Was Ronnie Neutered Correctly?

[Little Bay Poo]

This post is more out of curiosity than anything. Ronnie had been used as a breeder bunny for the first 2 years of his life, so that’s all he knew before we got him. He was neutered 5 months ago and improved quickly in terms of spraying urine and using his litter box. The humping behavior diminished around everyone but me.

Ronnie seems to do okay with other people. He lets them pet him and doesn’t get excited around them. However, when I go into Ronnie’s territory he immediately runs circles around my legs as fast as he can. If I sit down and try to pet him, he grooms my arm and then repeatedly tries to hump it. The stuffed animals I give him don’t satisfy him…he only wants my arm.

I keep asking him, "Ronnie, were you neutered properly!?!?" Do some bunnies just retain the urge to hump people even after being neutered, or should I contact his vet and see if they did it right? Thanks!

 

[Bo B Bunny]

You know, we laughed at the videos but he does seem a bit obsessed.

Maybe it's just how he thinks he shows he loves you......... :?

 

[gentle giants]

Hmmm. I don't know the answer, but I am interested to see what others have to say. I have a buck that is about the same situation. He was used as a breeder before I rescued him, and has been neutered about the same length of time as yours. He doesn't hump me, but when I have tried to introduce him to a spayed doe he went berserk humping her, and it didn't look like jsut dominance humping to me, he was really excited.

 

[aurora369]

I think learned behaviour can be retained after a neuter. I went through the same thing with Coal.

He was neglected in a shed and his only interaction with other rabbits was for breeding, he didn't even have anyone next to him to interact with. His only interaction with people was for feeding/watering.

After he was neutered, he was bonded with Ruby. She was very tolerant of him and he humped her constantly for weeks. I think she could tell it wasn't really a dominance hump, but a "breeding" hump, and she just put up with it. After a while, he settled down and doesn't hump as much any more.

I do think that if all a bunny has known is breeding, then that behaviour is retained as that is the only way they know how to interact with other rabbits.

Compared to Zeke, who was neutered at 5 months, all my other males hump more. Even Baxter, who was neutered later but not a breeder bunny, loves to hump just for the sake of humping.

The bunnies neutered later in life with no interaction with other bunnies, almost need to be taught how to interact again. That takes a very patient female partner. Ruby had spent 4 months with her mother and had very good social skills, so she was a good choice to help Coal with his socialization. Baxter spent a long time with Lisa from SARS, doing lots of interactions with other rabbits.

--Dawn

 

[Little Bay Poo]

Thanks for the responses! I had a hunch it was a behavioral thing, but just wanted to make sure that I wasn't supposed to contact the vet about it

 

[Bo B Bunny]

Sounds like you have your work cut out for you to get his behavior to change.

He's so cute tho.... however, the poor stuffed bunny's head is being abused!

 

[ec]

It does make sense, given the fact that he was bred a lot - and probably not really socialized.

i also noticed this in your opening post -

when I go into Ronnie’s territory...

and am wondering if his attempts at mounting you are restricted to when you go in his "area," or if he tries at other times, in other places?

It *is* possible for him to have had an incomplete neuter (see www.medirabbit.com for info. on the process), and some buns do develop endocrine system problems that make them a bit hypersexual well after neuter (per many posts on EtherBun plus info on Medirabbit and similar sites), but... Ronnie was altered so recently, and he's got a habit going on from his breeding days.

You're obviously his favroite person, though!

Buns: can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em!

 

[Little Bay Poo]

ec wrote:

i also noticed this in your opening post -

when I go into Ronnie’s territory...

and am wondering if his attempts at mounting you are restricted to when you go in his "area," or if he tries at other times, in other places?

At this point the territory thing is still a little difficult to tell, but I included that statement in my post because I believe he only acts out when I go into his territory. It makes sense if the does had been brought into his cage for breeding...maybe he thinks I'm coming to see him to be bred!

We've been switching Ronnie and Billy every few days because we hope to eventually bond them, and when Ronnie is in Billy's territory he doesn't run circles or hump me. We also took Ronnie outside for an hour so he could get fresh air, and he was just fine. However, I'm not sure if that's because Ronnie was so distracted by exploring the new places that he forgot all about humping my arm I guess only time will tell!

 

[Raspberry82]

Hey little bay, I've forgotten how long you said it has been since Ronnie was fixed. But Max was neutered a little late (1yr) and was allowed to spray, hump,whaever before I got him. He kept up the humping behavior for 2-3 months after being fixed, it just slowly became less and less over time. I also gave him lots of clear "No!'s" when he wascaught doing that, and lightly pushed the top of his head down with my finger when I said it.

From what I remember it took Max a while to stop.. every time I'd go into his territory also he'd go immediately for humping my leg. He did completely stop eventually though and imo the "re-training" with No's, etc helped a lot.