Unusual Mounting behavior

[ngd222]

Hi, my 3 year old male bunny,pluto, has started randomly mounting his bonded litter mate. This is very unusual as they have never had any dominance issues. This started happening after his brother, Ozzie, had a respiratory infection a month ago and has not stopped. I thought it could be from a change of power dynamics, but it’s been ongoing for a month now. He is persistently humping his face! He’s been a more aggressive as well, especially when it comes to food. The vet is expensive, so I’m wondering if this is normal behavior, or if I should be more concerned. I’ve read about possible adrenal issues surfacing in male bunnies, but it’s more common in older bunnies. Has anyone seen anything like this happen and/ or any suggestions to take him to the vet for this behavior?

[DanaNM]

I’m assuming both boys are neutered?

How often is the humping happening, and does it escalate to anything? It does sound like it was probably triggered by the infection. Is Ozzie’s infection cleared?

If it’s not leading to fighting then I think you are safe to just monitor. Sometimes little episodes of dominance behaviors will happen in bonded pairs from time to time. Face humping doesn’t worry me as much in bonded pairs as it does during the bonding process. Doing some bonding sessions with them in a neutral space could help as well.

I doubt an adrenal issue would be the cause in a 3 year old rabbit. But sometimes urinary issues such as crystals can cause excessive mounting. I had one bun that was a mounter and he would mount a LOT more if he was stressed or dehydrated. He also mounted more when I fed dandelion or parsley, both of which are diuretics.

If you feel it’s excessive enough to warrant a vet visit, I would have them check for urinary issues. Usually they will do a urinalysis to check for infection and an x-ray to look for crystals. However, the timing makes me think it has more to do with Ozzie’s illness altering the hierarchy  rather than a health issue with Pluto.

. . . 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.  

[LBJ10]

Humping can also be stress-related. I had a bunny that would hump when he was upset or stressed about something. I don’t know if having an ill friend would be a trigger. For my bunny, it was strange noises (fireworks especially) or something else within the environment.

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