• PLEASE NOTE - the TEAS facebook page has been hacked, take extreme care when visiting the page, for further information visit here

Bun Advise Needed

Gia

Teenage Guinea Pig
Joined
Jul 20, 2017
Messages
565
Reaction score
474
Points
475
Location
Elk Grove, California
Hi all!
I know many of you own rabbits as well and I am in need of some advise. My one year old Netherland Dwarf has always been litter trained and never pees anywhere except his litter box. For a month or two he was living in a large pen but now he is free roaming in a spare room. I was very surprised to find that he has been peeing outside of his litter box on my carpet. He's also been peeing on my expensive chair that is pretty difficult to clean. He is living alone right now until I can get him neutered so it's probably not territorial, right? Does anyone know why he has started this behavior? How do I stop this?

Thanks,
Gia xoxo
 
This could be a couple of things.

It could also be a urine infection. Our boy recently started peeing outside of his usual litter box area (he is normally a very clean bunny), but otherwise seemed fine, so we popped him along to the vet and a course of Baytril sorted the problem.
To be honest with any change in behavior like this in a previously clean rabbit, the vet would always be my first port of call.

If you do rule out any medical issues then the increase in space could be an issue, as he is simply adding a few new toilet areas to his territory. If this is the case then you need to confine him a bit more until he is only using his litter box, and then slowly increase his area again.
It could also be that the increase in space has simply led to him feeling the need to mark out his new territory clearly.
Is the chair one of the highest points he can reach? If so scent marking is likely, as most rabbits like to get up high and claim this vantage point as their 'lookout'.

So I would start with a vet trip to rule out an infection or otehr medical issue and take it from there.
I hope you get it sorted becasue it sounds like your rabbit has a lovely life with a lot of space.
 
This could be a couple of things.

It could also be a urine infection. Our boy recently started peeing outside of his usual litter box area (he is normally a very clean bunny), but otherwise seemed fine, so we popped him along to the vet and a course of Baytril sorted the problem.
To be honest with any change in behavior like this in a previously clean rabbit, the vet would always be my first port of call.

If you do rule out any medical issues then the increase in space could be an issue, as he is simply adding a few new toilet areas to his territory. If this is the case then you need to confine him a bit more until he is only using his litter box, and then slowly increase his area again.
It could also be that the increase in space has simply led to him feeling the need to mark out his new territory clearly.
Is the chair one of the highest points he can reach? If so scent marking is likely, as most rabbits like to get up high and claim this vantage point as their 'lookout'.

So I would start with a vet trip to rule out an infection or other medical issue and take it from there.
I hope you get it sorted because it sounds like your rabbit has a lovely life with a lot of space.
Thank you so much for the very detailed response! I will make him a vet appointment as soon as the office opens tomorrow. I have a feeling it is the change of space though as the chair is the highest point. After a few weeks of free roaming he has starting peeing outside the litter box less and less but I will make him an appointment just in case. Thank you again!
 
Back
Top