Introducing Rabbits

Calendula

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So, I have a one and a half year old doe and a six month old buck (neutered).
I've been trying to socialiaze them and they do perfectly fine in adjacent cages.
They also do perfectly fine together, until my little buck tries to mount her, in which case she starts making this weird wheezing sound.
I pull him away at this point and hold him until she can calm down, but then when he even gets near her after that, she resumes wheezing.
I'm just a little confused because when we first got him and he would mount her, she was fine. It started a couple weeks after we got him (and before he was neutered).

I also don't know if this information is any help, but she is quite a bit bigger than him. She is also fine with the cats and our Labrador mix, so I'm just a bit perplexed why this little bunny scares her...
 
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Bunnylady

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Just a guess, but I'm betting the dog and cats don't try to mount her, do they? :\

Mounting is breeding behavior, and in spite of what others may tell you, does aren't always ready to breed. Bucks can get rather rough (at the very least, they bite the doe's shoulders when they mount, which is bound to be uncomfortable), so you can see why a doe that isn't "in the mood" would prefer not to have an unwanted suitor climbing on her. Mounting is also dominance behavior; your doe may be concerned about how much more this dominant rabbit is likely to do to prove its dominance over her. As you no doubt know, rabbit fights can be nasty!

You didn't say how long it has been that you have had these two rabbits - any chance she might be pregnant? The gestation period on rabbits is 31 days, give or take a couple . . . .
 

Calendula

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No, she's definitely not pregnant. It was a lot longer than that when they first met, and I've had her for a year now.

There hasn't been any fights yet, so I'm hoping they can work it out eventually.

And no, the cats and dogs never tried to mount her, although she did mount the cat...
 

samssimonsays

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My does will do that when they are not in the mood. Some do it when they are. It is her telling him no from my experience. He "Should" stop but may never and it can really stress the girls out. I have an un neutered boy totally uninterested in the girls. Boys on the otherhand... well, he's all in. If my girls (whom are usually a lot more of a pain than the boys) would be nice to him I would leave him with one. Some boys will have a higher drive than others, snipped our not. He may learn eventually. When was he neutered? It may still be kickin gin that he no longer has them.
 

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