Female rabbit harassing male?!?

[vek555]

So I have a pair of rabbits that are bonded... I think. Well I don't know how you can tell for sure if they're considered "bonded". Whenever I take one out and then put it back, they snuggle up against each other immediately. They sleep next to each other and groom each other a lot.
The thing is, he's neutered but she's not spayed (I plan on getting her spayed as soon as I have the money though). I'm guessing this is why she poops all over the cage... or is it because they need two separate litter boxes? I only have one and I think he primarily uses it..

Anyways, after six weeks after he was neutered, I put them back together and he immediately started harassing her and trying to mount her constantly, so I separated them again. Two more weeks later, I put 'em back together and they got along swimmingly, so I've had them together ever since and they just love each other.

Until today, I woke up this morning to see her harassing HIM, chasing him all over the cage, trying to bite him and pin him down to mount him. I didn't know how serious this was so I watched it happen for a full twenty minutes (with non-stop scrambling and vocalizing and thumping) until I separated them.

So now I don't know what to do, and I never anticipated this problem. Are they just trying to establish dominance (in which case I'm confused, because I thought he was the dominant one), or is this a serious problem and do I need to keep them separated?

Btw, she's a mini lop but he's a mini lop/holland lop mix. Maybe she thinks she can take him now that she's recently grown slightly bigger than him? I don't know...

Anyway, thanks in advance for your help

 

[agnesthelion]

There are varying opinions on this but I'm from the mindset that you can't consider buns bonded unless they are both fixed.
The pooping could be her marking her territory. Both males and females will do this with poops. You don't necessarily need another litterbox but I have two boxes because I just think if one of them is chilling in the box, which buns often do, where is the other supposed to go? So two seemed like a better choice.
But anyway, often fixing a bun will improve their litterbox habits.
But her chasing and mounting could be her grumpy hormones taking over. Both males and females will hump for dominance though as well. But with her not being fixed, her hormones still play a factor to what she will be tolerable of. I just think if any problems like this arise, the only solution I see would be to get her spayed. With her not being fixed, anytime the male may come at her a certain way, her hormones can make her react back. Generally speaking I've heard that the female often ends up the dominant one. However, also alot of times the bonded pair may alternate dominance. Like maybe one is dominant over space but the other is dominant when it comes to grooming. That's how my two are. But again to repeat, her hormones are getting in the way so I would encourage a spay
Best of luck!

 

[vek555]

Thanks so much for your detailed response! Yes,the more I think about it spaying her seems like the only solution. I will get this done as soon as I can.

 

[LakeCondo]

I agree with Lisa. Spaying should at least lessen the problem.