Female humping and biting

[Haru the Lionhead]

Haru is a 4 year old female, she’s not spayed and it is not an option.

She has this rabbit mat, I don’t know what it’s called, but it’s the one that is flat in the middle and stuffed on both sides.

She thinks it’s a rabbit, and every time she sleeps in it she licks it.

Just now i saw her biting it, and humping. And when I pulled it upwards, she didn’t let go and clung to it with her teeth while barely standing on her toes.

I was wondering if it’s a sexual thing or only dominance?

 

[Preitler]

You're absolutly positive that you've got a girl there? Although does do hump other rabbits I only have seen that in an explicitly social context, like humping THAT doe for THIS reason, not to just hump for the sake of humping. But my does live together so not too sure about single does.
Some males on the other hand are known for humping whatever they see fit. Anyway, rabbits can be wiered .

I have a cardboard tunnel where my housebunny often sleeps in, and I do hear her lick the floor in the evening , so that maybe hasn't much to do with it but is kind of a self-soothing behaviour.

 

[Haru the Lionhead]

You're absolutly positive that you've got a girl there? Although does do hump other rabbits I only have seen that in an explicitly social context, like humping THAT doe for THIS reason, not to just hump for the sake of humping. But my does live together so not too sure about single does.
Some males on the other hand are known for humping whatever they see fit. Anyway, rabbits can be wiered .

I have a cardboard tunnel where my housebunny often sleeps in, and I do hear her lick the floor in the evening , so that maybe hasn't much to do with it but is kind of a self-soothing behaviour.

Well..
When she was 7 months old I wanted to spay her, and the vet called me mid surgery telling me he can’t find the uterus.
A few months later I took her to another vet and he said that the scar tissue was so bad, he couldn’t see the uterus on ultrasound.
But every time I take her to a different vet they tell me that she’s female.
I’ve never looked myself, but even if I did I wouldn’t know
But I’ve had her for three years and a half now and I’ve never seen her act like that.
I’m worried that this humping might trigger a false pregnancy no?

 

[Preitler]

Getting humped can trigger false pregnancys, since they are induced ovolators, not the other way round. When she didn't had any false pregnancys in 4 years that's pretty lucky for an intact doe.

It can be that she's "mostly" female, it's not unheard of that some rabbits had a hard time deciding if they became male or female and and up somewhere in between , allegedly more common in rabbits than in humans. That she doesn't show some behaviours, like false pregnancies, that can make intact does trying pets is a big plus there .

 

[Haru the Lionhead]

Getting humped can trigger false pregnancys, since they are induced ovolators, not the other way round. When she didn't had any false pregnancys in 4 years that's pretty lucky for an intact doe.

It can be that she's "mostly" female, it's not unheard of that some rabbits had a hard time deciding if they became male or female and and up somewhere in between , allegedly more common in rabbits than in humans. That she doesn't show some behaviours, like false pregnancies, that can make intact does trying pets is a big plus there .

well.. she has never met another pet before. She was never humped. Couldn’t that be why she’s never experienced false pregnancy?
Also, now when I take away the mat that she’s humping she gets mad! she chases it and sometimes grunts..
I’m worried because in three years, she has never done anything like that. And I heard that new/odd behavior in rabbits could be a bad sign especially if they’re older and not fixed.
Butttt, she has also been free roaming for three years, and now is staying in a pen for almost two weeks because of sore hocks. Could boredom cause her behavior to change?

 

[Haru the Lionhead]

If she releases pheromones, could it still be a dominance thing or only sexual?

 

[Preitler]

Pheromones? As far as I can tell although they have scent glands does themself don't smell. I think they use them to make their poop smell for rabbit noses when they mark their territory.

Bucks can be smelly, or more precisely, their hutch can get a distinct, musky odour. They themself don't smell much either - wich makes sense for prey animals that rely on not being noticed.

It can happen that, if the rabbit smells, that the scent glands might need a cleaning, but imo that's pretty rare.

Does hump for dominance, when exited or agitated, but from what I've seen only other rabbits, it's always in a social context. But my does live together, not sure igf that applies to single does, and nothing is 100% anyway.
Bucks on the other hand hump what is available when they feel like it (preferrable other rabbits)

A such drastic change in living conditions sure can have an impact on behaviour. but it's impossible to predict, every rabbit is different.

 

[TreasuredFriend]

I will have to check our Vet record notes on the rescue bun that came in and was deemed a hermaphrodite. This was the second case I heard of.

Our 7 y.o. n/male boy started to gather hay in his mouth like he mighta wanted to ... build a nest? Dunno. Or he decided to play a game and carry multiple amounts of hay around for a day. He lived next to his 7 y.o. spayed sister.

Our 3 y.o. spayed lionhead girl loves to hump and lick her stuffy elephant. She will jump up on a table stand to tip over ornamental stuffed elephant and begin the "i'm the boss" behavior.

Our n/male 9 y.o. harlequin loves to hump his silver bunny stuffie. Circling, humming, and doing his dominance male hormones routine.

Two of our spayed females often dominated their bonded husbands by humping. Especially when food crocks were coming.

Wouldn't surprise me if boredom has created Haru's mat fixation. That licking and humping is a way of coping with her confined space in the ex-pen while sore hocks are addressed.

 

[Haru the Lionhead]

Wouldn't surprise me if boredom has created Haru's mat fixation. That licking and humping is a way of coping with her confined space in the ex-pen while sore hocks are addressed.

I was told that a change in behavior is usually bad news for rabbits, which is why I’m worried.
Other than the humping, licking and biting. Ever since i got her she always circles me while honking and gently biting. What’s new is that after almost four years, she tried to hump my knee!!!

She’s also never been really territorial, yes she pees on certain spots and poops in rooms that she isn’t always allowed to go in. But she’s NEVER been aggressive about it. Now, if anyone touches her matt she gets MAD!