Bullying / dominance?

GrahamL · Mar 2, 2012

Can someone confirm or discuss something with me please?

As most of you know, Ginger isn't the most healthy of bunnies, but in the last few days, she's been doing something rather odd that i've never seen before, and its quite upsetting for me, so i'd like to have some form of confirmation as to my suspicions.

When Biscuit goes and lays down - full on flop, Ginger keeps going up to him, and digs at his back, quite forcefully and he jumps and looks frightened and then looks really sad

She'll then lay right next to him, and they snuggle and look fine, then randomly, she'll get up and dig at him again.

I've checked him over frequently to his disgust, but he doesn't appear to have any cuts or scabs that i can tell.

I assume this is some kind of 'normal' bunny behaviour, but i dont know why it's normal and why she's only suddenly started doing it. Is it a dominance thing? We know Ginger is likely 'top bun' but is it 'cos she's feeling a bit rough and is fighting for her position?

They are absolutely fine together at all other times, its only when Biscuit has flopped down and is comfy

Anyone with any advice, happy to listen!

BeeBee · Mar 2, 2012

Dont have any advice ( sorry) .. but will be intererested in the responses. Bee did this to Elphie the first time they met as well ... and he was washing my arm last night then starting scrabbling at it and nibbling and then went back to grooming .. but he is an odd little bunny :roll:

I think ( x-vic-x correct me if i am wrong) that Bee was doing it to Elphie to get her attention!

Hope Ginger is well on the mend

Sky-O · Mar 2, 2012

I'd watch his health in case when he goees into a particular kind of deep sleep Ginger knows he isn't ok and therefore gets him to move and wake up. Rosie did almost exactly this with Badger (minus the digging) and we thought she had suffered a trauma, but it was only about 3 months later that he started to show signs to us and it was, at first, only when he was sleeping. Essentially, she knew before we did that something was wrong and did her best to 'fix' him.

GrahamL · Mar 2, 2012

BeeBee said:
Dont have any advice ( sorry) .. but will be intererested in the responses. Bee did this to Elphie the first time they met as well ... and he was washing my arm last night then starting scrabbling at it and nibbling and then went back to grooming .. but he is an odd little bunny :roll:

I think ( x-vic-x correct me if i am wrong) that Bee was doing it to Elphie to get her attention!

Hope Ginger is well on the mend

Thank you

Both mine are odd :roll:

Sky-O said:
I'd watch his health in case when he goees into a particular kind of deep sleep Ginger knows he isn't ok and therefore gets him to move and wake up. Rosie did almost exactly this with Badger (minus the digging) and we thought she had suffered a trauma, but it was only about 3 months later that he started to show signs to us and it was, at first, only when he was sleeping. Essentially, she knew before we did that something was wrong and did her best to 'fix' him.

Thank you

He has been 'slowing down' so to speak and sleeping quite a bit lately, he is the king of the dbf of late, i assumed he was just really relaxed and chilled out, as he's still binkying and running round like a loon and everything is 'normal' really, but i will keep a very close eye on him and if it continues, i'll have him have a full checkup with our vet and see if she can spot something i obviously can't.

I remember you saying that Rosie used to wake Badger up, bless her

Sky-O · Mar 2, 2012

GrahamL said:
Thank you

He has been 'slowing down' so to speak and sleeping quite a bit lately, he is the king of the dbf of late, i assumed he was just really relaxed and chilled out, as he's still binkying and running round like a loon and everything is 'normal' really, but i will keep a very close eye on him and if it continues, i'll have him have a full checkup with our vet and see if she can spot something i obviously can't.

I remember you saying that Rosie used to wake Badger up, bless her

If you have clearly noticed that, especially at this time of year (when they normally speed up) I would definitely be keeping a close eye. However, there may not be anything for a human to identify yet. I don't think you were on the forum when Badger first got ill but I kept taking him back and back (so this was about 5 months after Rosie first started waking him up) and because he wasn't alseep no one could identify anything was wrong with him, even though by that point I could clearly see he was struggling and different. That was from January to March 2010. We only finally got somewhere in April 2010 after he got a referral and that was 6 months after Rosie knew.

I have no idea why but in my head I vaguely remember calling Ginger a nurse bunny before? Does that ring a bell with you, or have I just made that up? At any rate, I think it's fair to presume she knows something you don't, right now.

For the sleeping thing, when bunnies are sick, but often very visibly sick and not too far from deaths door (in my experience) they sleep, but then they also have a really deep level of sleeping- almost like comatose. Where they can semi function but still seem to be asleep, but also that when they are laying down and sleeping they are REALLY hard to wake up. This normally happens as their body starts to heal.

I wonder if Biccy's body is trying to heal something and he is starting to go into a deeper sleep that Ginger is not comfortable with.

If I'm honest Gray, this does make me worried for Biccy. A lot. Hopefully if and when something appears it will be something sortable, but please enjoy every day and make every day count.

GrahamL · Mar 2, 2012

Sky-O said:
If you have clearly noticed that, especially at this time of year (when they normally speed up) I would definitely be keeping a close eye. However, there may not be anything for a human to identify yet. I don't think you were on the forum when Badger first got ill but I kept taking him back and back (so this was about 5 months after Rosie first started waking him up) and because he wasn't alseep no one could identify anything was wrong with him, even though by that point I could clearly see he was struggling and different. That was from January to March 2010. We only finally got somewhere in April 2010 after he got a referral and that was 6 months after Rosie knew.

I have no idea why but in my head I vaguely remember calling Ginger a nurse bunny before? Does that ring a bell with you, or have I just made that up? At any rate, I think it's fair to presume she knows something you don't, right now.

For the sleeping thing, when bunnies are sick, but often very visibly sick and not too far from deaths door (in my experience) they sleep, but then they also have a really deep level of sleeping- almost like comatose. Where they can semi function but still seem to be asleep, but also that when they are laying down and sleeping they are REALLY hard to wake up. This normally happens as their body starts to heal.

I wonder if Biccy's body is trying to heal something and he is starting to go into a deeper sleep that Ginger is not comfortable with.

If I'm honest Gray, this does make me worried for Biccy. A lot. Hopefully if and when something appears it will be something sortable, but please enjoy every day and make every day count.

Yes, you did call Ginger a nurse bunny, it was via a msn conversation when Biscuit went into stasis. Ginger would nip him to make him move around and you commented she knew what he needed in her mind.

He has been occasionally difficult to wake, normally, he would jump at me moving from my chair, but occasionally (not every time) he won't move until i've got a lot closer, but i've just assumed he's gone into a really deep sleep?

This is why i wanted to post on here as i knew someone would have something more knowledgable to say about it.

I wonder if you're right and Ginger knows something we dont right now, that concerns me, a lot as his recent sleeping pattern has definately changed

I know this is all conjecture and it may be just something and nothing, but this is Biscuit, he can't be sick, he's not allowed!

Will be keeping an extra close eye on him now, he's due a nail clip about now so i'll get him checked out then.

kaths101 · Mar 2, 2012

Hi Gray, Im not sure but Sooty kept digging at Mittens back end early on in the bond and Mittens soon after went into Stasis but i dont know if it was Sooty recognising this or Sooty caused the stasis by stressing her out!
Shes never done it since!
Complicated bunnies arent they!

Bullying / dominance?

GrahamL

Wise Old Thumper

BeeBee

Mama Doe

Sky-O

Wise Old Thumper

GrahamL

Wise Old Thumper

Sky-O

Wise Old Thumper

GrahamL

Wise Old Thumper

kaths101

Warren Veteran

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