A question about humping…

[toki]

So at the moment I just have the one bunny, Toki, who is neutered. Soon I am thinking about getting him another bunny for company, a spayed female.

I told my housemate about my plan and she said “Oh no, they’ll be humping all the time!” And I didn’t really know what to say back, since I don’t know much about this behaviour… I know bunnies of both sexes hump for dominance, but does this also happen if they are neutered? How often could I expect my bunnies to hump after they were bonded?

Toki has never humped at all and is very chilled out. Therefore is it reasonable to expect him not to hump another rabbit? Or could a new friend possibly make him hump-happy out of nowhere?  Would it be better to bond him with a male instead, if this would reduce the chances of humping?

Personally I don’t mind if my rabbits were to hump (within reason), but I don’t want it to embarrass my housemates!  Any advice?

[Berryismyboy]

They may do so for dominance. After bonding a male female pair may occasionally but not often mount each other. As long as they are fixed it does matter which gender pairing it is.

[tobyluv]

There will likely be some humping during bonding. There could be some at other times, but that’s not a given. Sometimes a rabbit will hump a little just out of excitement, or sometimes spring time brings on a few humps here and there. But some rabbits will never hump again after being spayed and neutered. It wouldn’t be any continual humping, just possibly on occasion.

It is easier to bond a neutered male with a spayed female. Let her settle into the house for a least a week before starting bonding, and if she was just spayed, you will have to wait a few weeks for the hormones to settle down.

[sarahthegemini]

I don’t see what the big deal is tbh, it’s not like the humping is actual rabbit sex lol its just a dominance behaviour. Being neutered won’t stop the dominance humping as it isn’t hormonally driven.

[Mikey]

Theyll hump during bonding and any time the bond might be threatened. My bonded buns hump for a few seconds every once in a while. Usually the day after I clean a lot, since big cleans cause smells to change. But, thats about it

[toki]

Thanks everyone, that helps a lot. So they don’t seem to hump very often after bonding; that’s good! I agree with you Sarah, it’s not such a big deal, I don’t know why people are bothered about it, haha.

When it comes to bonding, does it matter what age and size the bunnies are? Toki is 2 and a half and medium size. Should I get a female who is similar to his age and size, or does it not matter for a successful bond?

[sarahthegemini]

Posted By toki on 5/02/2017 3:59 PM

Thanks everyone, that helps a lot. So they don’t seem to hump very often after bonding; that’s good! I agree with you Sarah, it’s not such a big deal, I don’t know why people are bothered about it, haha.

When it comes to bonding, does it matter what age and size the bunnies are? Toki is 2 and a half and medium size. Should I get a female who is similar to his age and size, or does it not matter for a successful bond?

Only thing that matters is personality altho a male and female pairing is supposedly easier

[toki]

Oh good, thank you Sarah

[Author]

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