Male rabbits mounting.

Dr. Marie replied:

Hi and thanks for your question.

What you are describing sounds like territorial behavior in rabbits.

It is a good idea to talk to your vet about having your boys neutered. Most vets will do a rabbit neuter any time after 2-3 months of age as long as the vet feels that they are large enough to handle an anesthetic well.


Most of the time neutering will stop this problem (as it is often driven by testosterone). However, it does not always solve the problem.

Do we know for sure that the rabbits are both males? It is important to know because some small breeds of rabbits can get pregnant as early as 3 months of age!

Sometimes, two male rabbits simply will not get along even after neutering. You can try giving them only short periods of time together to allow themselves time to get used to each other. It may also help to cage them separately but beside each other so they can see each other but not be able to fight or mount each other.

Another thing you can do is have a spray water bottle handy and spray the rabbit whenever he goes to mount the other one.

It is not harmful for the rabbit to mount the other one. However, it could lead to fighting which we really would like to avoid!

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