Snuffy won't stop peeing!

[theevenstarlight]

Okay, Snuffy is almost two and is a spayed Netherland Dwarf who never used to pee outside the litter box. She is bonded to a fixed male rabbit. I also have another bonded pair.

Lately I have been noticing that Snuffy has been peeing right outside the litter box that's in the play area (not in the cage). AndYesterday I caught her peeing like 3 feet away from it! I don't know what's going on, but I am so sick of cleaning up her pee. Also, she has been pooping a LOT outside the litter box, like an inch away, big piles of poop!

Is she just being lazy, or is she marking her terrority because of the other bonded pair? They have been in the same room forseveral months, though. Could she have a urinary tract infection? The pee is a yellow color.

Any help is appreciated. If my mom finds out she is gonna be so mad!

 

[Alexah]

I'm sorry Snuffy's causing such trouble. Cleaning up bunny pee is certainly not my favorite activity so I feel ya on that. And the pooping, well, that may never be 100%, but at least it's a lot easier to clean than pee.

If this isa new and sudden behavior, I'd definitely consider what could be physically wrong as well as other situational things. So, let's start with the physical. Is she eating and drinking as normal? Has her behavior changed? Is she acting unusually grumpy or laying still more often than she has in the past? Does her urine smell unusually strong? Yellow urine is normal but does it seem gritty? If you answered yes to any of these I'd strongly suggest setting up an appointment with your vet.

Situational changes can make buns crabby and less trained as well. Is the other bonded pair you have spayed and neutered? Have you moved their cages closer together or allowed them time out close to each other whereas before you didn't? Is it warmer in the house where she may smell them more than before? Have you changed her food, water source, veggies or treats recently? Have you moved her litter box from one spot to another? Have you recently started using a different cleaner or a new litter? Bunnies are so sensitive that sometimes the smallest things can set them off.

Either way, I hope Snuffy returns to her prior excellent habits. Until then, good luck. And be sure to let us know how it all goes.

 

[theevenstarlight]

Well, Snuffy has been a little angel lately

She hasn't peed outside the litter box since I posted about it. Everytime she even jumps in the litter box, I give her a pellet. Now she is even pooping in there more often! The treats really work, although they are part of her daily 1/8 cup of pellets so she won't get fat.

 

[AngelnSnuffy]

Does the other bonded pair go in their play area? If so, that could be it. She is marking. If not, here is my other thought...

Just throwing the idea around. Since you also started a thread saying that they fight when they are out recently after being bonded for a year, I wonder if this could be a UTI issue with Snuffy and that's why they're fighting and she's peeing out of the litter box? Like, the other one senses it maybe. I know this has happened to other's in the past, so, that's what it makes me think. Again, just tossing the idea around.

Does she appear to be straining at all when she is peeing? That is one sign.

Best of luck on both fronts!

 

[theevenstarlight]

Yes, they do share the same play area, but they have for quite some time, and she just recently started peeing/marking, but now she doesn't anymore.

She hasn't been straining to pee that I've noticed.

So other people's bunnies have fought when one had a UTI?

 

[AngelnSnuffy]

theevenstarlight wrote:

So other people's bunnies have fought when one had a UTI?

Not a UTI, necessarily, but when the other mate was ill in some way, the other bun sensed it and started starting fights.It has been said that a healthy bun will seek out an unhealthy bun, if were bonded, will still start to beaggressive.So, that's what made me think it could be what you had said.

 

[Maureen Las]

AngelnSnuffy wrote:

theevenstarlight wrote:

So other people's bunnies have fought when one had a UTI?

Not a UTI, necessarily, but when the other mate was ill in some way, the other bun sensed it and started starting fights.It has been said that a healthy bun will seek out an unhealthy bun, if were bonded, will still start to beaggressive.So, that's what made me think it could be what you had said.

Why does the well bunny get aggressive with the sick one ..didn't know that ??
Didn't happen with Babette and Beau but it did happen when I had3 female pet rats.

 

[TinysMom]

angieluv wrote:

Why does the well bunny get aggressive with the sick one ..didn't know that ??
Didn't happen with Babette and Beau but it did happen when I had3 female pet rats.

I will share my thoughts based on Zeus and Miss Bea. Before I ever got him - Zeus had ear mites so bad that he lost ear control of one ear.

Zeus and Miss Bea were bonded when she got ear mites (she gets them fairly frequently even with treatmetn - I've noticed with the large number of rabbits I have - certain rabbits seem more prone to get them and will get them again and again).....and I didn't notice she had ear mites as soon as he did. I think something about it scared him - he didn't want her anywhere near him. I think he remembered when he had mites and how bad it got.

So I wonder if sometimes a part of them is scared that they will get what the other rabbit has....especially if they've ever had it before.

 

[AngelnSnuffy]

I have to wonder if it's like the other bond mate coming back from the vet, maybe they "smell" different to the healthy mate? That could trigger them I suppose.

 

[Maureen Las]

There was something I read but I don't think that it applied to domestic rabbits.
In the wild if one animal of a pair is sick then thehealthy one is aware that the sick one will draw predators and thehealthy one will either destroy or distance himself from the sick one out of fear of being discovered by a predator.
(It's a good thing that people don't act like that!!!)