Humping rabbits

So I am after opinions on hormonal humping rabbits, who for whatever reason cannot or are not neutered or able to be treated for what ever reason.

I am hoping I have added a poll to this but bear with as it has been years since I did one

So if rabbit is full of hormones, honking and humping constantly where given the opportunity generally speaking would you -

Give it a toy specifically for humping to encourage it to get its frustrations out because this will make it happier

OR

Not give it a toy because you don't want to encourage the humping behaviour as the more they hump the more frantic they get, which can't be nice for bunny. Also because you are concerned the behaviour, if encouraged, will be come a learned behaviour so once neutering/treatment has taken place it will be harder for the behaviour to change even with the reduction in hormones.

So basically encourage the behaviour or discourage it?

I'd encourage it. I'd rather have a happy bunny who isn't 'frustrated'.

Jaysmonkey said:

I'd encourage it. I'd rather have a happy bunny who isn't 'frustrated'.

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But does encouraging it make them less frustrated or does it just work them up into more of a frenzy so the behaviour becomes more extreme?

Hugo's There said:

But does encouraging it make them less frustrated or does it just work them up into more of a frenzy so the behaviour becomes more extreme?

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It's a fair question, but it's a swings and roundabouts situation.

Max my oldest is neutered, but refusing to bond with Gracie. He is therefore 'single', he has his pink bunny who he adores - he does hump her as well as groom her. It gives him 'company' and something to 'love'.

With regards to an unneutered buck I think the frustrations will be there regardless, you're right. For me I just feel a soft toy may help relieve the issue slightly and help said bunny at least. Alternatively there's leg humping

A toy for a lonely rabbit is a completely different thing

I am talking about a toy specifically given to a hormonal rabbit to hump

Hugo's There said:

A toy for a lonely rabbit is a completely different thing

I am talking about a toy specifically given to a hormonal rabbit to hump

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Oh I know that I was just making a slight comparison (or attempting to)

But still I personally think I would give a hormonal bun a toy for the purpose of humping.

It could make the 'urge' worse, but it could relieve and lessen the 'urge', it's a hard one to call, but for the risk of making it 'worse', I would provide the toy so bunny has some relief and happiness.

Depends on the individual Rabbit. Brian's life has been transformed now he has Humpfree his toy friend. In fact Brian's humping tapered off after a few weeks and now he just snuggles with Humpfree and grooms him.

As with almost all things Rabbit related, there is no one size fits all. I do what is best for the individual Rabbit


ETA- Couldn't vote in the Poll as there is no 'other' option.

My bridge bun Thumper couldn't be neutered, so he could never have a partner.
I gave him a toy rabbit when he reached puberty. He'd ask for his toy & only hump x2 a day, after a bit of play & a run round. Also he'd only hump it if I put some string round the toys neck to move it around to simulate courtship.
We did consider getting him a speyed partner, but Thumper had no concept of the behaviour when a doe meant no! This was the only thing which ever drove him frantic.
Other than this, he showed no signs of buck hormonal behaviour eg urine scenting, aggression or trying to hump anything other than his toy.
It worked very well for us, but as you know buns vary enormously in temperament.
Thumper free ranged the house with a lot of stimulation. I noticed that a friends rabbit humped his toy a lot when caged but never humped when free ranging. I wonder whether there can be a boredom factor here.

Jack's-Jane said:

Depends on the individual Rabbit. Brian's life has been transformed now he has Humpfree his toy friend. In fact Brian's humping tapered off after a few weeks and now he just snuggles with Humpfree and grooms him.

As with almost all things Rabbit related, there is no one size fits all. I do what is best for the individual Rabbit


ETA- Couldn't vote in the Poll as there is no 'other' option.

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I think brian's situation is quite different to the ones outlined in the first posts, if I remember correctly he has been diagnosed and some treatment given which has hopefully helped his hormonal behaviour. I think once there is a diagnosis if needed and a possible treatment then what is best for that bunny can certainly be re-evaluated. Also I imagine brian will always be a single bunny now so the issue of learnt behaviour isn't as important as it would be in say a young unneutered male. I am glad to hear that Brian has a much more settled life now

While of course I agree that each rabbit needs to be treated as an individual, this is something we have advocated from day one. I don't think it hurts to talk in general terms when discussing rabbit care as otherwise it would be hard to ever share information and ideas

thumps_ said:

My bridge bun Thumper couldn't be neutered, so he could never have a partner.
I gave him a toy rabbit when he reached puberty. He'd ask for his toy & only hump x2 a day, after a bit of play & a run round. Also he'd only hump it if I put some string round the toys neck to move it around to simulate courtship.
We did consider getting him a speyed partner, but Thumper had no concept of the behaviour when a doe meant no! This was the only thing which ever drove him frantic.
Other than this, he showed no signs of buck hormonal behaviour eg urine scenting, aggression or trying to hump anything other than his toy.
It worked very well for us, but as you know buns vary enormously in temperament.
Thumper free ranged the house with a lot of stimulation. I noticed that a friends rabbit humped his toy a lot when caged but never humped when free ranging. I wonder whether there can be a boredom factor here.

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Thank you for taking the time to post :wave:

I am glad to here that despite not being neutered Thumper didn't display highly hormonal behaviour. I am sure that made life a lot less stressful for him

Your final sentence illustrates my feelings towards the situation. That humping is often done when there is nothing else to do, which to me makes it a negative behaviour. If a rabbit can be distracted from humping with something else positive such as extra space, human interaction, treats etc this has got to be better for the rabbits quality of life. Rather than encouraging humping behaviour "to reduce frustration" There are other much better things a rabbit can do to take its mind off the hormones surging through its body. Finding things to stimulate the mind rather than the body must be better than stimulating more hormones :?

Millicent is an unknown quantity at the moment so i can't comment on her except to say that her hormonal behaviour at times is so bad it is distressing for me to watch

As most people know Humphrey was extremely hormonal. If encouraged he would hump non stop 24/7, but I could see that isn;t what he really wanted. He was old, frail and had weak arthritic back legs, constant humping can't possibly be what he wanted to do given a choice. If we could calm him down and cuddle him until he fell asleep I swear we could see the relief in his eyes. But even then he would suddenly wake up and be honking again like something had possessed his body even though all it really craved was to relax and sleep We had the exact same with Alfred but once he had the hormone implant his life was totally transformed. He was so relaxed and happy

It is also well established that rabbits should be neutered as young as possible to improve their behaviour as the longer they are left with hormones the harder it can be for their behaviour to settle. So to me this shows encouraging hormonal humping prior to neutering must affect how long a rabbit takes to settle down after the operation :?

Hugo's There said:

I think brian's situation is quite different to the ones outlined in the first posts, if I remember correctly he has been diagnosed and some treatment given which has hopefully helped his hormonal behaviour. I think once there is a diagnosis if needed and a possible treatment then what is best for that bunny can certainly be re-evaluated. Also I imagine brian will always be a single bunny now so the issue of learnt behaviour isn't as important as it would be in say a young unneutered male. I am glad to hear that Brian has a much more settled life now

While of course I agree that each rabbit needs to be treated as an individual, this is something we have advocated from day one. I don't think it hurts to talk in general terms when discussing rabbit care as otherwise it would be hard to ever share information and ideas

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He did have 2 suprelorin implants yes, but the third did not work. He then had weeks of increased hormonal behaviour to the point that I had to seperate him from his partner as he was making her ill. Brian has had no hormonal implant since and so I think his situation is similar to that in your OP. He is effectively untreated now and his issues (adrenal tumour) are managed in a non medical way. He has a lot of mental stimulation, plenty of exercise free range, a 'thinking' work out daily where we do hide and seek, play football, play find the treat etc. Then he has Humpfree who is now redundant for anything but washing and sleeping next to. He is never confined to a cage/hutch. Problem solved

Jack's-Jane said:

He did have 2 suprelorin implants yes, but the third did not work. He then had weeks of increased hormonal behaviour to the point that I had to seperate him from his partner as he was making her ill. Brian has had no hormonal implant since and so I think his situation is similar to that in your OP. He is effectively untreated now and his issues (adrenal tumour) are managed in a non medical way. He has a lot of mental stimulation, plenty of exercise free range, a 'thinking' work out daily where we do hide and seek, play football, play find the treat etc. Then he has Humpfree who is now redundant for anything but washing and sleeping next to. He is never confined to a cage/hutch. Problem solved

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Excellent, so his humping behaviour has been reduced through giving him other things to stimulate him

:wave: Thank you for your reply Hugo's There. I always find your posts very insightful & stimulating.
On reflection although I got Thumper's toy in an attempt to be considerate of his testosterone needs & he did use it, & asked by getting the string & putting it on the toy! By far the majority of the time was spent running around. He only had about 4 actual humps per play time.

Benjie was pure hormones with a sudden change in behaviour over 2 days. By then he wouldn't eat, was permanently clasped round my ankles even when going downstairs:shock:, I couldn't even stroke him, & he peed through all my sheets within 24 hours! I was distressed just to see him so driven, so despite his snuffles, he had an emergency neuter. He was back to normal in only 2-3 days.

I think that in by far the majority of cases you're absolutely right, that they really need stimulation & interaction, especially single buns. I do my best to provide partner bun behaviour for my 2. Benjie is delightfully OTT about allogrooming so I go around with a wet patch on my trousers where he's licked me in return.

Jack's-Jane said:

He did have 2 suprelorin implants yes, but the third did not work. He then had weeks of increased hormonal behaviour to the point that I had to seperate him from his partner as he was making her ill. Brian has had no hormonal implant since and so I think his situation is similar to that in your OP. He is effectively untreated now and his issues (adrenal tumour) are managed in a non medical way. He has a lot of mental stimulation, plenty of exercise free range, a 'thinking' work out daily where we do hide and seek, play football, play find the treat etc. Then he has Humpfree who is now redundant for anything but washing and sleeping next to. He is never confined to a cage/hutch. Problem solved

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How totally awesome and inspiring.

'Humpfree' love it!

Really like your new avatar as well.

thumps_ said:

:wave: Thank you for your reply Hugo's There. I always find your posts very insightful & stimulating.
On reflection although I got Thumper's toy in an attempt to be considerate of his testosterone needs & he did use it, & asked by getting the string & putting it on the toy! By far the majority of the time was spent running around. He only had about 4 actual humps per play time.

Benjie was pure hormones with a sudden change in behaviour over 2 days. By then he wouldn't eat, was permanently clasped round my ankles even when going downstairs:shock:, I couldn't even stroke him, & he peed through all my sheets within 24 hours! I was distressed just to see him so driven, so despite his snuffles, he had an emergency neuter. He was back to normal in only 2-3 days.

I think that in by far the majority of cases you're absolutely right, that they really need stimulation & interaction, especially single buns. I do my best to provide partner bun behaviour for my 2. Benjie is delightfully OTT about allogrooming so I go around with a wet patch on my trousers where he's licked me in return.

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I agree that such excessive hormonal behaviour is very distressing, which is why personally I don't think it is right to encourage it

That is so sweet about the grooming We don't have any "lickers" here at the moment. I really miss it

Hugo's There said:

I agree that such excessive hormonal behaviour is very distressing, which is why personally I don't think it is right to encourage it

That is so sweet about the grooming We don't have any "lickers" here at the moment. I really miss it

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Neither do I think it's right to encourage hormonal behaviour like Benjie had. He was so totally obssessed he'd no quality of life at all, & a toy wouldn't resolve the matter. It could have even given him serious & painful willie issues.
He was a higher than normal risk for neuter. He'd only just recovered from 2 simultaneous abscesses from his snuffles a month previously, so he had Abx cover & plenty of analgesia afterwards & sailed through it.

I completely agree with this and am glad benji's neuter went well.

This was the point I was trying to get across to someone the other day, but they were insistant that all rabbit sexual behaviour made them happy and was always to be encouraged. They found so entertaining that they even film what thely call "rabbit porn" when the rabbits are frantically humping their toys. I cant begin to tell you how upsetting I found this

Hugo's There said:

I completely agree with this and am glad benji's neuter went well.

This was the point I was trying to get across to someone the other day, but they were insistant that all rabbit sexual behaviour made them happy and was always to be encouraged. They found so entertaining that they even film what thely call "rabbit porn" when the rabbits are frantically humping their toys. I cant begin to tell you how upsetting I found this

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Oh Liz (((HUGS))) I had no idea this is what occasioned this thread. Even hearing it 2nd hand, I'm aghast & sickened by it.
Human depravity has sunk to an all time low for me. I'm so very sorry you had to experience this & even more sorry for the bunnies.

thumps_ said:

Oh Liz (((HUGS))) I had no idea this is what occasioned this thread. Even hearing it 2nd hand, I'm aghast & sickened by it.
Human depravity has sunk to an all time low for me. I'm so very sorry you had to experience this & even more sorry for the bunnies.

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Thank you I am so glad someone feels the same way as i sort of felt on my own putting my point across to them. I tried to make this thread a fair discussion rather than ranting what had been said else where, just in case there was reason to take some of what they had said as a valid point ( even though I couldn't see any!) :?

ETA I was always petrified Humphrey would have a heart attack when humping. And poor Alfred had a massive seizure after he had humped another bunny when we attempted bonding with just a hormone injection rather than implant. I know they are both old boy but it does show how badly it can affect them

Hugo's There said:

Thank you I am so glad someone feels the same way as i sort of felt on my own putting my point across to them. I tried to make this thread a fair discussion rather than ranting what had been said else where, just in case there was reason to take some of what they had said as a valid point ( even though I couldn't see any!) :?

ETA I was always petrified Humphrey would have a heart attack when humping. And poor Alfred had a massive seizure after he had humped another bunny when we attempted bonding with just a hormone injection rather than implant. I know they are both old boy but it does show how badly it can affect them

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I don't see them as having any valid points either & no understanding of why animals hump.

The real reason why Thumper had his toy was for social heirarchy needs (dominance). He was a delightfully spirited bun. During adolescence, there were several early warning signs that he was making a bid to be top rabbit, & put me in 2nd place. When physical methods didn't work, he tried some brilliant psychological methods of "let's you & me fight". He knew if I so much as felt irritated = he'd won!, so I'd sing happy songs to hide it.:lol: We got through it all in 3 weeks. Cottontail was the bottom of the heirachy for a quick hump to boost his place in the heirarchy. I found it difficult to handle with my inexperience - a case of imperative that I won without showing the slightest aggression.
I'd have been very worried indeed if he'd started humping more often, or in preference to other things. The 1st. question I'd have been asking is,"what am I doing to make him lose face? is he getting bored etc." As he grew older & sadly iller he gradually lost all interest in humping.
May I add that I saw Benjie as acutely psychologically ill from his hormones. He needed understanding & help, not reprimand & certainly not encouragement. He has no interest at all.

So neither of my buns gained "happiness" or pleasure from humping. I have to bite mt tongue/fingers about what I think about those people!!!

ETA the other very real risk of excessive humping in young healthy bucks is that their penis swells & can't retract. That's an emergency vet visit before they get gangrene.