Beet greens and urine

[Pomandcourt]

Hello everybun!

So I gave my buns some beet greens (organic) yesterday. Last night and this morning, I noticed my one bun’s urine was quite pink/copper. I had a mini panic attack last night and them remembered the beets. It certainly changes the colour of mine if I have a lot of beets. I just never thought there was that much pigment in the leaves. 

Is that normal? Should I be worried? I didn’t notice any difference in her behaviour or eating habits, but I still want to be safe.

Your experience is appreciated!

[Cottontail]

I’ve never given mine beet leaves… but I know dandelion makes the urine very reddish in color. Tilly will leave orange/red urine if she has a large dandelion intake… if she eats more celery it’s more yellow/clear. There is a wide range of acceptable bunny pee colors; if you’re not sure the beets are what caused it you could take them away from them for a while and see if the color goes back to their normal. I wouldn’t be too worried unless you think there is something else going on with the pee; ie it’s getting sludgy.

Maybe some other people who have fed beets can give input.

[Bam]

I gave my buns beet leaves last summer when I grew beets myself. It’s reasonable that they would change the color of bunny pee. Many plant pigments change the color of bunny pee.

Bunny pee comes in many colors. If you give your bunny dandelion greens, the pee will be brightly orange/red, but the leaves are just plain green, you don’t see anything reddish in them at all. The thing to worry about is thick, pasty, grayish-beige sludge almost like fine wet concrete. That requires a vet-visit. “Rainbow” pee as it’s generally called since the color range is so wide, is NOT an observandum.

I frequently ate beet leaves myself last year, they are very good in salads.

[Pomandcourt]

Thanks!

I was initially worried it might be the sign of blood. It wasn’t quite the right colour and as beet leaves are green… it took me a minute to connect the dots.

Good to know about the dandelions! Now that it’s summer, I’ve been giving them quite a few from the back yard.

[LBJ10]

Lots of plants actually have orange pigments in their leaves (carotene) but your eyes don’t pick it up because there are green pigments that sort of drown them out (for lack of a better term). Anyway, plants that have a lot of carotenoid pigments are going to turn your bunny’s pee orange-ish. Nothing to worry about.

[Bam]

If there is blood in bunny pee, which of course could happen with a UTI or, not uncommonly in unspayed females, with uterine problems, it generally shows up as spots and specks, not as uniformly reddish pee.

[Pomandcourt]

That’s what I thought, bam. Thanks for the info!

I’m just a bit paranoid and my initial reaction is doom!

That makes sense, Team Billy.

[JackRabbit]

I had no idea, but found out at the vet’s a month or so ago that bunny pee can actually change color as it sits! I was skeptical, but saw it for myself. Moshi drinks alot of water and his pee is always yellow to clear whereas Marlee’s can be any color. I use puppy pee pads in the carriers and saw Moshi pee. The spot was light yellow. By the time we were ready to leave, the spot was orange! I thought it might be something in the pee pads but have seen the same thing happen on white Carefresh and on a paper towel!

[Author]

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