How do I manage untill Blue is old enough to be neutered?

[rimubird1]

My rabbit Blue is almost 3 months old now and won't be able to be desexed until he is six months. I have been expecting these issues but not quite so soon as this and I'm not sure how to manage until then.
Toilet training was a breeze with Blue, took less then a week and was 80% perfect since and no weeing accidents for the first month.
The problems started off with him weeing on my bed, which only happened once, and then a week or so later another wee. This time I was there to pop him in his litter box and had no more accidents for a while after. Then all of a sudden he started peeing on my bed every evening, if he couldn't do that because of the plastic sheet I put down during the day he would wait until I was asleep in bed and then jump up and pee on the duvet, and me! It wasn't an accident because he'd deliberately jump up and pee and then jump straight off again.

Since I obviously couldn't keep changing the bedding and having nothing to block the bed off with I've had to start sleeping in another room. But ever since that, I've started noticing patches of wee on toys and a spot on the carpet where he is determined to go despite my best efforts to deter him. (Even with a plastic sheet and blanket on top). If I block that area off he just goes next to it.

I'm not sure what to do about this other then put down plastic sheets and blankets over the floor and use deodorizer.
Again, I fully expected this would happen but am not sure how to manage until he is old enough to be fixed. Any thoughts?
Thank you

 

[rimubird1]

P.s.
I just wanted to add to be fair that besides all that Blue is such a sweet, gentle, friendly bunny that I feel very lucky to have. I am very fond of him
How can I possibly be cross with this little gem...

 

[rimubird1]

Hmmm, okay...
Well since I seem to be alone in this I'll update myself. So to combat the issue, I put in a loft bed so that I could go back to sleeping in my own room. Poor Blue, I do miss having him sleep on the end of the bed with me, but it's so nice to have my own bed again albiet having to climb up into it! As for the weeing, I've simply been putting down sheets, newspapers and a litter tray in the spot he has chosen to mark. I guess that's all I can do for now till he's old enough to be neutered.

 

[dogwoodblossoms]

I'm sorry no one's answered your thread, rimubird1!
I have a father and son (they aren't altered nor live together) and they both have sky high hormones'. For dad when he was as young as 10 to 12 weeks, he started spraying on me and was (kind of still is now, he is currently a little over a year old), very cage protective, and bit me quite a bit. His son is about 6 months and just about 2 months ago started doing the same (spraying, cage protective, but he's only bitten be maybe twice) . The father no longer sprays and is a total sweetheart, he is still cage protective/protective of the female I breed him with, but a lot less so (when he was younger, I couldn't pick him up without him biting me). Now, he chins me and nibbles my fingers. The son, will grow out of it same as his dad, I just have to wait until he's a little older (his dad started settling around the age of 11 months to a year).
I find the most hormonal bunnies are the sweetest, they love hard.
For your boy Blue, I believe he'll grow out of it in a few month, just keep at it. Once he's old enough neutering, make sure to get a experienced rabbit vet.

 

[rimubird1]

I'm sorry no one's answered your thread, rimubird1!
I have a father and son (they aren't altered nor live together) and they both have sky high hormones'. For dad when he was as young as 10 to 12 weeks, he started spraying on me and was (kind of still is now, he is currently a little over a year old), very cage protective, and bit me quite a bit. His son is about 6 months and just about 2 months ago started doing the same (spraying, cage protective, but he's only bitten be maybe twice) . The father no longer sprays and is a total sweetheart, he is still cage protective/protective of the female I breed him with, but a lot less so (when he was younger, I couldn't pick him up without him biting me). Now, he chins me and nibbles my fingers. The son, will grow out of it same as his dad, I just have to wait until he's a little older (his dad started settling around the age of 11 months to a year).
I find the most hormonal bunnies are the sweetest, they love hard.
For your boy Blue, I believe he'll grow out of it in a few month, just keep at it. Once he's old enough neutering, make sure to get a experienced rabbit vet.

Thank you heaps for your reply. Your wee (dad) sounds like a sweetheart. Yikes I hope Blue doesn't get all the behaviour changes (and spraying me) too! I'll have to be prepared He is so sweet and just loves cuddles and pats. He just closes his eyes and makes himself comfortable, its so cute Well, just fingers crossed and just got to get through the first year. Its probably harder having an indoor free-roamed bunny to deal with then an enclosed one, but we'll get through it

 

[Catlyn]

Blue sounds just like a normal teenage bun. Sadly there isn't much we can do to fix their behaviours at home, but i see you found a solution that works.
But i have to wonder, where did you get that you need to wait until he is 6 months old? That age is generally given to females, most males can be neutered at 4 months.
All but one of our bucks had been fixed at the earlier age and they calmed down a bit faster than my first boy for whom i had to send in at the later age because i was still convincing people that it's essential for his health and calmness. He didn't calm a gram until his neuter and a week or so after that. But everybun is different and he loved us deeply.
As long as you find a good bunny vet, they can safely do it earlier than at 6 months and it will give you a month or two less of the teenage time.
Good luck with pretty Blue!

 

[rimubird1]

Blue sounds just like a normal teenage bun. Sadly there isn't much we can do to fix their behaviours at home, but i see you found a solution that works.
But i have to wonder, where did you get that you need to wait until he is 6 months old? That age is generally given to females, most males can be neutered at 4 months.
All but one of our bucks had been fixed at the earlier age and they calmed down a bit faster than my first boy for whom i had to send in at the later age because i was still convincing people that it's essential for his health and calmness. He didn't calm a gram until his neuter and a week or so after that. But everybun is different and he loved us deeply.
As long as you find a good bunny vet, they can safely do it earlier than at 6 months and it will give you a month or two less of the teenage time.
Good luck with pretty Blue!

I knew six months seemed like a long time to wait!!! I was surprised when I phoned the vets to find out what age he could be done and 6 months was what they told me. The trouble is that I know these vets to be very good with exotic animals and most of the others I don't trust so well with my pets. I have reseached in the past to enquire about neuturing a guinea pig and found they did one rabbit (or occasionally guinea pig) a week on average, and had no deaths in the past 5 years.
I'll inquire again in a month and see what they say. Fingers crossed!
Thank you for your comment, I know that I can't stop him from scent marking but I guess I was hoping that someone would tell me how to redirect him to one spot or make places less appealing, or even just keeping up with the cleaning. I have noticed that he seems to prefer newspapers, so that's what I'm using now. I used up all my towels and fleece blankets and the weather is turning wet and wintery which is annoying for getting washing dry. At least he still uses his litter box a lot so I guess I should be grateful for that