Neutered rabbits still try to mate

[saki]

I have 3 bunnies. A pair of 2 females, mum (mini lop mix, 1 yr) and daughter (3 months), which are bonded well. Both are unspayed, they never fight. Mum is quite a submissive rabbit, also not that territorial or aggressive.

The third rabbit I have is the Dad, a neutered (about 1 month ago) mini rex. Hes never really had any behavioural issues either. I kept him with the sons before I sold them and they got on great.

I tried to bond the trio, I kept them in hutches side by side and that seemed fine. But when I put them in a neutral territory they basically just tried mating and started acting crazy, I quickly picked the male up and saw he had an erection, which is a bit worrying. Is this meant to happen to neutered males?

I put them back in their own hutches and they were fine.

I really dont want the male to be all by himself during the winter (theyre outdoor rabbits).

Any advice?

 

[Omi]

Being neutered does not stop rabbits of either sex occasionally attempting to mate and humping their bonded partners. The general advice following a buck's neuter is that he can be fertile for up to 6 weeks and so I would keep your rabbits separate until after that time. He will also still be hormonal, which is probably why you are experiencing problems.

Personally, if your does have no health issues, I would consider having them spayed. It would protect them from developing uterine cancer later in life and also might be helpful with the bonding.

 

[Shimmer]

You may get issues with the 2 unspayed girls when the young one matures in a couple of months (maybe less). The boy will also still be hormonal and may still be fertile, so I would not attempt to bond him for at least another couple of weeks. Your best outcome would be to have both girls neutered (mum could be done now, daughter at 6 months) and re-bond on neutral territory when they have recovered from the op.

Trios work quite well and it's worth waiting to get a stable bond. They may well still try to hump (in any combination) - that's normal rabbit behaviour.

 

[saki]

Yes I am going to get the older one neutered but only next spring because I don't want her to have to recover from surgery when its cold also im a little short on money right now.