarchy and in many cases, this looks like the mixed signals that you see.

Thank you so much! Its probably just too early to tell.

 

[FuzzyBunny ph]

I made sure that there was hay and pellets in the area. I also fed them some cilantro. The only thing is I'm not sure who is asserting dominance.

well for me its always whoever the oldest is. But of course this varies with their personality as well

 

[Dandy&Tuli4693]

She I was having the same problem because my male an female would do the same thing eventually they were bonded really well and cuddled all the time with no aggression but I still cant tell who the dominant one is cause neither other them groom eachother

They both have very dominant personality's even though one is half as big as the other

 

[JBun]

They're sorting out who's going to be boss. It's part of the process. That's what the nipping is about and about putting their heads down to be groomed. It's whoever gives in and starts grooming, and whoever moves and gives way when the other rabbit nips, that is likely to be the submissive one. Which is sounding like at this point could be May. And that's good. One bun needs to decide they're ok being submissive or the bond won't work out.

With the grooming, when a rabbit is in there grooming like that, it's very unlikely any biting will occur, but especially the inside of the ear which would be a little difficult to bite. The edges of the ear are a more likely target for biting, but this is fighting escalating, not when one rabbit is grooming another. Not usually anyways.

If you want to post a video of part of a session, we may be able to give you a better read on the behavior that's happening. If you haven't seen this link yet, there's good info and some good videos on bonding, that may help

https://cottontails-rescue.org.uk/information/bonding-bunnies/