aggressive neutered rabbit

Question
My mini-lop male is 7 years old (I have had him since he was 8 weeks old) and has
been neutered. The neutering helped calm him down for many years. We have had
a wonderful relationship: he's very attached to me, I'm his food/treat supplier, he
comes when I call him, etc. But within the last several months, he has been
mounting my leg daily and has now started to nip my leg in the process. I know
he "loves" me and is "sexually frustrated", but what can I do to stop this aggressive
behavior? Thanks for any suggestions you might have.

Answer
Dear Carol,

First, it should be determined that this isn't a medical problem.  An adrenal disorder (possibly a tumor) can cause this, as well as other types of hormone imbalances that your vet may be able to treat with various drugs (e.g., Lupron).

Other things, such as physical pain or irritation can cause this type of displacement behavior, so check his feet, scent gland pockets and other places for any sign of a foreign object or other problem that could be causing discomfort.  

For the short term, a squirt with a water bottle may deter him when he gets too amorous.  But this is only a bandaid.  The ultimate cause for this change in behavior--which is probably medical--must be determined and treated.

If you don't already have a good rabbit vet, I hope you can find one here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

Hope this helps.

Dana