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The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet.  It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

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Forum BEHAVIOR Female bunny loudly honking when male tries to hump her or even comes close

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    • Pupu77
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        I’ve had these two bunnies for about 5 months now. They lived together before since I bought them from an owner who was getting bad hay allergies. She described them as “very close siblings” or boyfriend/girlfriend, and that they get along well. I have noticed that as well, they seem completely bonded to me; they groom each other (but he gets groomed the most by her), sleep close to each other, etc. The male is neutered and they are both about 2 years old from what I can remember. 

        In the beginning of getting them, there was a more intense power struggle that went on, he chased her much more intensely and for long periods of time, she tried biting/nipping him away, most of the time he just gave up after awhile, sometimes she gave in and just took it. Well, after the beginning things quieted down alot, he usually just gives up on humping after chasing her around about 2-3 times and she jumps into the litterbox, puts her butt up against the wall and kind of turns her head towards him and has a “stand off”, loudly honks at him and then he happily jumps away from her. About 3 weeks ago they both didn’t care if they got humped or not, which I thought was strange. He recently once even started to scratch at her behind and nipping her fur when she wasn’t in a good place/position to be humped.

        But, here’s this weeks’ situation. She has started to honk/”growl” at him just getting near her, even when he has no intention of humping her. She seems highly on edge for some reason lately. Just now he started chasing her twice around the cage, then she jumped to the litter box and put her butt up against the wall again, thats when he just gave up, but she still kept honking even with him already gone. I went to pet her, and she even honked a little bit at my touch, so I stopped and just gave her some space. She then happily jumped back to him and lied down next to him where he was now relaxing.

        I really don’t know what her behavior means lately, why is she so on edge? I’m sorry if this was a mess, I never write on forums and english isn’t my first language either. I’d love to get some insight on this.


      • Deleted User
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          Is she spayed? If she isn’t, they aren’t actually bonded. You’ll need to separate them until 1-2 months post spay and prebond during that time. His behavior seems pretty characteristic of a hormonal male, which would happen if the female wasn’t spayed.


        • tobyluv
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            The female definitely needs to be spayed, and they should be separated now before you have more problems. This behavior that has started can lead to fighting and severe injuries. As has been stated, you can start the regular bonding procedures after several weeks have passed since her spay surgery.

            Here are two good articles on bonding:

            https://binkybunny.com/BUNNYINFO/tabid/53/CategoryID/9/PID/940/Default.aspx

            http://rabbit.org/faq-bonding-multiple-rabbits/


          • jerseygirl
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              But, here’s this weeks’ situation. She has started to honk/”growl” at him just getting near her, even when he has no intention of humping her. She seems highly on edge for some reason lately. Just now he started chasing her twice around the cage, then she jumped to the litter box and put her butt up against the wall again, thats when he just gave up, but she still kept honking even with him already gone. I went to pet her, and she even honked a little bit at my touch, so I stopped and just gave her some space. She then happily jumped back to him and lied down next to him where he was now relaxing.
              I really don’t know what her behavior means lately, why is she so on edge? I’m sorry if this was a mess, I never write on forums and english isn’t my first language either. I’d love to get some insight on this.

              Your English is fantastic!

              It is highly likely she is experiencing what is known as a “false” or “phantom” pregnancy. Rabbits are induced ovulators, meaning ovulate after being mounted. With a false pregnancy, the rabbit goes through some hormonal changes and even has increased supply of blood to the uterus. They really believe they are expecting and often owners will see the rabbit build a nest and pull fur toward the end of these episodes. Desexing prevent female rabbits from having these episodes and it also cuts out the risk of them developing uterine tumours or other uterine infections. The risk is very high for intact female rabbits. 

               Hormonal fluctuations cause the rabbit tremendous stress and can lead to aggressiveness, growling and biting the days preceding the nest building. Pseudopregnancies can become chronic when a female remains intact, increasing the risk of developing reproductive disorders such as pyometra, hydrometra, or uterine adenocarcinoma, and/or mastitis.http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Uro_gen_diseases/Pseu_preg/pseudo_en.htm

              Your rabbits honking and being on edge very much reminds me of a rabbit I had that was actually pregnant. I only had her a week before she gave birth, but afterward, she was not vocal or really terrified at all. It was completely related to the pregnancy.

              Did you have the boy neutered or did the previous owner have that done?
              Are you absolutely sure he has been neutered or is even a male? (female rabbits do hump each other, especially when both are intact).

              If the rabbits are not badly fighting but she is getting upset by him, I think giving her something where she can go to get away from him when she likes. A small hidey box they both cannot fit in or a shelf she can jump onto where only one rabbit will fit.

              Ideally, it would be better to have her desexed for her health but also so they can live together more peaceably.


            • Pupu77
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                Thank you for all the replies! I’m unfortunately too broke at the moment to spay her quite yet, since I am unable to work atm. My mom has experience with bunnies, so they are definitely female and male. She also has that hair type double chin if that makes sense that females have. He was neutered by the previous owner. Another hint that the genders are right is that he seems to hump her correctly, but she has no idea how to do it properly, so often humps his head etc.  She already went through one false pregnancy a month or so ago; she digged a nest, put hay there, pulled some of her fur into it etc, so this is most likely that again. Oh, and she does have a box to run into to hide from him.  And thankfully like I said, they are usually completely fine with each other and trust each other, so I’m not afraid of it escalating from here, but if it does, then I’ll have to pull the money together to have her spayed as soon as possible.

                Once again, thank you for the replies!


              • Mama2BunBuns
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                  Even if your male bunny is fixed, only his testicles were removed. Not his penis. Female bunnies, if they fear unwanted sexual advances, have the ability to castrate the male bunny with their back claws. For the safety of BOTH of your bunnies- PLEASE separate them till you can afford to spay the female. She is still emitting hormones that can cause even a neutered male to become sexually aroused and exhibit breeding behaviors.

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              Forum BEHAVIOR Female bunny loudly honking when male tries to hump her or even comes close