Hormones and Spraying

[LV426]

Ok I love my bunny but I don't LOVE my bunny. Seems though that Hermes really LOVES me. He's indicated almost from the first week I got him that he was my bunny. He groomed me, sucked on my hair, lays on me, bunny flops beside me and rubs his chin on me to mark me as his. But now that his 12th week approaches he's started a really BAD thing. He sprays me. He runs up thumps his back feet then turns and sprays me, runs around me then comes back and nips me and nudges me. I'm not really crazy about this. My other bunny hated me so I never had to worry about loving affection and then he was neutered and still hated me so yeah no big. But Hermes is really getting annoying with this because I've had to wash my blanket, 4 shirts and 2 pairs of sweatpants so far today because he thought it would be fun to spray me. He's going to be grounded to his cage if he keeps this up.

Thankfully his neutering appointment is next Saturday, I was hoping to get him neutered before this hormonal spraying thing kicked in. I guess I was off by a week.

Brat.

 

[Shaded Night Rabbitry]

XD My first bun started the early "symptoms" of being too in love with me.

I'd be laying on my bed, he'd run up, jump on my back, and groom my hair for half an hour. Then come and nudge me to groom him. Also did the scent marking.

I'm rather happy he doesn't get indoor run around time anymore, or I bet I'd be getting sprayed a lot more than I already do. (Hehe. Babies are silly.) Then again, he has a whole herd of girls to worry about instead of me... XD

 

[Tweetiepy]

Mine will run circles around me and nip and sniff/mark my arms if I'm sitting reading. If he sprays would I know? - does he lift a leg like a dog? He's a lionhead so there's lots of fur covering his bunny bits. He's going for a fix soon - if I put my arms in his cage to give him food, he runs up and rubs his chin on me. I'm hoping this part of the behaviour will stop once he's fixed but I love that he'll let himself be held & petted & brushed (he likes being brushed)

 

[JadeIcing]

If a bunny sprays you will know... Breed does not factor in only bladder size...:big wink:

 

[Violet Crumble]

Male rabbits can be altered as soon as their testicles descend (around 3 months old). If he is not meant to be a show rabbit, it is advisable to neuter him young - before his hormones kick in (I know you knew that ). Getting a male rabbit altered after he has displayed unwanted adult male rabbit behaviors will not guarantee that those behaviors will stop because they are not only instinctive but become habitual. However, seeing as yours only just started this behavior, I'll be it will not take him long to forget about his desire to spray. As with your first rabbit whose temperament did not change, it is likely that your current rabbit's temperament will not change either. He'll be his same, loving self, just without the water show.

And for the Tweetypy....lol. Oh, you'll know when you are sprayed. You'll know. :biggrin2: However, to appease your curiosity, if you were to watch it in slow motion and break it down...... He'll do a very short little hop with his back end only (you might miss that part), come back down from the hop, back up again (may be both front feet and back or just back feet) and twist his back end towards what he's aiming for and he shoots, he scores! Only the most alert and quick on their feet can escape the spray of a sharp shooting buck. lol Best to neuter him before that ever happens or learn to duck fast and love doing laundry and scrubbing walls.

 

[JadeIcing]

Violet Crumble wrote:

And for the Tweetypy....lol. Oh, you'll know when you are sprayed. You'll know. :biggrin2: However, to appease your curiosity, if you were to watch it in slow motion and break it down...... He'll do a very short little hop with his back end only (you might miss that part), come back down from the hop, back up again (may be both front feet and back or just back feet) and twist his back end towards what he's aiming for and he shoots, he scores! Only the most alert and quick on their feet can escape the spray of a sharp shooting buck. lol Best to neuter him before that ever happens or learn to duck fast and love doing laundry and scrubbing walls.

LOL

 

[LV426]

Violet Crumble wrote:

Male rabbits can be altered as soon as their testicles descend (around 3 months old). If he is not meant to be a show rabbit, it is advisable to neuter him young - before his hormones kick in (I know you knew that ). Getting a male rabbit altered after he has displayed unwanted adult male rabbit behaviors will not guarantee that those behaviors will stop because they are not only instinctive but become habitual. However, seeing as yours only just started this behavior, I'll be it will not take him long to forget about his desire to spray. As with your first rabbit whose temperament did not change, it is likely that your current rabbit's temperament will not change either. He'll be his same, loving self, just without the water show.

And for the Tweetypy....lol. Oh, you'll know when you are sprayed. You'll know. :biggrin2: However, to appease your curiosity, if you were to watch it in slow motion and break it down...... He'll do a very short little hop with his back end only (you might miss that part), come back down from the hop, back up again (may be both front feet and back or just back feet) and twist his back end towards what he's aiming for and he shoots, he scores! Only the most alert and quick on their feet can escape the spray of a sharp shooting buck. lol Best to neuter him before that ever happens or learn to duck fast and love doing laundry and scrubbing walls.

Since I was going through the humane society to get him neutered so I could afford it I made his appt before I got him for his neutering. Their appts are about 3 months out. So when I had contacted the breeder about him he was only 5 weeks old and figured I had better make the appt then so I got him in for their next available which was June 9th. I thought for sure I would catch him before the hormones started in. He's 11 weeks old now and would have hit his 12th week on Saturday next weekend. Little brat. I love him though I just don't want to be sprayed. It's STINKY! Gah!