Sudden bonded mounting?

[buzzybunbums]

Hello!

I have a pair of one year old neutered buck & doe buns. They have been bonded for about 8 months and get along very well, always glued to each other and grooming.

When first introduced there was a lot of mounting from the buck but since now living together, he hasn’t done it. Every once in a while (like once a fortnight) the doe mounts him and chases him for a second but they always kiss & make up the next minute and it never looks very serious, no injuries or anything.

They are both good at grooming each other but I’d say the doe does it more frequently.

But recently, after about 8 months of not doing so at all, like at all, for the last couple of days the buck has tried again and again to mount the doe. She doesn’t seem too phased and hops away if he tries, doesn’t chase or nip him or anything. But he tries again & again.

He also is a very buzzy bunny, often makes a buzzy sound like a bee. He usually does it when running over to the doe, but until now he wouldn’t mount her, just groom or squish next to her. He also does it when hopping up to a place he gets treats. He also does it when running over to me sometimes.
It sounds more like a buzzing sound than a grunting sound to me, but when he’s been mounting her recently it has a lower tone to it.

I know mounting between bonded buns is common & about dominance but I find it strange since he hasn’t done it at all for like 8 months straight and if anyone should be asserting dominance it should be the doe? And also he buzzes regularly without mounting behaviour so not sure this is a purely sexual sound?

Perhaps it’s because it’s Christmas? 😂

[LBJ10]

The buzzing can be a happy sound too, like if they are really happy/excited to get a treat.

Bonded pairs will mount each other occasionally for seemingly no reason. I’m sure there is something going on in their heads, we just don’t know what it is. As long as it isn’t causing a fight or the other bunny to become distressed then I wouldn’t worry.

Obsessive humping can also be a sign of stress. I had a stress humper. He would be freaked out by a sound or something and he would start to obsessively mount.

[DanaNM]

Does it seem really obsessive or constant? If so, then it could indicate stress or a medical issue. Sometimes urinary issues will trigger excessive mounting. One of my males will mount a lot more when he gets too much calcium in his diet, and he also had EC so that could have been contributing.

But if it’s not too constant, I wouldn’t worry about it! Buns can go through little phases of more or less mounting, and as long as it’s not causing any fighting in the pair it’s usually nothing to worry about. Agree that buzzing can be an excited noise in general. 🙂

. . . 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.  

[buzzybunbums]

Thank you for your replies, I’m very grateful!

Yes I do think he buzzes to show happiness, but also when he’s about to mount the doe.

I don’t think it’s a result of stress, as he is usually very relaxed when he does it (in between flumping etc)

I am very interested by the calcium comment, recently we did find a white sludgey wee which I believe is the result of too much calcium in their diet (the first one I’ve seen), so I need to make some changes. I did not know that excessive mounting could be a symptom of this as well 🙁

Does anyone have any recommendations for low-calcium veg?

[DanaNM]

Ah! Yes there could be a bit of excess calcium that’s causing a bit of irritation.  The high-calcium veggies that I cut out or reduced for that bun were dandelion greens, parsley, kale, and collards. Dandelion and parsley especially are also diuretics, which on one hand can help flush calcium out, but I did notice a ton more mounting with my bun when I kept them in the diet. Carrot tops are also pretty high in calcium but usually they don’t make up a large amount of the salad so I kept those in. Lower calcium ones are the different types of lettuce, endive/chicory/escarole, bok choy, cilantro. If he has any alfalfa in his diet that is also a huge source of calcium.

Because greens are so high in water content, they usually don’t contribute much to total calcium because there is a lot more calcium in grass hay and pellets. That said, I did notice a big difference for my bun when I swapped out those veggies.

If you start to notice urinary symptoms (like loss of litter box habits or dribbling urine) then I definitely recommend talking to your vet. In my bun’s case the mounting was really excessive and constant so I had him checked out.

. . . 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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