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Forum BEHAVIOR When will his hormones go away?

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    • senatcha93
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        I have neutered my bunny(5 1/2 months old) two weeks ago tomorrow but he is still spraying, digging and leaving his poop everywhere. My friends bunny stopped peeing on the bed after three days… And mine is still as sissy and hormonal as ever. How long did it take for your bunnies hormones to subside? How long will it take for mine? Did I get him neutered too late?


      • Wick & Fable
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          Wick got neutered at 8mo, so it’s not you having it done too late! Some rabbits take longer than others. Thankfully Wick did not take very long, but some say expect the behavior for a month or so post neuter.

          You will want to reinstate litter training tactics though; most rabbits don’t retain that after the neuter I hear.

          The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.


        • sarahthegemini
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            Getting neutered at 5 months isn’t too late lol. Many buns go through a post neuter craze where their behaviour gets worse before it gets better. As Wick said, you’ll need to re-litter train him.

            Oh and digging isn’t a hormonal behaviour (unless it’s excessive) so I wouldn’t expect him to stop digging.


          • Deleted User
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              It can take up to a month (or longer) so I’ve been told. My bun was 1 month ago and still leaves a few poops around (usually near the bathroom or by my bedroom, there’s another bun inside though. Just encourage litter box habits and if you can have him in another room, don’t let him in your bedroom. My bun peed on my bed once so I just stopped letting her go in there


            • senatcha93
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                If Wick got neutered at 8 months how is his behaviour? Did it change for the better? Really curious


              • Wick & Fable
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                  Wick did not show any hormonal behavior (humping, territorial aggression, spraying) by the time his testes dropped at 7-8mo. His neuter was scheduled a few weeks in advanced from when I called to make the appointment, and literally 3 days approaching the neutering is when he started to spray me like crazy, haha.

                  Following the neutering, Wick was back to his usual self really quickly (~1-2 days). His litter habits weren’t affected at all, though I know for many males it does start back at Zero or get worse following the neuter, hence the resurgence of litter box training post neuter. The changes would be a revert of the behaviors which came up the 3 days prior to the neutering. No more spraying, and he could read “ouch” signals again (when he starts grooming to roughly, I say ouch and retract the body part. He gets the message and then returns more gently, but during the spraying days, he didn’t understand and just kept grooming aggressively. I wore socks 24/7 for those three days after I realized the behavior change, haha).

                  Luckily, Wick’s default personality has always been sociable. He was a runt, so didn’t get much attention from his litter/mom, making me fawning over him his favorite thing in the world. Because of this, I can’t vouch for decreasing in digging, biting, chewing, etc., because Wick never did that and still doesn’t. If I had to pinpoint something, I’d say he’s more independent, in the sense that when he’s “over” me grooming him, he’ll lick me goodbye, then lounge about a foot away from me to get his space.

                  The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.


                • senatcha93
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                    He has been neutered for 3 weeks now and his hormones are still as present as ever. He leaves his poop everywhere, Although less, and I’m certain he’d pee on the bed if I wouldn’t put the matress up against the wall when he is out of his pen. So annoying. This is a habit now right? He will forever spray and mark his territory, right?! ;(

                    Edit: He is 5 m 30 days as of today. So he is basically 6 months old which means that he is too old to not spray. Accoding to this post: https://binkybunny.com/FORUM/tabid/54/aft/118300/Default.aspx


                  • sarahthegemini
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                      Posted By senatcha93 on 8/03/2017 1:38 PM

                      He has been neutered for 3 weeks now and his hormones are still as present as ever. He leaves his poop everywhere, Although less, and I’m certain he’d pee on the bed if I wouldn’t put the matress up against the wall when he is out of his pen. So annoying. This is a habit now right? He will forever spray and mark his territory, right?! ;(

                      Edit: He is 5 m 30 days as of today. So he is basically 6 months old which means that he is too old to not spray. Accoding to this post: https://binkybunny.com/FORUM/tabid/54/aft/118300/Default.aspx

                      What are you doing to try and litter train him? If it’s just peeing on the bed, well some buns just love peeing on soft things 


                    • joea64
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                        Hang in there. You certainly didn’t wait too long to have him neutered – in fact I’ve seen a number of people recommend that one should wait until a female bunny is at least 6 months old to get her spayed (but then spaying is a more invasive, stressful operation than neutering, so it’s important to make sure the bun is old enough to stand said stress). I’m given to understand that males remain fertile for up to a month after the neutering operation, which is why it’s generally strongly recommended to keep a newly fixed male separated from females for the first several weeks to prevent any *ahem* farewell gifts. It seems to me that hormone-induced behavior would probably last that long, too.

                        All that being said, though, once his hormones settle down and he becomes his calm, friendly post-neuter self, I agree with Wick, you’ll have to litter-train him again. Fortunately, that shouldn’t take that long.


                      • senatcha93
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                          Update: Omg he is SO cute! I’m in awe at how adorable he is! It’s been over 2 months now, and while he just peed on the couch yesterday and on my bed this morning he’s become so sweet and affectionate. I let him sleep with me in bed yesterday as the last time he had slept beside my head was months ago but I guess it was perhaps too hasty of me. I was always so sad because of how aggressive he was but getting him neutered was so worth it. I love him even more now haha He is just so cuddly! He occasionally squeaks but I hope this will pass too. Do you think I should keep him in the pen another week for him to stop peeing/pooping on my bed?


                        • sarahthegemini
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                            Posted By senatcha93 on 8/29/2017 12:18 PM

                            Update: Omg he is SO cute! I’m in awe at how adorable he is! It’s been over 2 months now, and while he just peed on the couch yesterday and on my bed this morning he’s become so sweet and affectionate. I let him sleep with me in bed yesterday as the last time he had slept beside my head was months ago but I guess it was perhaps too hasty of me. I was always so sad because of how aggressive he was but getting him neutered was so worth it. I love him even more now haha He is just so cuddly! He occasionally squeaks but I hope this will pass too. Do you think I should keep him in the pen another week for him to stop peeing/pooping on my bed?

                            Bunnies often pee on beds. I don’t think keeping him in a pen any longer will have an effect tbh.


                          • Deleted User
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                              Have you litter trained him? He might just like to pee there. I don’t think keeping him in the pen is going to keep him from wanting to pee on the bed. I don’t think one can ever TRULY guarantee that a bun will not pee where they aren’t supposed to. They have these little minds of their own “hmmm seems like a nice soft spot….for me to pee on!”


                            • joea64
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                                I’d love to have Panda and Fernando join me for cuddle sessions on my bed one day, but I do know that I’m going to get something to protect said bed with first!


                              • senatcha93
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                                  But he still leaves poop everywhere. A handful a day. Will this also never go away? He is litter trained…


                                • Wick & Fable
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                                    Litter training usually gets erased as a result of the hormone spike following a neutering procedure, so you’ll need to go back to basics with litter training unfortunately. Be patient while I know it’s frustrating. He’ll need to re-learn not to poop outside the litter box, as well as pee.

                                    The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.


                                  • joea64
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                                      I’ve had minor issues with Panda and Fernando pooping outside the litter box as well, though it’s mostly in the condo so not that difficult to sweep up, and they’ve left a couple of territorial poops outside in their play area, I just pick those up when playtime’s done and toss them back into the condo.


                                    • senatcha93
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                                        o.O! I just sat down to my desk, and after some time I realized he was circling my feet. Sure his hormones are gone?


                                      • Deleted User
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                                          As Wick stated, you need to be patient. Some buns take longer than others.


                                        • Wick & Fable
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                                            Rabbits like to circle when theyre excited, whether it’s due to sexual tendencies or not. So Wick circles when I have a treat!

                                            The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.


                                          • sarahthegemini
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                                              Circling feet isn’t just a hormonal thing, mine circle my feet when I’m carrying food, treats, a fresh water bowl etc…


                                            • joea64
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                                                Mine haven’t circled my feet yet, but they definitely do crowd up at my feet or up to the condo wire/X-pen fence whenever they think I might have something tasty for them to eat!


                                              • happymoon
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                                                  Have you tried a waterproof matress cover? You can find them at walmart for a semi decent price.


                                                • senatcha93
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                                                    Just a little update: He is back to normal. It’s like as if the neuter didn’t happen. He is pretty aggressive and bites and grunts as usual. He was really sweet for two days at most. Then he turned pretty aggressive pretty quick again… Seriously don’t know what happened. He poops and pees everywhere although I potty trained him after his neuter and keep doing everyday now because I don’t know what else to do. Very sad here because I tried my best with him and read so much prior to getting him…


                                                  • Nadine
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                                                      Hi, just new here and wanted to tell you about what helped me with my aggressive, grunting, pooping rabbit Oscar. He sadly passed away on Easter. I figured out at one point that he was a very bossy and territorial bun. He had been neutered before I got him, maybe around 6 months old. It was his personality to be a bit of a grump. I realized he felt disturbed as I was walking through (past) his territory quite a bit so he pooped around the place. He would also jump and grunt at me. I couldn’t clean the toilet if he was around as he would get upset with me. And everytime after I cleaned it he came running to pee in it (even if he was in the garden at the time, he just knew!I attach a photo I took of him on one of those occasions) I pulled my couch away from the wall and moved his toilet behind it. I never went there except to clean when he was in the garden. He stopped pooing around the place! I don’t know if this could apply to your situation but wanted to let you know. I miss Oscee’s bossy attitude. He did become quite a cuddly bun, but on his terms. I also banned him from my bedroom as I didn’t trust him around the bed. It’s just so nice and soft on their bottoms and too tempting for a pee

                                                      Also I did get a girlfriend for Oscee and he became a little less aggressive after that. I was worried he might not like to share with another bun but he loved it.

                                                      I tried to think like a rabbit to work out how to solve behaviour issues. Hope you can work it out too


                                                    • senatcha93
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                                                        Thank you Nadine for your insights! I will definitely consider it! So sorry for your loss, I know bunnies hold a very special place in our hearts.

                                                        My bunny is 4m post neuter now and he is still sassy mischievous naughty quite aggressive grunting, list goes on haha But apart from that he is a very tame boy. He lets me pet him everywhere except his chest and belly and is basically not very cuddly, but that doesn’t stop me from picking him up and cuddling him every now and then. He doesn’t like it but he isn’t scared of it (pulse is normal)
                                                        The toilet thing: Honestly I really didn’t bother wether he grunted or jumped at me whenever I cleaned his toilet. I just put my hand on top and pressed him down saying a firm no when he got too much. He is not very territorial about it these days.
                                                        He still occasionally pees on the bed(much smaller pee spots than before) but since I have an extra blanket on top I try to not get mad at him. My relationship with him is much more important than sleeping in pee haha. Luckily he doesn’t poop around anymore

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                                                    Forum BEHAVIOR When will his hormones go away?