Mounting Behaviour of Rabbits
Mounting in rabbits is either a sign that it wants to reproduce, or it is communicating. It is normal for rabbits, neutered and not, to mount and hump other rabbits. There is a point where mounting should be stopped, though, as it may lead to fights.Rabbits mount other rabbits to communicate. Largely, this communication is centered on rabbits determining a social hierarchy. Rabbits are extremely social and rely on establishing this hierarchy. A dominant rabbit will mount subordinate rabbits to initially place itself as the boss and occasionally after this to affirm its place. Mounting may also signal that your rabbit is reaching sexual maturity.
Mounting is a normal behavior in rabbits. However, it is important to note the frequency with which a rabbit does mount. It is also key to check how the rabbit being mounted responds. Any vocalizations, biting, kicking, or fleeing are signs that the rabbit is not willing to be subordinate. The rabbits should be separated to prevent any fighting from occurring.
Rabbits exhibit climbing behaviour and they will climb on top of each other. This action is usually seen between two newly introduced rabbits. This action between two rabbits is also known as “humping”.
The animals’ behaviour of mounting is described as the first introducing stage of the two rabbits where both are from different environment with completely different personalities. Rabbits are extremely social and communicate with each other through mounting. The humping behaviour occurs when one rabbit slowly walks alongside another rabbit, and then jumps onto the other rabbit’s back or head.
In some cases, when they are newly introduced with each other, during introduction when they do not like each other they start a fight and that has been observed to become nasty. Then a longer introductory period is required before they become friends or fully bonded.
Being The Boss: A Process Of Communication
Sometimes it occurs that one rabbit mounts on another one. This is okay until the rabbit underneath is submissive. This shows that the rabbit at the top is the boss. They may be taking their turns to understand who is the boss. So, now we can describe mounting as a process of communication where a turn is taken by the two rabbits for establishing dominance between the two. This process occurs between two unknown rabbits and will lessen as they become familiar with each other and the relationship solidifies.
Love For Each Other: Mating
It can also happen when a rabbit loves the other one and wants to cuddle each other or mate the other. Obviously, when pairing active breeding males and females, the mount serves an important purpose for their reproduction. The rabbit who is on the top holds the other furry skin with teeth which is known as nipping. Sometimes rabbits get hurt due to their nipping behaviour too.
This behaviour is very important as per research that is going on to study their performance and multiplication. Comparative studies are being done to study the reproductive performance and behaviour of rabbits raised in a group-housing system and in a regular cage system. Female-female mounting has also been observed and studied in European rabbits.
The mounting activity as a sexual behaviour was studied during pregnancy and lactation in white rabbits from both the countries of New Zealand (NZ) and California (C). Sexual activity of both mounting and mating behaviour decreased dramatically in both types of rabbits after 12–24 hours of coitus. Subsequently, a variable but a small proportion of subjects exhibited sexual behaviour. Sexual activity occurred in the last third of pregnancy for both strains. Postpartum estrus lasted for about 48 hours in most rabbits. However, only 50% of the subjects showed sporadic sexual activity between the third day of lactation and the weaning period.
Handling Mounts Behaviour in Rabbits
Sterilisation or neutering has many benefits over letting the rabbits stay as it is together. This includes a longer lifespan and fewer cases of reproductive diseases, including the very common form of uterine cancer. If you don’t plan on keeping these pets or mating them, you may consider neutering them. There are other behavioural changes in rabbits after neutering, especially those caused by sexual hormones, such as urine spraying, chin marking territory and aggression, which will make your pet more willing and friendly.
Common rabbit behaviour
Common or everyday behaviour displayed by rabbits including chinning, thumping, eating droppings, growling, nudging, flopping, binkying…
Grooming
A healthy rabbit will groom itself thoroughly several times a day. Bonded rabbits will often groom each other as a sign of affection and your rabbit may even “groom” you by licking your hands or face.
Eating droppings
Rabbits produce two types of droppings – the hard pellets that you see, and soft, caecal pellets that they take directly from their bottom and eat. This is the rabbit’s way of maximising the value of its food as they take more nutrients from the droppings as they pass through their body again.
Chinning
A rabbit will rub the underside of its chin against something to mark it with its scent and claim their territory. A rabbit may even chin a human.
Thumping
A rabbit will thump a hind foot on the ground when it feels there is danger around, to warn other rabbits. Unneutered males also use it as a sign of wanting to mate. De-sexed rabbits may use it as a sign of annoyance.
Circling
When your rabbit runs around your feet or around another rabbit, he is displaying his intention to mate or is trying to get your attention.
Honking or grunting
A little exhalation of breath, another sign of wanting to mate. Males and females may continue to honk even after neutering.
Growling
A female rabbit will sometimes make a growling noise when you are interfering with her space, for example cleaning out her litter tray. She may also lunge at you with her front feet – this is a territorial thing but she is unlikely to bite you.
Mounting
When a male rabbit mounts another rabbit or even your foot, he is either trying to mate or is displaying dominance. A female rabbit may mount a male rabbit to display dominance.
Nudging
A rabbit will nudge you lightly with their nose to get your attention or nudge you more forcefully to get you to go away or stop doing something to them.
Grinding teeth
A light grinding or ‘munching’ of teeth indicates your rabbit is happy, for example when you are stroking them. A heavier grinding can indicate pain or discomfort and will generally be accompanied by other symptoms.
Rolling over and lying on side or back with eyes closed
Your rabbit is very relaxed and happy.
Flicking ears
Your rabbit is inviting you to play. If a rabbit shakes its ears frequently and scratches inside them, it can mean they have a problem in their ears so check inside them for redness or scabs.
Acrobatics or ‘binkying’
Rabbits play and get rid of excess energy by running fast, leaping around and twisting their body mid-air. An expression of happiness.
Fur pulling
Can be a sign of boredom but is usually associated with unspayed females going through a phantom pregnancy – they pull hair from their chest and tummy and may try to build a nest somewhere lined with the fur.
Ear positions
If a rabbit points its ears forward it is curious about something. If it puts them straight up it is alarmed and trying to listen better. If it folds them flat on its back it is frightened and trying to make itself inconspicuous.
Tail positions
Normally only the tip of a rabbit’s tail can be seen. When a rabbit is curious and leaning forward with pricked ears, its tail will extrude further. When a rabbit is excited its tail will rise higher up its back. When a rabbit is about to attack or wants to mate it may flick its tail from side to side.
Standing up
When a rabbit stands up on its back feet it is trying to get a better view of its surroundings. It may be trying to get your attention or reach for food that you are holding.
Putting head flat on ground
This is a sign of submission or a request for grooming / stroking from another rabbit or yourself.
Panting
A sign that your rabbit is too hot, overweight or ill.
Screaming
Let’s hope you never hear this. A rabbit will only scream or squeal if it is in extreme pain or fear e.g. when it has been caught by a predator.
Bunny bonding basics
Before introducing two rabbits, both should be spayed or neutered. Bonding is generally easier when rabbits have been sterilized. Wait 2-4 weeks after the surgery before attempting introductions. This allows for the rabbit to heal and for his/her hormones to balance. Males can stay fertile for up to six weeks after neutering and may still exhibit hormonal behavior during this time.
Rabbits are extremely territorial, and may exhibit behaviors such as chinning, and urinating, chasing, batting, biting, or mounting. Introductions should be done in a neutral space to minimize the occurrence of these territorial behaviors.
You may want to wear thick gloves and a long-sleeved shirt for initial bonding sessions in case a fight ensues. A squirt of water on the nose can often prevent an aggressive behavior if it’s done before the act begins, but is usually ineffective once a fight has begun. An initial fight could hinder future bonding success.
Bunnies have very different personalities. When two bunnies first meet, several outcomes may occur.
- The most likely outcome is tentative friendship. They may approach each other and sniff but will not groom each other.
- Sometimes one will chase the other. Watch for signs of a potential fight. If chasing occurs, they may need a longer introduction period before they fully bond and will need more work/attention to build the relationship.
- Sometimes one rabbit mounts the other. This is OK as long as the rabbit on the bottom (submissive) is accepting it. They are working out who’s boss. The tables may turn later! Make sure both rabbits’ noses can be seen so they are not biting in sensitive areas during the interaction. Mounting is a form of communication and a way of establishing dominance. It will likely stop or lessen over time as the rabbits’ relationship solidifies.
- Less common, but possible, is love at first sight. The bunnies may groom each other or cuddle with each other.
- Also uncommon, but possible, is outright fighting. Separate the rabbits immediately to prevent them from hurting each other. This will be a harder relationship to build, but it can be done.
Work with the rabbits daily for at least 15 minutes. The more often you work with them, the quicker the process will progress (usually). If the rabbits have a bad experience, or if one of the rabbits is elderly or has health considerations, you may need to take it slower, or take some time off.
Rabbits that are not fully bonded need to be kept separate when you are not with them. Once the rabbits have bonded, DO NOT separate them. If one rabbit needs to go to the vet, both need to go. If they’re separated and one rabbit comes back with a different smell or change in health, they may reject each other and begin fighting.
The importance of neutral space in bonding
Rabbits are extremely territorial, so you should always introduce rabbits, regardless of sex or age, in a neutral space first. Try to eliminate the possibility of any territorial behavior by choosing introductory spaces that are as different from your bunny’s territory as possible. Make the space small enough so you can control the interactions, and make sure there are no small spaces where a bunny could get trapped.
Possible neutral spaces might include:
- A pen in an area of the house your rabbit is not usually in
- A bathroom the resident bunny has not been in
- A bathtub
- A friend’s home
- The garage
If the bunnies show any signs of aggression, try:
- A laundry basket on top of a dryer that is on
- The backseat of a moving car
The noise and movement will be slightly frightening to the bunnies and they may snuggle up and draw comfort from each other, creating positive memories of one another. They’ll associate the other rabbit with a sense of security, as opposed to carrying bad memories around with them.
Bonding dos and don’ts
Dos
- Do – House the rabbits separately but close together. They will get used to seeing each other and to each other’s scent if they are close to one another. Make sure the cages are not close enough for them to be able to bite each other.
- Do – Be prepared for this to take several months.
- Do – Expect that there will be bumps and setbacks.
- Do – Make the effort to think like a bunny. Is one rabbit jealous you are interacting with the new bunny/resident bunny? Is he mad you just gave his favorite toy to the other? Is the rabbit stressed and ready to stop for the day?
- Do – Interact with the bunnies, but give equal attention and provide a positive and relaxed atmosphere.
Don’ts
- Don’t – Play favorites.
- Don’t – Expect love at first sight.
- Don’t – Hold a bonding session in the resident bunny’s territory until after the bunnies spend at least 30 minutes together in neutral space. Be prepared for the potential that the resident bunny may become defensive or aggressive at first.
- Don’t – Try to bond if you have had a bad day. Your emotions will transfer to the bunnies and can undo weeks of work.
- Don’t – Leave the rabbits unsupervised, even for a minute, until they’re fully bonded.
- Don’t – Assume that because yesterday went well, today will too. They are working through relationship issues similar to those humans do during a dating process.
- Don’t – End on a bad note, if at all possible.
To conclude, the rabbits’ mounting behaviour is quite normal, but you should watch them to not get hurt during such behaviour. Also, follow the precautions that if any rabbit is ill or has any sort of pain then don’t let the other rabbits near that sick rabbit and keep the sick rabbit separately from the sexually active mounting rabbits.
Compiled & Shared by- Team, LITD (Livestock Institute of Training & Development)
Image-Courtesy-Google
Reference-On Request.
