Please help -amorous bunny 💗

[BuddyP]

Hi all,

So, I have a 4 month old mini lop house bunny. He has an enclosure within the house but free roams downstairs when we are in. This was fine for the first few weeks but then bunny behaviours kicked in some of which are very anti social. He continually circles my feet and I mean all the time so I have to shuffle across the room for fear of kicking him, affectionate digging and nibbling but the worst of all, spraying wee which he would do all the time, it got unbearable. A few days ago, he was neutered in the hope that these behaviours may stop. Since he has been home he is exactly the same spraying wee and circling me constantly. I know it takes a while for hormones to settle. I just wondered if anyone had experience of this where bad behaviours continued after neutering? How long is it until you see a change? Might he always do it even though he is neutered? Many thanks. I really feel desperate, I feel like I am constantly washing clothes and wiping up rabbit wee!

[Bam]

In the absolute majority of cases, the unwanted, sexually driven behaviors cease within 2 weeks. It can take longer though, up to 8 weeks is not unheard of, but I can’t remember any case from these forums where it has taken that much time. (It’s very different for girl rabbits, they often need quite a bit of time).

He may still circle your feet and buzz for treats, but he’ll be less obsessive. He may still pee or poop mark occasionally f ex in early spring when the light returns, but he most likely won’t spray pee all over. If you introduce another rabbit to the household, there will be a period of marking behavior, because rabbits are highly sensitive to “invaders” of their territory.

If you havent started litter training him, you can start right away, but he might not catch on immediately.

 

 

[ParsleyBun]

What is the longest time you have heard of for a female to quiet down and stop hormonal behaviors? And how soon can I put my 2 females back together after a spay without them hurting each other? I’m trying to learn all I can since I plan to spay Tina and Parsley in March. Thanks!

[DanaNM]

The rule of thumb the rescue I volunteered at went off of was to wait 3 weeks after a spay or neuter before dating. Keep in mind rescues do things a bit differently because they have very experienced bonders, and are usually able to try lots of different combos of rabbits to find good matches. Fluctuations after that 3-4 weeks are not unheard of, but the idea is that the huge changes are done by then.

For your girls spays, it takes 2 weeks just to physically heal. Then you could start pre-bonding and do that for a week or 2 and see how they are doing. My guess is by the time they are healed and you’ve done a couple weeks of pre-bonding they will be OK to start sessions. If you try a few sessions and it doesn’t go well, you can go back to pre-bonding and give them more time.

. . . 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.  

[DanaNM]

I think you will see a big change by 2-3 weeks! Hang in there!

. . . 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.  

[BuddyP]

Thank you! One week after op and as soon as I let him out in the morning every day he sprays wee all over the house and my ankles with no signs of stopping, but only one week so I will keep my fingers crossed and pray! 🤞

[Ellie from The Netherlands]

Oof, rabbits are very pushy lovers indeed… Our bridge bunny Breintje calmed down after 3 weeks. He was a little older when he was neutered, at 2,5 years, and he had spent half a year with me while he wasn’t neutered yet.

His mounting, circling and spraying behaviours went away within 3 weeks.  He did remain quite possessive over me though. According to the vet he probably bonded himself to me.

This wasn’t a problem when my boyfriend was here, but it was a problem when I smelled of other rabbits. He became very possessive, aggressively chinning me when I had somebunny else’s scent. The vet said that this was rare though, and I hope that your bun won’t stay clingy.

[Author]

Messages