My Neutered Bun has started marking me again!

Hello! My legs are in desperate need of assistance! I have a rabbit named George. He was taken in after his previous owner abandoned him. At the time of receiving him I was unemployed and uninformed, and as such, I was a bit late in getting him neutered. Before I did, him and I shared a bedroom and I my legs were often marked, nipped and mounted. Once I did get him snipped, however that all ceased. That was in 2015. We've been together since and A LOT has changed when it comes to our living conditions, the other pets we live with, other family members we live with, he's had a chronic tooth infection since but has been maintained perfectly health for quite some time now. But for about a year he has gone back to his old ways of chinning, mounting and marking my leg. It appears more frequently some times more than others. There's even been times where he's stopped all together for a while and then has started right back with it, and I can't figure out why. At the very present it is CONSTANT. It happens every time I reenter my room, and every 10-30 minutes that I remain there. I am genuinely losing my mind. If I'm in the living room, (this is where our dog sleeps) he will follow me there to mark me, and will remain in close proximity at all times, occaisionally trying to Shepard me out. This is the only time he is interested in the living room. If I go to my sister's room, (she owns a cat) George will follow me in drink from the cats water bowl, and try to shepard me out. The specialist vet that I visit has suggested a certain anti-depressant to use to relieve George's anxiety, this is under the theory that I have that perhaps the smell from the other pets is what is making George so territorial over me. And I can do that, but I would like a second opinion first. If anybody is able to spare a thought, I'd appreciate hearing it! If you have any questions, for example the other pets or his dental woes, I'm happy to detail, I just didn't want to make my post too long!

Hello.   First off, removing rabbits' testicles doesn't stop all sexualised behaviour - it is not uncommon for neutered males to feel a bit excited in Spring.  Here is a page from the rabbit welfare society that you might want to read.  https://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/rabbit-care-advice/behaviour/hormonal-behaviour-neutered-rabbits/   However, we can't rule out internal testes etc from here. This article mentions anxiety and of course, George is living in a household - even sharing a water-bowl with - his natural predator.  I know that you may well see your cat and rabbit as friends, but....  just as some people are interested in / fascinated by people who scare them, relationships in the rabbit world aren't always so black and white as 'friends' or 'foe';  this relationship might have reached a stable status quo, but is likely to be stressing the rabbit out.  Furthermore, toothache in rabbits can be chronically painful and rabbit pain is almost never obvious to their owners.  They are a prey species and the rabbits who show most pain / anxiety get eaten first, so behavioural signs of pain and anxiety are inconsistent and notoriously difficult for humans to spot. So, I think to a large extent, from the little that I know, that what your specialist is saying may make sense.  This is tough because the underlying factor is potentially not something that's easy to change - i.e. the cat(s?) and George living together.  As I vet, I do not usually use anti-depressants in rabbits but if you were going to do so, ask what studies are available and how believable they are.  I have to admit that I find the idea uncomfortable of deliberately keeping an animal in a highly stressful situation and then treating it with anti-depressants.  Humans do it to ourselves sometimes, but we have a choice.  Surely it would be better to change the housing situation so that it suits George's needs (this may involve radical changes, such as someone moving out), and (you may have done this) make sure that he has pain killers as appropriate for the chronic conditions.

This is a fascinating, difficult and nuanced situation and we realize that our answer isn't what you would be wanting to hear - I hope that it is, at least, useful.  Sadly, rehoming might be something worth examining.

I'm not clear but assuming that George must be seeing veterinary specialists in rabbit behaviour.  They are responsible for George's case, and therefore the qualified people to speak to.   Good questions would be as follows:  'What are the most likely explanations for what we are seeing in this situation?'    'What would be the best - no options barred - solutions in your opinion?'   'Would rehoming George to a less stressful setting help?'    'What do you think would get the best results?'     And maybe take it from there.

Thank you everyone for the responses! I live in South Africa, in my particular area, having a rabbit as a house pet is very uncommon. There is only one rabbit specialist who I take George to every 2-3 months which is 3 towns over. I do follow his advise, but as he is the only person here who will advise, I just wanted to do some research and get a second opinion since he had very little to say about this. Ultimately, I will follow his guidance over any random internet article or forum post. I understand the stress that George is likely in, but at the moment, rehoming is not an option currently. I was let go from my job at the end of last year and am still looking for work. I have a side business of doing commission work, but it only pays me enough to cover my bills and ensure that I can get George to the vet for his teeth filing and checkup every 2-3 months. That said, perhaps there are other things I can work on that might help him out. Pain killers I do all ready have. I try not use them unless I have to because I notice that when I do, George's droppings begin to shrivel up and take strange shapes, and I do find him acting notably strange. But perhaps I should talk to my vet about lightening the dosage or try a different type. The other pets in question are Nutmeg - my sisters cat. Adopted and raised around George as a small kitten. My mother also decided to add a Great Dane named Cinders to the mix last year. Cinders is 5 years old and is very gentle, but was initially incredibly curious about George. At first she spent a lot of time sniffing George's coat. George wouldn't run away, as far as I could see, he'd just continue to go about his business, but I can't say he necessarily liked it. Cinders' curiosity did eventually run quite quickly, and doesn't react to George's presence anymore. George had already started behaving territorial towards me before Cinders arrived, but I doubt that her presence has helped. When it comes to the living arrangements for these 3 pets, while they have been introduced to one another gradually, and I haven't seen them get into any sort of tiff, I do understand how they could stress George out. I do want to stress that they do not share a water bowl. I can only imagine that George drinks from Nutmeg's bowl out of sheer spite when he follows me into my sisters bedroom.(I don't even spend a long time here - its usually just to offer her a cup of tea or ask her a question!) Each pet has their own bowls in their own spaces. George's is in my room with his all of his stuff, Cinders and Nutmeg are not allowed in and don't appear to even try. George is the only one who has absolute free range of the house, but admittedly only ventures out when I leave my room, or, very occasionally, to visit my father. My room is also fairly big and could count as a small apartment in its own right - it consists of a bedroom, an ensuite bathroom big enough for a toilet, bath and shower as well as an additional room which I have dedicated entirely to George. I open the windows only when I am in my room for the sake of my own security. However, I do leave my door open most of the time. Though it's not frequent, George does sometimes like to venture off to my father's room and spend time with him for an hour or two, and I thought it was sweet so I didn't really want to stop him or limit where he can go. But I also wonder if even though Cinders and Nutmeg don't enter my room, George may see the door being open is still an entrance point for them, and maybe that stresses him out. Perhaps it might help a little if I leave it closed? I did read that rabbits are more sexually active in spring, and I do wonder if that is why he is doing this so much right now. But I wasn't certain because it is currently late summer here. (Although the weather has been all over the place.) Rehoming is still certainly the better option which I will take when I am able, and I will ask my vet for sources and further info about the anti-depressant. But anything else I can do, to make things even a little bit better for him - I will gladly take any advise into consideration. (If there is any. If this is all we have to say on the matter, I appreciate the information you all have given me! I don't really like to bother vets with my issues off-hours if I can help it.)