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Dominance question

Becca6

Mama Doe
I'm trying to work out who is the dominant bun during Bell and T's bonding.

Which is more dominant? Humping or demanding to be groomed (and getting it)?
 
Sounds like they are both trying to dominate!! both are signs..so it depends which one decides to give in first! Good luck!
 
Sounds like they are both trying to dominate!! both are signs..so it depends which one decides to give in first! Good luck!

Hmmm - thanks (I think :)). I'm finding this all very confusing.

T has been grooming Bell enthusiastically all week - both seem to be enjoying it. There's an equal amount of him rushing to groom her, and her shoving her head under his to make him - sometimes he obliges, other times he hops off. Bell has groomed T a handful of times and it's seemed as though tonight was the first time he was completely relaxed with it - she's groomed him once tonight, he's groomed her umpteen times.

Over the last three evenings T has groomed her and then humped her - but not every time. He's humped her head, side and back end. She's not reacted at all - has mostly laid there and let him get on with it, and then got up and hopped off happily.

Is this all good? As a complete novice at bonding I have no idea, and with their history I am very unsure of what I'm seeing.
 
Seems fine..if no aggression then great!..let them get on with it..the humping will stop and grooming is a very good sign! :D
 
HI. We've been bonding Nigel and Nia. Tne bun who pushes its head down is demanding to be groomed and if the other bun obliges then the groomer is the subordinate one. However if the groomer then turns round later and tries humping the the other that shows that the subordinate bun is trying a last ditch attempt at being the dominant one! At the moment Nia is the dominant one in my duo I've seen her groom Nigel only twice, and that was just a quick lick! In both my pairs, it seems to be the female who is the dominant bun.
 
That's what's been confusing me I think. Bella has been insisting T groom her, but he hasn't always given in. Then when he started humping her I didn't know what to think. He's spending a lot of time grooming her, he's humped her around five times over three evenings, and apart from today's grooming, she's just given a quick lick. Tonight it seemed for the first time as though both were enjoying her grooming, whereas it's been obvious both have enjoyed him grooming her all week.

Right then - I'll step it up tomorrow. I'll put them together all day, leave them together overnight and aim to get them in their cages together Sunday night. Eeek.

Glad Nia and Nigel are getting on.
 
I find that the dominance can change after bonding though. When i bonded opal and the benjamin, the benjamin was humping Opal all the time....and wanting to be groomed, but now Opal is the dominant one. She bosses the benjamin around, if he is having a drink, and she wants a drink, she will box his head out of the way so she can get a drink first. He is stupid and just lets her, plus she humps him all the time when i go to feed them. They dont fight though, she just feels the need to assert her dominance over him. Poor bun. :lol:
 
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