rabbit doe mounting another doe?????? HELP!

[gogohorses25]

i have 2 mini lop does and today i saw one of them mount the other. from what I've read, this could maybe just mean that she's showing who's boss? or maybe it means that shes ready to breed? shes only about 3 months old... im planning on getting some bucks soon and breeding but i am just confused as to why a doe would mount another doe. she did seem to be showing some aggression to the other doe. please help someone!

 

[Bunnylady]

It may be time to give these girls separate quarters.

Yes, it can be dominance behavior, or it may indicate that the doe is now fertile. Rabbits don't do "heat" like a lot of animals do, but their hormone levels do fluctuate, and a doe at a hormonal peak may mount other rabbits, scent mark and/or pull fur.

Some does do become fertile around 12 weeks - it's the reason we are so adamant about separating bucks and does at 8 to 10 weeks. But just because she can get pregnant doesn't mean she should; you should still wait until she is 6 months or more to breed her.

If the does seem to be getting along otherwise, they may be able to continue to live together, but some get rather nasty when adolescence hits. I have had does that lived peaceably together for years, but I also had a doe that took a postage stamp-sized piece of skin off the backside of her "best friend in the whole world" at this age - so watch them. False pregnancy is another concern - if the doe being mounted is also fertile, she can experience one.

Things may be going on that you don't see, so look for signs. If you see fur all over the place, they may be fighting; if it's all in one corner, someone may be having a false pregnancy. That's not as big a deal as a doe getting bred too young, but a doe that thinks she is already pregnant usually won't breed, which can be a nuisance when you want to get her bred for real.

And of course, there's the classic - are you absolutely, positively, 100% sure that this rabbit is a doe? Even very experienced rabbit breeders occasionally make mistakes sexing young rabbits; it's the reason we joke about getting visits from the "sex-change fairy."

 

[gogohorses25]

wow thank you SO much for all this info this was so helpful. as far as them living in the same cage, they do seem to get along fine. its a VERY large cage with plenty of room and so far i have not seen any fur scattered from them fighting. They actually seem to love eachother. they snuggle, cuddle, even groom eachother. i would hate to have to separate them. but i do understand that if they are simply growing up and won't be able to share a cage, i am willing to move one of them to another. I would like to just keep an eye on them and see if anymore aggression or anything occurs. I have not seen that one doe mount the other any more, so i wonder if she was just going through a 'phase'... Lets hope so. and well, I just bought these bunnies about a week ago and the breeders were very experienced so i assumed they were correct when they told me that they were both does. The problem is... the doe that has been mounting is not the friendliest and she wont let me flip her over. ive already tried checking her but she freaks out. while we're on that subject, I have another doe that flips out whenever i pick her up. any tips on how to tame/handle her? I would like to get all my bunnies as friendly as possible, so that would be helpful to know how to properly handle and tame them. thanks!

 

[chickmomma03]

It's dominance (if you're sure you have 2 females). Even female dogs have been known to do it to other female dogs (yep, mine did, pretty crazy seeing a female mount another and hump her).

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

I agree with the previous two posters that it is probably dominance! Female rabbits can be pretty aggressive and I don't usually recommend keeping them together. I usually warn people that if they decide to do this, to be ready to separate at any time due to fights or mutilation.

Are you planning to breed these rabbits? If not and they are pets, you may consider spaying them. This not only increases the chance of keeping rabbits together, but female rabbits are prone to uterine cancers in their older age. By spaying, you prevent the risk of that type of cancer.

 

[gogohorses25]

yeah i think it is dominance, but the other rabbit is really submissive and i think they just needed to figure out who's boss and now they are getting along fine. they were grooming and snuggling again today but yes i have more cages in case they do start fighting. and yes, theyre 3 months old now so in 2 or 3 more months ill breed them. also, do u know if a pregnant doe will need her own cage to have her kits in? if so then i can put the other doe in a different cage so that the pregnant one can be alone, but if possible i'd like to breed one of them and then just keep her in the same cage as the other doe. but will the other doe be agressive to her or the kits?