rebeccaemms
Warren Scout
We have had Mulan for a week now and she met my bereaved bunny Benjamin last Sunday for the first time. It was a good first meeting - a couple of very minor nips and then sitting close together. I've given them a chance to get together most days since and it was going quite well...at first the nips continued but then they were progressively sitting closer to one another. Benjamin has been presenting himself for grooming but Mulan will not oblige and has not groomed him at all - he has groomed her a couple of times to see if he can get her to reciprocate. Yesterday though his behaviour changed and he began mounting (something he has never done previously - and this will be his third bond now) and hair pulling. Mulan is completely submissive and allows him to hump and pull her hair until I make it stop - he could continue for hours and it is all he is interested in but she does not retaliate whatsoever. A couple of time she has dashed away when his grip has loosened but generally she just lets it happen. She will occasionally bow her head for grooming on the couple of rare occasions in the last couple of days when the humping has stopped (for him to have a rest - he is 9 and a little geriatric!) and he usually will give her a little groom and then presents himself for grooming - which is always refused from her! He is so desperate to be groomed that even when she is cleaning or washing her face he will shove his head right under her belly to see if he can get her to give him a groom but she will not.
Can anyone interpret this behaviour. I get it that Benjamins humping is his way of exerting his authority and the fact that Mulan stands it without arguing seems that she is submissive but I don't understand then why she will not groom him. I think he would probably stop the humping if she would oblige with the grooming.
Any ideas guys?
Can anyone interpret this behaviour. I get it that Benjamins humping is his way of exerting his authority and the fact that Mulan stands it without arguing seems that she is submissive but I don't understand then why she will not groom him. I think he would probably stop the humping if she would oblige with the grooming.
Any ideas guys?