Bunneh Peed on the Rug. :o(

[Bunneh]

Hi guys! I registered quite a while ago, but I think this is my first post. Nice to see this site here with so much wonderful info!

My 2-3 y/o neutered male (Bunneh) has been virtually perfect about peeing only in his box which is kept in his cage. When let out for some "bing timez", he only leaves a few pellets behind and always returns to his box to pee.

Yesterday and today when let out, he peed on an area rug. And he was doing SO WELL! :?

We've recently rescued two (more) cats which are kept in quarantine until they're safe to begin introduction/integration to the rest of the household. Could their arrival have pegged Bunneh's discomfort meter?

Most importantly, how can I help him correct his behavior?

Thanks in advance for all you can offer!
-Sandi

 

[kirbyultra]

Hi,

I'll let someone with more experience respond with advice but just wanted to say welcome and i love your rabbit's name lol - bing time is funny too.

Good luck!

 

[NorthernAutumn]

My first guess would be that you may be right, Bunneh may be marking against the weird new cat smell.

Is this the same room that he's always in (ie. his cage is there?)
Was it on the same spot on the rug both times? Any other weird locations for pee recently?
Does he have a litterbox nearby & available during his out time?
Any new smells in the room? Has your furniture moved?

How is his general temperment?

For some bunnies, strange eliminations coincide with bladder problems... I would certainly keep an eye on it & track the incidence.

 

[Bunneh]

kirbyultra wrote:

Hi,

I'll let someone with more experience respond with advice but just wanted to say welcome and i love your rabbit's name lol - bing time is funny too.

Good luck!

Hey, what can I say? We got him around the time we became hopelessly addicted to icanhascheezburger!
:embarrassed:

 

[Bunneh]

NorthernAutumn wrote:

My first guess would be that you may be right, Bunneh may be marking against the weird new cat smell.

Is this the same room that he's always in (ie. his cage is there?)
Was it on the same spot on the rug both times? Any other weird locations for pee recently?
Does he have a litterbox nearby & available during his out time?
Any new smells in the room? Has your furniture moved?

How is his general temperment?

For some bunnies, strange eliminations coincide with bladder problems... I would certainly keep an eye on it & track the incidence.

Excellent advice, I'll definitely watch him closely.

Yes, it's the same very large room he's always in where his cage is.

The two spots were on the same rug, but about 4' apart. BUT!... long before when we had a different area rug in that space, AND before he was neutered, he peed in that area too many times. After his neuter, he never peed there again. (Until now, of course) The newer rug is about a month old and he'd been out binging around on it every day with no problems.

His litterbox is in his cage, which is open when he's out and on ground level at all times. Normally when he's out, he goes back in to pee, but like I said, sometimes he'll "pellet" outside. (Ha! A new verb! *lol*)

No moved furniture or other changes, with the exception, of course, of the new cat smell. (Is that a scent you can ask for at the car wash? Sorry, haven't had my coffee yet.)

Guilty me let the 2 new cats into this area for about 10 minutes the other day (before he peed), with the cats watched VERY closely. Bunneh was in his cage and seemed unperturbed, but it really does make sense that this wasn't a good idea scent-wise. They didn't bother Bunneh at all, but their presence might have been too much for him. ( (Is there some info on integrating cats into a bunny environment somewhere?)

He does seem a little less relaxed the last few days since I let the cats in there. It's all starting to make sense, isn't it?

I'll keep a close eye on him for a while to observe any signs of bladder issues. Would this different behavior extend to his cage area as well as outside? Because so far he hasn't peed while in his cage anywhere but in the box.

Thank you so much for replying!

(Edited because I repeated myself. Gaah!)