We got two male rabbits last week and have been spending as much time as possible with them (about 1.5 hours in the morning and 5 hours in the evening). They have lots of things to do as they have free rein of the house and we have been bonding with them well. They will come and sit on our laps and let us hand feed etc. Our rabbits have not yet been neutered as we think they are a bit too young at the moment however one of the male rabbits (Reggie), who is the livelier of the two, has started to hump the other male rabbit (Ralph) on a few occasions. I have read online that this is relatively normal in un neutered rabbits as it is a sign of dominance so dont think I should be overly concerned as they get on well other than that and havent shown any signs of being aggressive to each other. I have noticed recently however that Ralph (the non-dominant rabbit) has got a lot quieter and often just sits in one spot for periods of time watching the world go by. He seems to be quite subdued at times despite having lots of potential stimulants around him. The other rabbit (Reggie) is always charging round the house and is very active - I just wanted to make sure that this is just a difference in personalities and not a sign of Reggie bullying Ralph with the humping. Or perhaps because they are still quite young (2 and a half months) maybe Ralph needs a bit more quiet time than Reggie? Many thanks in advance, any comments would be greatly appreciated!
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Male humping and a subdued rabbit
- Thread starter Meganb
- Start date
In my opinion it is unusual for a young rabbit to be subdued and not lively, so it might be that Ralph is feeling a bit bullied. Is everything else normal with him? Is he eating and drinking OK and are his poos OK in size and quantity?
If there has a large change in his behaviour since last week, it might be worth having him examined by a vet. Have they both had their vaccinations? It would be a good opportunity to discuss with your vet then.
If there has a large change in his behaviour since last week, it might be worth having him examined by a vet. Have they both had their vaccinations? It would be a good opportunity to discuss with your vet then.
Welcome to the Forum. The boys are "growing up" and males can start to fight at around 14 weeks or even earlier, even when they have been best friends beforehand. So something to watch for as they can hurt one another badly. When you have 2 rabbits ,especially 2 of the same sex, one is always the dominant one and the other has to be the submissive one. If they both want to be dominant then there will be fights. If you can get them to an age when they can be neutered without them falling out, then there is a strong possibility they will remain friends, but if they fight before neuter they may not go back together again.
Hi everyone, thanks very much for your suggestions! Ralph is completely fine other than being a bit subdued (He still comes and sits on your lap for treats, eats very well and his poo's are completely normal). It may just be a difference in breed - Ralph is (we think) a mini lop and as far as i've read they tend to be more docile. Reggie is mostly a lionhead rabbit and is incredibly active as per the breed description- could it just be i'm comparing them based on what is in their nature? Does anyone else have a mini lop and could shed some insight? When Ralph realized he could get out of his cage and explore the wider world he was hopping around and binkying all over the place - now he's calmed down a bit because perhaps the novelty has worn off?
We're getting them vaccinated next weekend and I will definitely ask the vet if its the right time to get them neutered. I would like to do it as soon as I can to avoid them fighting as it would break my heart to have to separate them!
Thanks again everyone!
We're getting them vaccinated next weekend and I will definitely ask the vet if its the right time to get them neutered. I would like to do it as soon as I can to avoid them fighting as it would break my heart to have to separate them!
Thanks again everyone!
Were they together before you got them? I would get them checked by the vet to confirm they are both boys as accidental litters are extremely common by people mis sexing them.
Different rabbits can be less active than one another certainly but even a healthy docile rabbit wouldn’t be described as subdued. if he is subdued I would try to get him to the vet sooner rather than later in case he is harbouring an illness. I would recommend getting them vaccinated as soon as you can, they will need 2 vaccines, one for RHD2 which is widespread at the moment - the filivac vaccine covers for RHD1 too, and the nobivac vaccine for myxomatosis and rhd1 which needs to be given 2 weeks after the filivac. Personally I would get the filivac one done first as it gets them covered for rhd2 and 1 sooner (immunity after 1 week)
Different rabbits can be less active than one another certainly but even a healthy docile rabbit wouldn’t be described as subdued. if he is subdued I would try to get him to the vet sooner rather than later in case he is harbouring an illness. I would recommend getting them vaccinated as soon as you can, they will need 2 vaccines, one for RHD2 which is widespread at the moment - the filivac vaccine covers for RHD1 too, and the nobivac vaccine for myxomatosis and rhd1 which needs to be given 2 weeks after the filivac. Personally I would get the filivac one done first as it gets them covered for rhd2 and 1 sooner (immunity after 1 week)
