Bonding; They can't figure out which one is dominant!

[Annetters]

So I've recently begun bonding my two neutered male rabbits. Things seem to be going o-k, except that they can't figure out which one is dominant! Cal seems to hump Wash a lot, but sometimes Wash will hump him back, which makes Cal pretty angry. They end up circling a lot, but I often interrupt this by pushing them a little away from each other. When their cages are next to each other they will flop and sniff each other. In addition, Cal grooms (or is he pulling out fur?) from wash's back and i saw him grooming his ears the other day. I see Cal often bowing his head trying to get Wash to groom him, but Wash never does.
Should I keep letting them hump each-other in hopes that they will figure out the dominant one soon?
Thanks!

 

[caustin4]

Sounds like they have a lot to figure out! With any bonding you have to let them hump a little bit to figure it out themselves. I generally let them hump for some time, as long as no one is getting hurt and there are no fights. This is they way of establishing dominance, so if you did not letting them you would be deterring them from establishing dominance. It's tricky to tell when enough is enough, however. I would say let them go at it for 10-20 seconds (judge this by how aggravated the rabbits look). The key is really just to make sure no fights break out. Stopping their circling is definitely a good idea, but its best to never let it get to that point. It's tough because there are no hard and fast rules as far as bonding goes. Each pair of rabbits is different, so the methods taken must be different.

 

[Annetters]

Cal usually doesn't even hump for 10-20 seconds anymore; it's usually for less than 5, and then he might sit there and groom a little.
It's also a little difficult for me to figure out what's going on in Wash's mind, because he's a lop and I can't really figure out what he's saying with his ears.

 

[bellaterra214]

I have a fem/male combo, but after almost a year, they sometime still have to remind each other who's on top. I will usually keep an eye on them to make it doesn't escalate to injury status, but I wouldn't worry and let them them figure it out.

 

[Kizza]

I have also started bonding my 2 neutered boys! They have had a little trouble finding out who is the boss, but they seem to be working it out. They don't circle anymore, but Gidget will hump Rocky sometimes still, and if Rocky gets really annoyed with it he will hump him back. Gidget LOVES Rocky and always tries to get his attention, follows him everywhere, sprays him, humps him sometimes, but Rocky only really sniffs Gidget and sometimes grooms him.

Rocky tends to bow his head for a groom a lot and always gets it, poor Gidget doesn't get a lot back.

I have no idea who is dominant so I at least hope they know! I wish Gidget would stop spraying Rocky, poor thing is over getting washed all the time to get the pee smell out of his fur lol

Keep us updated on your boys, I would suggest that as long as it isn't rough, let them hump a little bit and show them that they will both get attention from you when they want it, in case they are trying to figure out who you belong to. My 2 stopped fighting when they realised that it is ME who is the boss and they both get cuddles equally.