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Submissive bunny won't groom.

Milo+Fizz

Mama Doe
Is this normal or does it confirm to the dominant bunny they are boss is a vital stage to bonding? My trio have been together a good few weeks now and all was going really well. However sally has now accepted Fizz is higher in the group than she is but she won't groom her when she asks for it. Sally has always been bottom bunny in her duo but it has always been Roo who does the grooming. I have never seen her groom him. Can it work if she won't groom as Fizz chases her when she ignores her.
 
I have no experience in bonding rabbits but my submissive rabbit never grooms the dominant one, the dominant one grooms the submissive one though. They are a mother-son pair though with the mother being the dominant one so maybe their relationship is different. They have fought a couple of times so that I had to separate them but they were fine after. Every now and again she puts him in his place by humping him, at least that's what I think she is doing. For a long time I thought he had to be the dominant one because he never grooms her but someone who knew a lot more about rabbits (vet nurse who boarded them for a week) said that the mother is very clearly the boss.

Sorry don't have any advice as I don't know anything about bonding and stuff but this is how it works for my pair, sounds like your older pair had a similar relationship to them, hopefully it will work out as a trio as well.
 
I've only bonded one pair, Will and Nancy after Will's sister Poppy sadly died. Poppy and Will were "joined at the hip", I dont know who was the dominant and who was the submissive. They both groomed equally, with Poppy possibly doing a tad more grooming than Will. Nancy and Will are more like "mates" compared to how close Poppy and Will were, but I gather from the rescue they were from the same litter and were only seperated when they were neutered. Nancy appears to be the boss in the new pair, pushes Will out the way to sit/flop in a certain spot, rarely grooms him whereas he is grooming her constantly. She is bigger so maybe she's not really "pushing" him, but she'll nick treats from under him if she finishes hers first - although recently he's started trying to nick hers before he's even got his. Poor Will, when she's washing herself he puts his head right down under her in hope of getting an accidental groom - I worry he'll suffocate. :roll:He doesnt chase her though when she doesnt groom him. Sorry this is probably no help at all but just gives a different perspective perhaps.
 
I've only done one bonding, 2 pairs (mm) and (ff) to form a quad. When in their original pairs the boys groomed each other, the girls never did. Now in a quad the boys still groom each other and the girls, but the girls still won't groom anybun at all. They all seem more than happy and very loved up snugly buns. One of the boys is top bun :D
 
Frosty is top rabbit in our quad and will groom Snowflake (his brother) and the girls.

Snowflake is mr submissive and doesnt do any grooming.

Tessie grooms Daisy (her sister)

Daisy grooms Frosty.

Peaches grooms Mottle (f/m pair). Not sure who is in charge there though.
 
I've never bonded bunnies before, but I have a pair of 12 week old mini lion lops (brothers). I suspect Blueberry is the dominant one, but he grooms Badger (once I've seen them groom each other). Badger does not groom at all. Both will lick me, but Blueberry is the more licky one than Badger.
 
It's down to the individual rabbits

Yuki was the submissive with yuri and she rarely groomed yuri even when you asked, but as she got older she did it more but still not lots. She was my soul bun and think she was attached to me too much she groomed me and fell asleep on me lots

jAke loved yuri so much breakers my heart for yuri that he is gone as they were inseparable. They groomed each other lots

Now scamps and yuri groom each other lots too and are very good together following each other around etc....
 
A trick we used when bonding my dominate-male/submissive-female pair to get them a little closer was putting a treat on each other's heads to eat off maybe if you put a treat on the male's head the female would become keener to licking/grooming them in time even without the treat. Thou I think a pair like this can get alone fine with the female grooming him rarely, I've noticed submissive females with dominant males just tend to behave this way. If he demands grooming enough and she doesn't think we see her I have seen her do it once or twice its almost like she is embarrassed.
 
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