Overly sexual behaviour

[Oscar]

Hello,

So Tiny Oscar has taken a large interest in me, no body else. He tries his hardest to hump my arms when i lay with him, or now my legs, he climbs on me then pounces (like a cat) at my arms and clings on waving his ‘carrot’ like a dirty trophy.
Now, i love him….. but not like that but he doesnt take no for an answer. I have tried many many techniques to stop him but he is adamant that he wants me. So the question is, do any of you have any home made or shop brought “special” toys or things that can help him? Neutering is off the table.
i didnt want a cuddly toy because the stuffing, i didnt want a furry toy because he may pull the fur and swallow some. But any options of a hump toy for him would be greatly appreciated. I did think to make a toy from a kitchen towel coz its zero fluff and stuff it with hay and stitch it up.
Any solutions or ideas are welcome as its becoming almost a nightly wrestling match to stop him deflowering me 😇

[Wick & Fable]

First, I would not view it necessarily as sexual as the act of humping is used in many context for rabbits (e.g., female rabbits will hump other female rabbits). That being said, regardless, it can be inconvenient at the minimum to be the sole target.

If he’s not actually eating a stuffed animal, I would not be concerned with providing one that might have your scent (put an old shirt or something on it). Or a pillowcase stuffed with fleece or something. Many rabbits can be fine with stuffed animals because they don’t indiscriminately eat them.

Is there a reason neutering is off the table? The behavior itself and his consistent urge to do it is added stress and urge he is experiencing day to day.

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[Oscar]

Thank you for your input, i had more of a concern that he may start to nibble or tear apart any soft toys, he isnt destructive but does like to pee on things.
would you recommend giving him this toy all day and night or only letting him have it when he is supervised?
i like the idea of using an old shirt for him to smell.

i say its sexual behaviour because he sits with his front paws together and massages his doodaa several times a day. I want to avoid neutering as he was made the way he is and wouldnt want to change him to suit me, plus i had my last male neutered and it ended up taking alot of his cute bounce and young energy away, i know its not always the case but its something that i can not reverse or predict how it will affect him.

as you rightly stated, i am concerned bout his stress and frustration and apart from offering him as a breeding male so he can have a few hours of fun here and there im not sure the best avenue to explore.

[LBJ10]

I guess it depends on whether or not the behavior will escalate before it calms down. A lot of unneutered males do eventually calm down… eventually. Most people don’t want to wait it out that long though. LOL It can take a few years. The last straw is usually when they start doing 360 degree cartwheel pees (i.e., spraying).

There is nothing wrong with providing a stuffed animal for him to direct his affections to. If you are worried about him tearing it up, I would suggest allowing him to have access to it while supervised. At least at first so you can see how he interacts with it.

[Wick & Fable]

Please note the topic of intentional breeding is prohibited on this forum and so do not make further mention of it.

I understand not wanting to “change him” to suit your needs, and you also acknowledge that how he is literally right now is likely stressful and frustrating for him. Pet rabbits are a result of human domestication, so we have already taken many liberties and he has already been changed to suit your needs as a result. My personal opinion (with no negative judgment to you as it is a valid choice) is that by owning a pet rabbit, there is an understanding and acceptance of something “unnatural” and neutering a male who appears stressed/frustrated by innate urges that are incompatible with the lifestyle we enforce on human pets (we don’t want our pets humping and spraying is 24/7) seems like a wise decision. For me, it is the same as opting for an incisor extraction for a snout-faced breed whose teeth aren’t compatible with their head shape or spaying female rabbits because their elongated lives as domesticated animals have revealed their high risk for uterine cancer.

I’ll also add that cute bounce and young energy is going to go away regardless just due to age. Rabbits tend to mellow out, as LBJ mentions, not only in hormonal behaviors (we expect), but also in general as well. Just some things to think about. It’s OK if you opt not to (again, no negative judgment), but I think it’s not right to associate changing him as being a bad thing.– change can be good too.

Agreed to start out with presenting a stuffed animal/similar object with supervision to see how it goes before allowing it outside supervision, if required.

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[Oscar]

Sorry, no intention of offering him to be bred, i purchased him from a breeder who specialised in his breed. This would be the person i would have a discussion with.

he is already a blackbelt in spinning and peeing but has not done this for sometime as his litter training has become almost perfect at home.

As suggested, i think i will try supervised access to a stuffed toy and see how he responds.

many thanks for all the valid input to all members, no intent to cause any upset to the rules.

[DanaNM]

A stuffy could help in the meantime while you see if he calms down once he reaches full maturity, but I did encounter a 9 year old bun who relentlessly tried to mount my feet, LOL! How old is he?

Don’t let him have the stuffy 24/7 though, I recall someone on a forum who’s bun ended up rubbing his genitals raw and needed veterinary attention!

Do you notice a pattern to when he tries to mount you? Wondering if there could be a scent you are picking up that is triggering him to focus on you.

We would give stuffies to some of the very frustrated young male buns at the shelter while we were waiting for their neuters. There was a hedgehog (I think it was dog toy) that was VERY popular.

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

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