Unneutered Rabbits and Cats - together?

[Stormy]

I posted a thread in "Rabbit Care" about my darling little bunny harassing my cats, not sure if this is territorial or he's going through puberty and considers them fair game. He's 2.5 months only! And unneutered, and we didn't plan to neuter him, as he is a rare breed and am looking for a female for him instead. I'd hoped to keep them both indoors, not roomed together of course. But Jack is chasing the cats now in a way that they don't like, they are swatting him, he's rooting underneath their bodies and otherwise chasing them around until they run or swat at him then run. They all used to play together just fine, chasing each other around, even napping side by side.
He's been adorable, sweet, and housebroken. In the past few days his behavior has developed into rubbing his chin on everything and chasing cats.

Has anyone successfully kept unneutered bucks in their house with other pets? Or is this something I just should not do?

Has anyone neutered an adult buck post-breeding and had his bad habits stop?

 

[JessicaR]

Sorry I dont have an answer. but when i was a kid I had a lop mix bunny that would always chase after and hump my dogs every chance he got!

 

[Iggysbabysitter]

He's probably not mating... it could be all about dominance and your little bunny needing to be "top dog". All my buns in the colony go through this, the females mount eachother to figure out their heirarchy. I wouldn't consider this too bad behavior, as the cats should be able to get away or get higher than your bunny, or place him in a separate room to help them out. The spraying is what I can't take. I'd have a neutered bun as an uncaged pet.
I had a lovely older buck, calm and docile until he met his harem of girls in the shed, and then he becazme the messiest, nastiest thing to pick up. He constantly sprayed everything/everyone around him, soiling the coats of his does, the walls... me. A little mounting, I can handle... bunny urine on my face was my limit.
Your free roaming bun needs a place of his own for his safety and the safety of others (cats, your nerves, your arms- he will begin mounting them eventually), he will not always see a cage as a cage, but HIS room.
Maybe some people have great bucks after breeding, but mine became interested in one thing only... marking what's his.

 

[Miss M]

I had an unspayed doe when I was a kid, and she chased our neutered male cat at every opportunity, if they happened to both be out on the porch at the same time. If she caught him, she did her dominance thing on him, much to his alarm. We finally put a ladder out there for him to use as a retreat. He climbed it, she didn't, he was happy. :lol:

 

[Stormy]

Thanks for your responses... oh, sounds ugly! I had rabbits before and do not remember my sweet Rex bucks spraying. They were outdoors but still, I would think I'd remember that. Around what age would he start doing that? And is it when there are other rabbits around? Right now he's the only one, and he only pees in his litterbox.
I've been keeping an eye on Jack since I got home (it was my boyfriend who called me, alarmed at his behavior) Either he's behaving now that mommy is home, or it was just a particularly annoying day where he felt like chasing and harassing cats. He still chases them but often I see him rooting his head under their bellies or chest - which annoys them and they run. I wonder if its an affection thing, if rabbits in a family would do that together. The chasing might be him trying to assert himself - these cats all run from him! Its been a game, with cats and rabbit taking turns chasing, but maybe its getting to his head even though he's just a little squirt, that he thinks he is "top dog". These rabbits seem to have a pretty big opinion about themselves!

I'll keep him indoors until he decides to start any bad behaviors.
Any way to teach them not to spray?

Has anyone neutered an adult buck who had been allowed to breed, and had him become a good housepet? In other words, lose the spraying action once neutered?

Thank you for your help!

 

[arachyd]

Keep an eye on him. If it's just play the cats will learn to avoid him or play with him. We had a buck that grew up with our dogs. He was part of the pack then he tried to take over the pack to the point he was jumping up and clawing the dogs' faces, leaping on their backs kicking and biting. He wanted them out of his territory and he had to go because he was capable of inflicting some serious injury. Rabbits can be brutal fighters.

 

[Iggysbabysitter]

Thumper was 2 when I got him. He was great. A few months later he began stud duty. And that`s when the spraying started. It`d didn`t get better when I took him from his does and he was alone... and when he was in the growout area with his kits, he`d spray them, too. Yuck.

 

[Brody]

yes I have neutered many rabbits after they have started spraying and most stop no problem ...

 

[Stormy]

@ Brody- thanks for letting me know. We're on the fence, we love having him indoors with us, but since he's such a rare breed (and such a high price tag!) we'd planned to breed him at least a couple times, and then decide whether to neuter him. Apparently when I was at work yesterday his naughtiness started up again except this time jumping right up on the cats - I can't believe this little guy is only 10 weeks old. I thought rabbits were sexually mature at 6 months? Can someone clarify this to me?

 

[Iggysbabysitter]

It's dominance. He's practicing on your cats. He could be early to mature, but not that early. 3-4 maybe, but not 2 months.

 

[Stormy]

Thanks Iggysbabysitter. I think you are right. Most days he's getting along fine and just plays. I think he might be testing out asserting himself. I hope it doesn't get ugly down the road when he gets big. I just built an outside pen for him so he can get more entertainment running outside and learn which areas are really 'his'.

 

[Iggysbabysitter]

I've seen a bunch of youtube videos, and it turns out those little guys will jump anything... One even got very good at mounting a balloon... and it didn't pop. Cats, balls, dogs, toys... I hope yours outgrows the need to assert himself

 

[Miss M]

It isn't inevitable that he will start the spraying business. We have two bucks, both have bred, and neither has ever sprayed. I am very grateful for that fact.

 

[Stormy]

Thank you Miss M for sharing your experience! I'm going to hold out with my little guy as a house rabbit with manners until he shows me he can't be that. We love having him indoors, he's really fun to interact with. These Belgian Hares seem really smart, inquisitive, active, and loveable

 

[ladysown]

in response to your "neutering an adult rabbit post breeding" a rabbit breeder co-hort has done so and even has three of those bucks living together quite amiably.

 

[Stormy]

So the funny thing is, the cats have decided to "top" him. The little girl cat he seems to have a crush on will jump on him wrap her arms around him and "bite" his neck in a domination gesture (not hurting him - they actually enjoy playing chase together). Like, "YOU are prey - cut it out!" and he willingly submits! He seems to even want this from her - sometimes nudging his head under her chest in submission. I swear it seems he likes it when she displays her dominant position. We're still keeping an eye on him - but between his crush girl cat and the former tom cat swatting him ( the boy cat does not like him at all) he might be finding his place in the pecking order. Of course, he's still only half size and will get as big or bigger than the cats...