Over amorous boy bunny - vets/rescuers/regular bonders your advice please

Can I ask those of you who regularly do bondings or that rescue, have you ever had a rabbit (male) that was neutered, that you just couldn't bond due to his desire to hump almost continually?

Any veterinary staff heard of such a problem before?

I've been trying to bond one of our rescue boys since last October. He has now had four seperate attempts to bond him with a female. Twice with the same lady bun but several months apart, once with a very large french lop and now with a pair of ladies. On each occasion, he mounts almost continually and makes himself quite red. I don't think his winky/stub is that sore necessarily but it's just engorged with blood. It reverts to normal colour fairly quickly if you take him out of the bonding area.

I have been trying to bond him again this week and whilst it has been much better than previous attempts, he still insists on intermittantly humping. So far he has gotten away with a bit of light chasing but I am not convinced that I should continue to try this bond (I have split them to give all concerned a break for a short while but will give it one more go in a while). He's not aggressive and neither are the other rabbits but I do worry that he will just not stop and I can't send a bunny home under these circumstances. The girls will undoubtedly end up being fed up with the attention. Had I not seen him do it before I would consider it normal pecking order stuff but it's the same thing every time and I firmly believe it's sexual not heirachical behavour.

It had crossed my mind that his neuter was 'iffy' although his testicles have disappeared long ago. I also wondered if he could be a haemophrodite.

Anybody got any experience or suggestions? I don't want to not give him the chance of a partner because he clearly loves his wives and has spent most of the time, when not humping, doing happy flops next to them both and has also been groomed extensively by one of the ladies.

How long have you given him with them whilst he is humping?

Wuld a blood test be worthwhile to check for hormone levels and maybe a rogue third testicle somewhere?

My Dominic is rampant despite being neutered and about 7 years old. He's been bonded with Gypsy for months, but he still circles her honking, and tries to mount her all the time...he even sprays urine!

Dominic was neutered late at about 4 years old, so I wonder if the behaviour is just habitual? :?

I know that he's definitely not still fertile because he's been with un-spayed females without making them pregnant.

Sky-O said:

How long have you given him with them whilst he is humping?

Wuld a blood test be worthwhile to check for hormone levels and maybe a rogue third testicle somewhere?

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Just what I was thinking, he may have a retained testicle.

Sky-O said:

How long have you given him with them whilst he is humping?

Wuld a blood test be worthwhile to check for hormone levels and maybe a rogue third testicle somewhere?

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This is where I am going with this I think Tracey. I think I need to find out what I can do medically to investigate.

With the humping, I gave him a good three days the first time but he did not stop at all (except to come up for air) and I became very worried for the owners rabbit (who was 6) so I stopped it - the mounting was relentless and I didn't want her to have stress related issues.

The next time I tried her again I only let it go for a day and a bit (well my days are actually days and nights as I stay up continually). Nothing had changed and again I would not risk the female's heart/health.

Then I tried him with Daisyboots here and that lasted a day because she was submissive at first but became defensive, being bigger than him and with the threat of her getting more aggressive, I moved on to the next bun. She ended up with Harper so it was definitely not her but his that prevented it from working.

And now we've had the two ladies. Theyve been together since Monday evening and I've given it a good go. I have talked to their mummy this morning and I am going to carry on for a bit longer today but then call it a day if he doesn't stop - one of the bunnies is not coping that well with the advances and is can be heard wimpering a bit when he approaches (she has been known to do this anyway in general, but I can't have a rabbit that stressed).

I thought Grimlock was unbondable. He was also neutered late so continued to hump, perhaps out of habit. He ripped the fur off many a lady bunny while 'at it'. And even after his teeth were taken out he was still very amorous. I bonded him with Smoo, I chose her because Angie said she was very bossy. She bit him on the ear every time he humped her and he actually started to become scared of her! I thought they were bonded but had to rebond them again two months later when he was too scared to jump off the bed to go to the toilet and peed on my OH's head one night. He soon learned that no humping = no biting and they're a perfect couple now.

He might need a lady to tell him no.

abbymarysmokey said:

My Dominic is rampant despite being neutered and about 7 years old. He's been bonded with Gypsy for months, but he still circles her honking, and tries to mount her all the time...he even sprays urine!

Dominic was neutered late at about 4 years old, so I wonder if the behaviour is just habitual? :?

I know that he's definitely not still fertile because he's been with un-spayed females without making them pregnant.

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See this is where I am with Bugsy. He came to me when he was 3 1/2 and not neutered. We had him done last September. He had 'played' football - but in fact what the owners had allowed him to do for all of his life was mount the ball and of course as it rolled away he followed it around and carried on until they put him back in his hutch. It is certainly learned in that respect. Sadly the owners found it endearing (which I guessed to the uninitiated it must have been) but I found it quite distressing for him.

But how can he unlearn I wonder :-(

halfpenny said:

Just what I was thinking, he may have a retained testicle.

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Possibly if he could have had three as he had two when he arrived and they 'aint there now

Jenova said:

I thought Grimlock was unbondable. He was also neutered late so continued to hump, perhaps out of habit. He ripped the fur off many a lady bunny while 'at it'. And even after his teeth were taken out he was still very amorous. I bonded him with Smoo, I chose her because Angie said she was very bossy. She bit him on the ear every time he humped her and he actually started to become scared of her! I thought they were bonded but had to rebond them again two months later when he was too scared to jump off the bed to go to the toilet and peed on my OH's head one night. He soon learned that no humping = no biting and they're a perfect couple now.

He might need a lady to tell him no.

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I think this is certainly more likely to work that a submissive bunny.

Hi, I dont really have much experience in this area, but just wondering how the ladies react? do they stand up for themselves?

Roseberry said:

Hi, I dont really have much experience in this area, but just wondering how the ladies react? do they stand up for themselves?

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ooo others have beaten me to it with posts along the same lines!

Roseberry said:

Hi, I dont really have much experience in this area, but just wondering how the ladies react? do they stand up for themselves?

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Depends entirely on the bunny concerned. Some just take it, and some will box, bark, run off, try and hide in a corner in distress.

yes Helen we have had this very recently with Max..hence him going as a solo housebunny
He was neutered young and coincedently by our vet who is excellent

but he still mounted constantly..we had him in to bond last year and he would not stop..so sent him home and said to wait about 4 months before retrying..the owners then went and got a bunny from elsewhere and put them together...then they decided they no longer wante dthem and handed them in
On surrender they said Max mounted a lot and the female put up with it..but her back was raw and Max had a very sore penis..I watched them and indeed he only stopped to get his breath or eat and was almost on the point of collapse..let alone the poor doe.
Our vet said nothing unusual about the op and could not feel an internal testicle but I admit we did not have tests done. Max is a very human loving bunny so life as a housebun will suit him..

The only other bun we've had that would not stop mounting was an ex breeding buck saved from a BYB..he had spent his life left in with does and we thought with him it was a learned behaviour

honeybunny said:

yes Helen we have had this very recently with Max..hence him going as a solo housebunny
He was neutered young and coincedently by our vet who is excellent

but he still mounted constantly..we had him in to bond last year and he would not stop..so sent him home and said to wait about 4 months before retrying..the owners then went and got a bunny from elsewhere and put them together...then they decided they no longer wante dthem and handed them in
On surrender they said Max mounted a lot and the female put up with it..but her back was raw and Max had a very sore penis..I watched them and indeed he only stopped to get his breath or eat and was almost on the point of collapse..let alone the poor doe.
Our vet said nothing unusual about the op and could not feel an internal testicle but I admit we did not have tests done. Max is a very human loving bunny so life as a housebun will suit him..

The only other bun we've had that would not stop mounting was an ex breeding buck saved from a BYB..he had spent his life left in with does and we thought with him it was a learned behaviour

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That's all very interesting Jill - sounds oh so familiar. Now the thing is with Bugsy that he absolutely adores human company and is never ever phased by anything or anybody. He will lie on your chest and go to sleep for hours - closing his eyes and totally trusting you. He loves affection from humans and behaves like a dog.

You said about mounting until virtually the point of collapse - this is him. He literally can't carry on and stops panting like a gooden. Can't be good for him.

I have wondered too if he is destined to be on his own as a house bun, but would love to give it one more go before he ends up on his lonesome

if he is happy with human affection, then I know it isn't the same, but he would be happy as a housebun..we stressed lots of company and lots of toys to be changed regularly for enviromental enrichment to prevent boredom..same as for all buns but a bit more if you get me

You can only do your best for them and if he is a mounter then the risk of infection to his bits and/or a fight breaking out, outweighs the fact he may have to rely on humans for affection