Girl mounting boy

Question
Hi there,

I have 2 rabbits, Ellie a spayed female and Dave a neutered male. I have had Dave for almost a year and Ellie for about 6 months.

I got Ellie to keep Dave company and i introduced them gradually and they got on very well, eg they snuggled and groomed eachother and loved lying next to each other.

when Ellie hit maturity i separated them but kept them in cages next to each other and only let one out at a time as her hormones were too much for poor Dave.

She has recovered from her op now and its been about 6 weeks and i started to introduce them again and it was  going very well.

My question is this, Ellie is still contiuing with mounting him all the time. she will not leave him alone for a min and he ends up getting quite distressed. normally his reaction is to run away and hide but last night he started snorting at her and then mounted her! she retaliated with trying to mount him again - she never succeeded and backed away but i can tell thats what she was wanting to do!

I was just wondering if you had any tips of how to deal with this matter as i want them to live in the same cage together as having two in my living room is starting to bother me as they are really big!

Thanks

Gemma

Answer
Hi Gemma,

We run into the same things with some of our long term bonded pairs.  Even though they have been spayed and neutered, there is still a "pecking order" and this behavior is both of them desire to be the "alpha" in the relationship.  As long as things don't get to the point of lots of fur loss or biting....we try to allow them to settle this issue on their own.  But sometimes when things get too rough, we do intervene.  The most effective way we have found to do this is a car ride.  A short time on top of a working washing machine is also helpful.  Put them in a carrier where they can fit comfortably and create just enough stress that it forces them to seek comfort in each other.  Another way is to use a spray bottle.  In the wild, and domestics were once totally wild, a spray of urine is a sign of dominance...and in this relationship, you are the one that should be dominant.  When they start "engaging" give them a light spritz of water.  Not a heavy dousing...but enough to get their attention.  This is best done in "neutral" territory...an area that nether rabbit has ever been.  We also use masking agents to cover the territorial scent markings....and a streak of vanilla flavoring on the bridge of the nose sometimes works wonders.  These procedures have always worked for us...it sometimes takes more time with some bunnies than others...but they are acting like normal bunnies.  Hope this helps.

Randy