Rabbit too much testosteron even after castration?

[Lapinnain]

I have a male rabbit that got castrated about two months ago, yet he still gets excited and wants to hump everyone, not in the sense that he wants to dominate, but to reproduce (he still makes the same sounds etc and also doesn’t attack anyone), the one time I tried to bond him with each of the other males (not both together), the moment he tries to approach the other one (and of course he makes his sounds that he’s excited), they try to attack him, but he doesn’t even do anything back. (the other male rabbits also do not display this behaviour towards each other either).
Yesterday we also saw that there was this little growth in the form of a ball where his testicle used to be, before he got castrated, one of his testicle became very small, almost disappeared and the other one was normal, so when he got castrated they only retrieved one very small one and a normal one, so we were thinking that it might have been another testicle again (which would explain his behaviour and the others’ behaviour as well), but the vet said it was fluid of inflammation but thought it was very strange since it had been 2 months ago, and also his behaviour he also found strange as well.
I’m wondering if someone has/had a similar experience, because I’m actually quite worried about my rabbit.

[DanaNM]

Hmm, I think you should follow up with the vet on this, and maybe get a second opinion if the vet isn’t taking it seriously! It’s possible that he had an “incomplete” neuter due to some abnormalities with his reproductive organs.

That said, mounting in bonding sessions is normal, and would appear the same as mounting for reproduction. Some rabbits just mount more than others in bonding, especially in the first sessions. Did you do any pre-bonding, and were the sessions in neutral territory? And are all the rabbits castrated?

. . . 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.  

[Lapinnain]

Thank you for your answer.

Yes, everyone has been castrated, and yes I know, but it isn’t just the mounting, this male rabbit literally still acts “excited” in the same way as the others did when they weren’t castrated yet, yet he is also castrated, even the other rabbits try to mount each other from time to time, but it’s just very different, I cannot really explain but it’s in the same way a rabbit mounts when they want to mate, to me I’ve seen a clear difference in mounting when they weren’t castrated vs when they were castrated, and the difference when they want to mate vs dominance. I did pre-bonding, and all is done in a neutral area. I got some anti-inflammatory medicine, so I’ll see how it goes, but I’m going to go to a specialist in any case because he also has other “genetic rarities” according to our vet, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he has too much testosteron still or if he has an abnormality with his reproductive system.

[Wick & Fable]

In my experience there is not a reliable difference between mount for dominance vs reproduction, and arguably making the distinction doesn’t matter because I do agree that a veterinary check would be wise if there are concerns of how things are looking. They are rare, but sometimes there’s another testicle or in some cases tumors which cause ongoing hormonal-mediated behaviors (which as Dana mentions can also just be brought on by bonding). At a past rescue I volunteered with, one of the rabbits was a big time, constant humper on speed dates even though he was definitely fully neutered with medical clearance as well

 

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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