3 year old rabbits humping

I've got 2 male mini lops, brothers from the same little, both are neutered and 3 years old. They are usually as good as gold together, but all of a sudden one of them has started constantly humping his brother.

I'm at a loss as to why he has started doing this, he's usually the quieter of the two.

I don't really want to separate them unless I really have to. Has anyone else experienced this in older, already bonded rabbits?

Sometimes bonded rabbits will go through times where one or both rabbits are jockeying for the 'top bun' position. That's when you will see increased displays of dominance behavior. They usually get it sorted out with not too much difficulty, and settle right back down into their relationship. Though in some instances this dominance struggle can lead to fighting if one of the rabbits doesn't accept taking the follower position, and this can lead to a break in the bond.

Not much you can do about it except let them sort out who will be top bun, and maybe break up the humping if it is going on too long and the other rabbit appears to be getting agitated. But keep an eye out for any signs it might be escalating into actual fighting, and not just the usual humping. If one or both are starting to get agitated with the other and it's starting to result in fighting, you will need to separate before serious injury occurs. You can give them a break and try rebonding, but sometimes it doesn't work out and they may have to remain separated.

Sometimes the increased humping can be due to the rabbit feeling uncomfortable with changes in it's environment, and will express that discomfort though increased humping attempts. A change of area, a change in their housing, a new pet in the home, people in the home they aren't used to, a new object in the home. One of my rabbits will start trying to hump her buddy after I've picked her up and set her back down, or when I've let them out into a new area to explore. But usually the behavior settles down quickly.

There is also the possibility that the behavior can be health related. Some rabbits when feeling uncomfortable from a health problem, will start to display unusual changes in behavior such as increased and unusual digging or chewing, excessive grooming, and sometimes increased or incessant humping. You will often also see other signs and changes of behavior that point to an underlying health problem, like increased ear scratching, resting more than usual, increased aggression and moodiness, increased hormonal related behavior like spraying, honking, and circling. If the humping behavior continues, seems unusual, and there may be other signs of a possible health problem, it would be a good idea to have your bun seen by an experienced rabbit vet.

JBun said:

There is also the possibility that the behavior can be health related. Some rabbits when feeling uncomfortable from a health problem, will start to display unusual changes in behavior such as increased and unusual digging or chewing, excessive grooming, and sometimes increased or incessant humping. You will often also see other signs and changes of behavior that point to an underlying health problem, like increased ear scratching, resting more than usual, increased aggression and moodiness, increased hormonal related behavior like spraying, honking, and circling. If the humping behavior continues, seems unusual, and there may be other signs of a possible health problem, it would be a good idea to have your bun seen by an experienced rabbit vet.

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In addition to that, if the currently dominant bunny is feeling under the weather, it's possible your other rabbit is using it as an opportunity to assert dominance or deal with different behaviour from the dominant one.

Will be interested to hear whether they sort themselves out easily or whether it turns sour.