Changing color urine and loss of litterbox habits

[Ivory]

Over the past three days Ivory has lost some of her litterbox habits. Normally she was very good about the box, never leaving anything but the occasional stray poop outside of it. Since last Wednesday she has been doing this, but has shown otherwise no signs of being sick. Eating is good, fecal output is good. Fur is groomed. Temperment is....typical.

On Saturday she peed outside of the litterbox, I noticed that her urine was quite clear. I wiped it up and later she peed again a few hours later. It was cloudy yellow. I didn't think much of it because the line between "clear" and "cloudy yellow" isn't that defined. But then last night it was orange, and this morning it was dark reddish.

The two likely suspects I can think of are an infection and artificial coloring. She has gotten a "tasty twig" a day for the last few weeks, which are definitely artificially colored, but there's no way that caused her urine to change colors so rapidly and at such intervals. The problem is that she is showing no signs of an infection otherwise. The amount of urine is normal, no polyuria or excessive drinking. There is no perineal soiling, no dysuria, no palpatable stones or sludge. While a urinalysis will be run later, I was wondering if anyone could come up with something in the mean time.

She is displaying no symptoms or signs of being sick.

Anyone got anything?

 

[Flashy]

I know that some foods can change the colour of urine. I think someone said dandelion can do it.

As for the poo, are there any more rabbits about? Or any new scent/person/change in the bunnies life? That can be enough to upset the applecart, but obviously, as I'm sure you know, it could be a sign of illness, arthiritis (not sure how old your bun is), urine infection maybe?

 

[Pipp]

:yeahthat:

Just typing the same thing.

All my bunnies's urineseems to change colour at the drop of a hat. Andpeeing outside the litterbox means they smell another bunny in this house.

sas

 

[Bo B Bunny]

orange and red urine can be from several things.... Here's an article from the House Rabbit Society

http://www.rabbit.org/journal/3-1/red-urine.html

 

[Ivory]

Ivory is about eight months old and spayed.

She and Erik have always shared the litterbox well. They're part of a pair, but they've always been very good about it.

Now, I did spray the woodwork in my room with no-chew spray recently. Perhaps that smell could have triggered her to stop using the box well?

It's more the color that's perplexing me- there's no reason for her urine to change color. She's not getting any new foods. Litterbox habits can be put back, but it's just the coloration that's weirding me out a little. I can't think of any reason for her urine to be changing colors.

it's also not the orange and red color of the urine- it's that it keeps changing.

 

[Bo B Bunny]

That is strange, but I think it's just something moving through her.

What has she had to eat in the past say 48 hours?

 

[jupiterannette]

that no chew stuff does have a icky smell to them, thats how it works, and taste...

but also as the artical said, alot of vegies do it.

I try to do baby carrots because it is less, but when i break down and give one of my buns a carrot witht he greens and all (they love it) the urin is usually red the next day.

spinach also does it, and the cloudy can be the excess calcium.

i have alfalfa for my chins and once and a while i will give a vary small amount to one of my girls, and they get the cloudy pee.

sooooo diet aside...

you just have to determine if it is red and cloudy or bloody and moucusy. ewwww!

also try giving 2 litter boxes.. some times they decide they want tehre own even when bonded.

also is it happening in between cleaning? becasue i know i clean every other day, and on the day of cleaning if i dont do it first thing... cami will pee AT me! tude!

LOL

good luck!

 

[Ivory]

She hasn't eaten anything outside of her normal diet. Greens at night, but the same kinds of greens and the same ration of them. Pellets in the morning, water, a treat at night. A piece of apple a day.

Other than that....nothing that I am aware of.

 

[jupiterannette]

perhaps a build up??? no clue....

bunny hugs

 

[Bo B Bunny]

Ivory wrote:

She hasn't eaten anything outside of her normal diet. Greens at night, but the same kinds of greens and the same ration of them. Pellets in the morning, water, a treat at night. A piece of apple a day.

Other than that....nothing that I am aware of.

No skin on the apple?

Maybe she changing pee color for the season?

I know- not funny

What about water? did you say (if you did I'm an airhead) she drinks plenty?

 

[Pamela Moses]

ours have red wee after they have had carrots

 

[naturestee]

It sounds silly, but do you have any idea how fresh the darker urine was? My buns often have orange pee in the litterboxes (or floor... Mocha!), but if it's fresh it's pale yellow. Something in the urine must oxidize when it sits out for a while.

Otherwise I'd have your dad check her for infection, since nothing has changed in the diet. If it was the artificial coloring from the twigs you'd have noticed it early, usually that kind of stuff gets flushed through the system in a day or so. The sudden change in litter box habits can also indicate a health problem, as long as there's nothing else that would set her off like a new animal in the house, rearranged furniture, etc.

 

[BlueGiants]

I could not begin to guess why she changed her litterbox habits...

According to my Rabbit Production book, (and I quote) " Rabbit urine is somewhat unusual than that of other livestock. It often contains large amounts of calcium carbonate or calcuim oxalate, which forms deposits on cages, walls and floors. A rabbit absorbs calcium efficiently and excretes the excess mainly in the urine. A red coloration of urine may be seen. This seems to be a normal phenomenon in the rabbit and does not indicat a diseae problem. The pigment is especially apparent when the urine is alkaline, Certin types of feeds, such as alfalfa, seem to increase the intensity of the pigmentation in the urine. The pigment has not been identified, but it is most likely a porphyrin. It might be derived from phenolic compounds (tannins), which many forages and feed ingredients contain."

From personal experience, some of my rabbits develop the reddish urine as they matureand then it goes away. I've discussed this with my vet and she thinks it has to do with their stage of development and how much calcium they need at the time. They get rid of excess when they don't need it. I have never seen a UTI related to it or any other problems (as long as that was the only symptom. No straining during urination, normal water intake, etc.)

By the way, certain apple skins contain tannins, as well as some hays and vegetables. But I would certainly get her checked out just to be sure.

 

[Pipp]

I think urine gets darker as it gets concentrated, dark, odorousurine is a sign of dehydration.

Could be the time of day and water intake.

Also keep in mind that no two vegetables are alike. I was just reading a study on Avocados, and it turns out that certain varieties are very toxic, others not toxic at all. Your store-bought carrots can be from different areasgrown in different soil and havedifferent properties causing different urine!

Natureis very strange. :dunno

sas :bunnydance:

 

[Ivory]

Her urine spots have always been fresh....

The urinalysis came back clean....the urine was red again.

Really, it's just sort of weirding me out. I mean, she's been getting the same brand of greens, same everything. Yes, the apple has skin on it, but she always gets apples with the skin still on them. Nothing is any different...

Hrm...

 

[Bo B Bunny]

Maybe she's not using up the extra whatever in her system at this point?

You know, as we age we stop using so many things and our body just expells it. Maybe that's what is going on with her?

 

[Ivory]

Could be. The urinalysis came back normal so I'm not too worried. It's just a little odd.

I think spending the day in her cage is snapping her litterbox habits back into shape.

 

[slavetoabunny]

I just thought I would comment that Sparky and Scooter eat the same diet day in and day out and their urine color varies also. It goes anywhere from almost clear to red. They have never had any problems.