Bunny's Urine (pic included)

[Musta-Eyolf-Pedes]

I recently took in a stray bunny that wandered into my home (story available in introductions) and I've been as careful as possible in my acclimation for it. I've been having some issues with litter training (chalked up to simply being a very young rabbit) and just a few minutes ago it urinated outside of the box, but now I'm concerned as it doesn't look like normal urine.

Is this what's called Bladder Sludge? If so, are there any home remedies I can try? I can't afford a vet trip right now (my cat just got a $300 hyperthyroidism test yesterday), so this is really my only option. Worst case scenario I give him to my friends who breed rabbits for care but I don't want to see my buddy in a cage for his whole life.

 

[BlazeBunnies]

That is normal looking to me especially since he is a male it could be spray

 

[Musta-Eyolf-Pedes]

I actually don't know the gender yet.

 

[Musta-Eyolf-Pedes]

But I was actually under the impression that rabbit urine is supposed to be translucent with a small amount of granular calcium, I didn't know it looked like gravy XD

 

[Azerane]

It does look a little unusual to me, but I've never seen sludge first-hand. There's nothing wrong with the colour, it just looks like it could perhaps be a little grainy... but it's hard to tell from the image.

 

[MiniLopMad]

It does look as though its a bit grainy. I have also never experienced bladder sludge myself, so I do not have much advice to offer.

What does your bunny eat? Certain vegetables can change urine colour and make it different.

If you are very concerned, a trip to a bunny vet would be best.

I'm sure someone here has better advice! Hope I helped

 

[squidpop]

It might help to watch this [ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiwPqQlvEPI[/ame]

 

[BlazeBunnies]

Sorry I don't even know what I posted before, i agree with the others a bit grainy.

That video is great I love her channel

I looked up home remedies because I have never had this problem and this is what I found: Treatment for bladder sludge may include bladder flushes (in severe cases), or simply helping the bunny flush the bladder by administering subcutaneous fluids and a small dose of diazepam (Valium) to help relax the bladder sphincters. Your vet will know best how to treat your rabbit's particular problem, if this is what it turns out to be.


Hope this helped and sorry for the comment before I was meant to be private messaging..

 

[Musta-Eyolf-Pedes]

It does look as though its a bit grainy. I have also never experienced bladder sludge myself, so I do not have much advice to offer.

What does your bunny eat? Certain vegetables can change urine colour and make it different.

If you are very concerned, a trip to a bunny vet would be best.

I'm sure someone here has better advice! Hope I helped

It gets unlimited alfalfa/grassmix hay, and a handful of pellets (possibly alfalfa, i got them from my friends who raise breeder rabbits) every day plus chew stuff. The last couple days I've been introducing veggies (mostly romaine lettuce when I wake up and before bed, tried bell peppers but doesn't seem to approve).

 

[Musta-Eyolf-Pedes]

These are the pellets I'm giving him (not sexed yet). They don't say alfalfa, but they also don't say that they aren't alfalfa. At least not that I could see.

 

[BlazeBunnies]

Maybe try oxbow, jack rabbit pellets or castlereagh. I personally make my own mix as I find it is better and cheaper as I have many rabbits.

 

[MiniLopMad]

Oxbow Timothy based pellets are probably the best option for your bunny, but if it is under 6 months, Alfalfa based pellets are fine

Again, with the hay, Timothy is probably the best but rabbits under 6 months can have Alfalfa

 

[Musta-Eyolf-Pedes]

I have no idea how old it is. Doubtful it's more than a couple months though

 

[doodlebugger]

I don't know if you already answered the question, but how old is the bunny?

From what I have read online, the pellets do have alfalfa in them, so that could cause a problem if the rabbit is too old to have alfalfa. Also, you should be careful as to what kind of veggies you offer. Make sure to choose only from the approved list because you don't want to cause tummy problems. Some chew stuff can be bad for the bunnies too. Honestly, we only give timothy hay products to chew on because we had problems with other products that were made for bunnies but not good for them. We even had a rabbit crack a tooth on some of the chew toys found in stores. If there is coloring in those, that could be part of the problem. I would try to put some newspaper down in a litter box with some hay on top, and see if the color improves. Make sure the bunny has plenty of water available too. I hope the bunny is doing better now!