Humping - dominance WHAT TO DO???

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thetwobunnies

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Well, after thinking I was off the hook with the dominance humping thing, it finally happened.
Strange because
1) they've been living with each other for 11 months with NO humping
2) BOTH rabbits ARE fixed and have been for months (the male, the dominant one, has been for a couple years, and the female just got spayed this summer but that was again, months ago)

I noticed that she'll stay and let him do whatever if he mounts her face? But will not let him if he tries to go from behind. I am aware that she could bite his male parts and cause a whole bunch of trouble so I'm not sure what to do.

I am actually wondering if the cage change caused this? A couple months ago, I got a loft bed and made their cage extremely small in comparison to what it was before (I have pictures in my other thread, it was quite roomy like ehhh 4' by 7' or SOMETHING around that with a second level) but now it's considerably smaller.

Could this be why? I feel like they can't snuggle anymore like they used to because now the female (who is also quite small in comparison to the male even though they are both holland lops) will run away when the male comes close even though he doesn't seem to be trying to mount her.

I know this is "natural" and "normal" but I just feel like it's so unexpected considering everything? what should i do?
 
Orrr, this is a little out there, maybe the vet didn't spay her properly? She called me and specifically told me she had the tiniest ovaries and uterus she's ever seen in a rabbit that's almost a year old - (she said it was close to what a couple month old rabbit's uterus and ovaries would look like)
so this got me thinking, maybe she didn't remove all of her lady parts? or removed something else? or forgot something? thus making the male rabbit think she's in heat (which would be always - but finally taking action now?)

sounds a little far fetched, and the vet I went to is a certified rabbit vet but Im just not sure
 
My Groucho humps Bugsy often. Both are fixed boys. Bugsy, despite being twice the size of Groucho, just lets him. Groucho seems to particularly like to go at his face. No idea why. I feel bad for Bugsy.

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If she wasn't spayed properly there would be other signs, such as spraying and aggression. If not, the humping just seems to be regular ol' dominance-establishing routine over who gets to be king/queen of their changed territory.
 
They might just be trying to figure out who is dominant again. If you're really concerned, try separating them (if you can) and reintroducing them on neutral territory. If the male mounts, you can let him do it briefly before pushing him off. Eventually, it should stop because one will be established as dominant.

That being said, excessive mounting can lead to frustration from the other rabbit, which can cause a fight. If you feel like it's being done excessively (not just once in awhile but a couple times in the span of, say, 15 minutes) then it's best to separate them to prevent a fight. A fight would be a lot more damaging to their relationship.
 

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