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Errmm humping!

Grace65

Warren Veteran
:wave: Hello all!
Any advice as to why charlie has suddenly started humping grace? he has done it on and off during the week usually when i go to put food down, today he has been relentless he has continually chased and tried to hump her numerous times today, he even chased her around the garden this afternoon, she looks so fed up with it and i am at a loss as to what to do? do i intervene? xxxxxx
 
Poor Grace! Sorry I don't have any advice, surely it's a bit early for spring fever amongst the bunny boys? :?
 
Quite a few people have mentioned that Spring is in the air already for some bunnies.

Seems it starts quite early.

Or it could be perfectly natural behaviour and Charlie is just being natural and re-asserting himself as he feels the need to for some reason?
 
I dont know what it is but i am not happy about leaving them alone it is worrying me a bit. xx

Do you think he might get aggressive? :( Maybe try putting a post in the behaviour bit of rabbit care discussion - you might get someone who knows a bit more than me coming along there. I have read that it's not unusual for neutered bucks to go a bit, er, you know in spring but with the temperatures as they are this would seem an unlikely cause!
 
Quite a few people have mentioned that Spring is in the air already for some bunnies.

Seems it starts quite early.

Or it could be perfectly natural behaviour and Charlie is just being natural and re-asserting himself as he feels the need to for some reason?

She never retaliates but i do worry he is stressing her out, wonder why this has happened now? x
 
Do you think he might get aggressive? :( Maybe try putting a post in the behaviour bit of rabbit care discussion - you might get someone who knows a bit more than me coming along there. I have read that it's not unusual for neutered bucks to go a bit, er, you know in spring but with the temperatures as they are this would seem an unlikely cause!

He isnt an aggressive bun susie neither is my gracie but i am a little bit worried she might get stressed over it and we all know the side effects of stress in a bun :?

I dont know whether to intervene or not. x
 
She never retaliates but i do worry he is stressing her out, wonder why this has happened now? x

sudden change in temperature, being allowed out in the garden again, him fancying it.

Biccy pesters Ginger a fair amount, but she just runs off.
 
sudden change in temperature, being allowed out in the garden again, him fancying it.

Biccy pesters Ginger a fair amount, but she just runs off.

That's what gracie does runs off, i hear the bowls and litter tray's go flying where he keeps chasing her it has been awful today. x
 
I put a thread up on the very same thing as Starbuck has started humping Muesli loads this week and I was worried too. Most people advised it was likely to be the start of spring fever - apparently to do with changing light levels and bunnies being sensitive to this :) (Hope I've put that right).
 
I put a thread up on the very same thing as Starbuck has started humping Muesli loads this week and I was worried too. Most people advised it was likely to be the start of spring fever - apparently to do with changing light levels and bunnies being sensitive to this :) (Hope I've put that right).

It's worrying isnt it? xx
 
He isnt an aggressive bun susie neither is my gracie but i am a little bit worried she might get stressed over it and we all know the side effects of stress in a bun :?

I dont know whether to intervene or not. x

Yep ... and you don't want to go down that road. :( I suppose intervention could cause stress as well - bit of a potential no-win situation. :? I suppose you will already have tried distracting Master Charlie with favourite noms?
 
Yep ... and you don't want to go down that road. :( I suppose intervention could cause stress as well - bit of a potential no-win situation. :? I suppose you will already have tried distracting Master Charlie with favourite noms?

Of course, they are all snuggled up like loves young dream at the moment :D xxx
 
No suggestions I'm afraid - but I'm having the same problem with Basil and Hilary. :roll:

I do worry about the amount of time she has spent hopping away from his persistent advances today. I would have said she was more dominant as she's much more confident than Basil. :?

I'm surprised she's never turned round and told him where to get off (if you'll pardon the pun) with her teethies.
 
No suggestions I'm afraid - but I'm having the same problem with Basil and Hilary. :roll:

I do worry about the amount of time she has spent hopping away from his persistent advances today. I would have said she was more dominant as she's much more confident than Basil. :?

I'm surprised she's never turned round and told him where to get off (if you'll pardon the pun) with her teethies.

That is just what i have been thinking, i was half expecting her to turn on him but she hasnt, luckily for me and her grace is very confident and happy go lucky, i dont think she has an aggressive bone in her body, charlie is very shy. xx
 
Noel has just started humpng Milly tonight too. I was a bit worried but she let him do it. Very odd. He hasn't done that since they first got together!
 
I can't advise what to do, but can perhaps explain the roots of this behaviour.

Our pets are the same species of rabbit as the European wild rabbit, & there's very little difference in basic instinctive behaviour.

Nearly all the humping we see in pets is dominance behaviour. In the wild there's a social heirarchy for the best grazing & best burrow sites. So bunnies are instinctively compulsive social climbers, rather than "bossy" or "mean natured". Sorting out their territory happens when the spring grass 1st.starts to appear - a function of daylight length, as well as temp. We call it "Spring fever".

They also learn a lot of their social behaviour by watching adults when they come above ground as kits, but our pets have no opportunity to learn the subtle body language of giving due respect to a bun further up the heirachy.

In the wild there's plenty of space for a bun to run away from another further up the heirarchy. That's the chasing bit. If they don't run away, it can lead to a fight. The lower status bun also has the option to do a "grovel submit" to avoid a fight. The higher status bun will then mount the lower status bun to consolidate it's social position, & territorial rights.

So our pet buns are just doing what rabbits do. They are so similar to humans in many ways, yet so totally different it's difficult to understand them sometimes.

I hand over to those far more experienced than I to advise how you manage the situation. Good luck.:)
 
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