Hi everyone!
I have two sibling bunnies, Fisher (male, neutered), and Juniper (female, spayed). They are both 6 months old. I got them when they were just under 4 months old and immediately separated them in side by side x-pens until both were fixed. After moving into a new flat I took the opportunity of a completely neutral environment and they are finally together.
I've read a lot about bonding but there are so many contradicting statements and various methods online that it's gotten me quite muddled, so I'm looking for some advice.
Currently, they've been together 24/7, in the x-pen overnight and free roamed during the day, for a week.
Positively speaking, there has been zero fighting. They eat and drink together (I offered them separate bowls but they chose to eat together at one then move to the other together, so I ended up just giving them one). They also cuddle and happily explore and play together and by themselves. When free roaming, they often look around separately and then pair up again and explore side by side.
There are two things that are concerning me however that I would appreciate some insight on. Firstly, Juniper is showing some bald spots on her ear. I've spoken to their vet who showed no concern and there's no signs of parasites, so I'm assuming it's due to barbering from Fisher.
The other thing that concerns me is that Fisher has begun, in the past 2 days, to hump Juniper constantly. I've seen this can be a dominance thing so as they're both fixed and it's not on the head I've let them be so far. Juniper doesn't attack him but does try and escape either immediately or after a few seconds. She doesn't seem to be stressed by it, and he tends to groom her during or afterwards (which has confused me a little, because I was under the impression mounting asserted dominance and grooming asserted submission).
Is this behaviour normal thing to expect during a bonding process, or should I consider separating them again for the time being (this is something I'd prefer to avoid, as they'd need to be moved to my parents house due to space issues, and although I live very close and there is plenty of room for them there, I don't want to cause excess stress)? I would greatly appreciate any tips on how to approach Fisher's behaviour or the bonding process in general, as well as what good signs to look out for as I tend to get stuck in the negatives.
Thank you!
by sentientbreadsticks