Rabbits are circling eachother?

[Merlinthegreat]

 I have three 11 week old bunnies. One is male and two are female. I currently have one of them seperated from the rest during the day time because shes over producing cecals and she only does this early in the mornings and the other bunnies end up getting dirty during this time. I also have the male and hes trying to hump one of the females but not the other one. Well today I caught the females circling eachother in tight circles for a few seconds. What could this mean? They do it a couple of times a day and then start playing or eating together. Could this be dangerous? Should I cage both females together? Or keep one alone and the other female with the male? They have always been together and have always gotten along fine. I also think one of my females is actually a male for some reason its just a gut feeling!

[Sarita]

First of all, you should separate the male from the females…they are getting to the age where they can reproduce and you don’t want to risk this.

I think as long as there is no fighting you can keep the females together. Circling could be a problem though if they start fighting.

[Sarita]

Okay just read your last sentence – if you don’t know the sexes separate them all until you can get them properly sexed – don’t go on feeling for this (guessing sexes) – get them properly sexed from a vet asap.

[NuggetBuns]

Agree with Sarita! You should separate all three buns because one of your females might end up being a male and impregnate the female. When they circle, that means they are attracted to each other. Some will do it before humping, so you should go to the vet and get them sexed correctly to avoid an accidental pregnancy if one is a male. It might be hard to tell at only 11 weeks old though, my rabbit’s balls didn’t appear until he was 5 months old and we were surprised to find out that our female was actually a male! His penis was also very very small =(.

[Beka27]

She has had them sexed by her vet, possibly two vets?

The circling is the beginning of hormonal behavior. I agree that the male needs to be separated from the females. As far as the females, keep a close watch on them. Be prepared to separate them within the next few weeks if this behavior escalates.

[Merlinthegreat]

I had them sexed three weeks ago but the vet said to bring them back next week just to make sure! She said two are female one is male. But the male is only trying to climb on one female. I will seperate them all today. Thanks!

[bartandmilhouse]

Hi! I have a male and a female, who are now 12 weeks old. I have had them since they were 9 weeks, however I did not know their sexes when I first got them. The male has started to circle the female and I asked a few vets around me and they do not fix rabbits until they are 6 months. I was also told that they cannot reproduce yet so I should not worry about that just yet. They are not aggressive towards one another but the male has begun circling the female. I kinda figured it was a mating thing so I redirect/distract him when he starts doing it with no problem. They are in their “condo” at night and about 6hr a day when I’m at work, then they have free roam.

I don’t want to seem like a bad bun mom here for not knowing the right time to get them fixed or when to worry about reproducing But will they be okay until 6 months old? Should I be concerned? They were previously living outside in a hutch with two or three other siblings, none of them fixed.

[Bam]

You are right, circling is bunny courtship. Rabbits should be separated at 12 weeks. The male usually become sexually mature sooner than the female, so hopefully she hasn’t become receptive yet. They should still be in the same room withing seeing,hearing and smelling distance, or they will be very unhappy.

A male bun can be neutered as soon as his family jewels drop. Some vets wants to wait until the bun is 4-5 months though. Spaying is usually not done before 6 months, sometimes later if the bunny is very tiny.

We won’t think you’re a bad bunny mum for not knowing everything about bunnies. That’s why this forum exists, so us bunny owners can get help with the things we don’t know

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