TinysMom
Well-Known Member
As many of you may know, Amy, Undergunfire, was here for a visit for a few weeks and brought her rabbits. When she returned home, she took Marlin with her and I am watching Mallory, Morgan and Madilyn.
I didn't have much interaction with the rabbits while Amy was here - she was taking total care of them - but the few times I watched Madilyn, I found myself wondering if she really was spayed (I know Amy has the paperwork on it). She just acted much like my unspayed females in some ways - it is hard to put my finger on.
Yesterday she was mounting Mallory just like my unspayed girls will do to each other when they want to breed. I mean - EXACTLY like it. I didn't flip her to look at her privates to see if she showed the same symptoms there. I figured she wasn't used to me and that wasn't fair to her.
Will a spayed doe still mount others - not so much to show dominance but to show a "need to breed"? (Sorry I can't find a better term for it for the board).
I've watched enough does to recognize when it is dominance and when it is really breeding-related. There is a difference - slight - but still there. In this case, she was approaching Mallory from the front and showing him what she wanted as he didn't seem to get it when she approached him from the back.
I'm also wondering if when they spayed her they might have missed something and it could cause this behavior?
It isn't a big deal to me....and I've only had one other spayed doe before but she was pretty mild mannered.
Help?
Peg
I didn't have much interaction with the rabbits while Amy was here - she was taking total care of them - but the few times I watched Madilyn, I found myself wondering if she really was spayed (I know Amy has the paperwork on it). She just acted much like my unspayed females in some ways - it is hard to put my finger on.
Yesterday she was mounting Mallory just like my unspayed girls will do to each other when they want to breed. I mean - EXACTLY like it. I didn't flip her to look at her privates to see if she showed the same symptoms there. I figured she wasn't used to me and that wasn't fair to her.
Will a spayed doe still mount others - not so much to show dominance but to show a "need to breed"? (Sorry I can't find a better term for it for the board).
I've watched enough does to recognize when it is dominance and when it is really breeding-related. There is a difference - slight - but still there. In this case, she was approaching Mallory from the front and showing him what she wanted as he didn't seem to get it when she approached him from the back.
I'm also wondering if when they spayed her they might have missed something and it could cause this behavior?
It isn't a big deal to me....and I've only had one other spayed doe before but she was pretty mild mannered.
Help?
Peg