# Neutered male won't stop humping his girl bunny friend



## BronsonsHuman (Oct 22, 2014)

Our eight month old boy bun was neutered four months ago and then we got him a 2month old girlfriend. Initially he humped her to assert dominance but this last week he has been doing it non stop. She is consistently running away from him and grunting, either in discomfort or frustration. We are having her spayed this Friday but my concern is why is he humping so much if he is neutered?!?


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## Channahs (Oct 22, 2014)

I wonder if she's putting out some pheromones since she's still intact? Has she been pulling hair or acting hormonal?


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## Korr_and_Sophie (Oct 22, 2014)

It can largely be due to her being intact. Before I got Amelia spayed and she was living with Korr, there was a fair bit of humping from both of them. Once she was spayed, it went down quite a bit, but still more than with his other partners who were spayed before bonding.
If she is just starting to get sexually mature, that could trigger the increased humping as well. He can still sense her hormones and is reacting to it. 
It can take a fer weeks for her hormones to settle down once she is spayed, so don't expect an immediate change. You should keep them separated while she heals, and try bonding again.


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## Blue eyes (Oct 22, 2014)

:yeahthat:


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## BronsonsHuman (Oct 26, 2014)

Thank you all for your feedback!!! It makes such sense. Doh. We had her spayed the day after I posted.

Now we have a new problem :/ because she is recovering we have her separated from the male but he is being very aggressive towards her. He is trying to nip her through the cage! I've heard that bonded rabbits can lose their bond when one goes to the vet. It's crazy and sad. He's been smitten since we got her 4months ago, they never fought. Now to begin again! &#128542;


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## Blue eyes (Oct 26, 2014)

It may not be just from the vet visit (though that _can_ happen). It's more likely because baby 'bonds' really don't count as true bonds. Hormones usually disrupt any bonding that may occur. It is quite common for an adult/baby bond to fall apart once the baby matures. 

It will still take a little while for hormones to dissipate after surgery. Be sure to keep their cages apart enough so that he cannot actually succeed in nipping her through the openings. 

You'll need to view her as if she is a brand new bunny that has never before been in your place. That is how he is seeing her. The bonding process will be all brand new once she's had time to recuperate. Hopefully, his aggression toward her will diminish during this time. However, you should be prepared for the (hopefully remote) possibility that the two will not bond. 

This is why we recommend that those looking for a bondmate for their fixed bunny arrange bunny dates with other fixed buns through a rabbit rescue. This is the only sure way to ensure you wind up with a real bond. If one rabbit won't bond with yours, they allow an exchange. (That is water under the bridge, now, but just reference for future)

I am concerned at your boy's initial reactions to her, but let's hope that it is just that he is sensing some lingering hormones. We'll have to hope for the best. In the meantime, I would encourage you to read up on some bonding methods so you will be prepared when the time comes.


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## Blue eyes (Oct 26, 2014)

Oh, I just looked back and saw that you had originally attempted to go through a shelter for a spayed rabbit. I see...

Was it just a generic shelter with dogs, cats, etc, or was it an actual rabbit rescue? I would think the rabbit rescue would be more lenient.


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