Weird Bunny Behaviour

[cindychops]

I have a female rabbit who is about 6mths old and last night i hand feed her a treat and she humped my hand! Her front legs wrapped around my wrist and she kept nipping me with her teeth.
I hav'nt turned her over to check her sex but is that normal behaviour?

[moorx]

Yes, perfectly normal for rabbits of both genders.

Have you considered getting her spayed and getting another rabbit? All six of mine are neutered and in pairs (two male/female pairings and one male/male (brothers)). They love having the company of another rabbit providing you get the right match.

Lots of buns in rescue needing homes

[cindychops]

moorx said:

Yes, perfectly normal for rabbits of both genders.

Have you considered getting her spayed and getting another rabbit? All six of mine are neutered and in pairs (two male/female pairings and one male/male (brothers)). They love having the company of another rabbit providing you get the right match.

Lots of buns in rescue needing homes

I know it sounds selfish but would rather just have the one for now as only have an indoor cage for her and also she runs around like billy beans and makes such a noise at night,she's the best pet iv've ever had (apart from my dog)and just seems to calm me when i give her strokes (apart from when she ran off with my smokey bacon crisps as it was the crinkly bag she was interested in).

[moorx]

That's fair enough - it's a bit different when they're house rabbits with plenty of human company. Mine are outside rabbits, so it's best to have them in pairs.

[bexVN]

Getting her spayed would be a good idea. It helps them feel calmer and avoid complications later in life due to being entire.

Her behaviour fits in with her age as 6 months is about the time most average sized bunnies reach sexual maturity.

A friend would be nice for her if possible. Rabbit Welfare Association do not generally agree with rabbits not having a companion however as Moorx has said it is different when they are indoors assuming they are not alone for several hours a day of course!

[condor]

You could get her a soft toy to hump

[bexVN]

condor said:

You could get her a soft toy to hump

A soft toy as a surrogate companion isn't such a bad idea but she could become a bit obsessed with humping it!

[moorx]

Yes, should have added that spaying prevents uterine cancer, which females can be susceptible to and also prevents phantom pregnancies, which can cause them distress.

[C0ffin D0dger]

condor said:

You could get her a soft toy to hump

Our dog used to do this.

[cindychops]

condor said:

You could get her a soft toy to hump

Found a soft toy in the shape of a bananna and she loves it as its as big as her,Are there any complcations with having her spayed and would anyone know the rough cost?

[moorx]

I can't lie and say that there aren't any risks with the spaying surgery, anaesthesia can be risky with small animals (I lost a previous rabbit when he was having dental treatment). All but one of mine are rescues and they were neutered before I got them, but I have had one female rabbit spayed and she was fine. It's a job to remember how much it cost now but I think it was around £40?

[bazza white]

It's a bit more expensive to have a doe done, we paid about £60 each for our 2 boys and think it was £70 ish for doe.


One was fine after anaesthetic the other bigger lad a bit rough for a couple of days. Biggest problem was fetch the small one decided it was his chance to be the dominant rabbit and was a bit nightmare towards dusty whilst he was rough.