bladder problems or just annoying me?….Update: going nuts!

[skibunny8503]

I’ve been notes on when, where and how there is pee in their cage.  I don’t always know who is doing it.  When my husband comes home, we’re going to move a few grids around and put another litter box in to see if this helps the problem at all.

Here’s what I’ve written down so far:

On 6-11: peed in corner by tile and by gate, liter was dirty and we chanted it.  Not sure who peed.  This happened after we changed the litter and no one had gone in it. 

6-12: in kitchen on rug, don’t know who, litter wasn’t that dirty yet.

6-13: 11:45pm Gracie was chewing on cord protection, I pushed her out of the way to stop her, she got startled and peed in dining room.

6-14: 10:50am Found fresh poo outside litter box, round consistency but really wet.  Was Gracie because she had poo on her tail.

6-15: 1:30pm came home to find pee by litterbox, don’t know who did it.

6-17: Archie peed outside his litter at 10:50pm; Gracie was in there and it was cleaned that day.  Maybe she was in his spot?

6-18: 2:45pm, found pee back by the tile

6-21: a little bit of pee on tile in front of litter.  Later @ 3pm gave them each a raisin and Gracie peed all over the tile while eating the raisin.

6-22: Soft poo in morning; but Gracie & Archie was just introduced to peaches yesterday.  Suspecting Gracie since she’s more prone to soft poo.  In the evening Gracie was trying to chew on recliner, pushed her nose down several times and said “no”, she looked at me and peed twice on carpet…maybe revenge?

6-23: Pee that drived on linolium, was vaccumming poo in cage which usually doesn’t scare Gracie, but she peed on the tile.

 

When I see pee by the litter box and it had just been clean (earlier in the week), then I suspect Archie because he didn’t care for the long shredded paper that I had used…after I picked him up and put him in the litter box and told him to pee (which he did) he was a little better.  I just can’t pile up the paper because he likes to arrange it and push it around.

The vet said to keep an eye on Gracie about peeing outside the litter box, and if it gets worse they can test her for bladder problems.  I wouldn’t think it’s bladder problems because she’d probably be peeing everywhere all the time.  Gracie seems to go to the bathroom when she’s scared.  I pick her up and out comes a poop.   

Like I typed above, we’ll try a second litter box and see how that pans out.  I found out with having 2 buns, that if something happens and you don’t see it, then you don’t know who it was.  I think it’s both of them that are peeing.  I almost want to put a video camera by them and tape for the night.

[bunnytowne]

That can really be frustrating.  Can you set up a video?  that may help figure out who is doing what.

Is Gracie straining to pee?    Can you get a sample and take it to the vets to test it? 

Wht is puzzling to me is she peed while she was eating her treat.  Has this just started recently? 

If it isnt’ an infection could be territorial. Territorial wars can start over the litterbox.

[bunnytowne]

Hmmm putting in another litterbox sounds like a good idea.  Could be territorial. 

[Sarita]

If I remember you have a very high litter box – I think you should consider trying a different box to experiment and see what happens.

[skibunny8503]

That’s the first time she did that with a treat and peeing. Doesn’t seem like she strains to pee…in fact I think she barely noticed she was peeing all over the place while she enjoyed her yummy raisin! Yes, we’ll put in another litter box tonight and see what that does. If it continues, try a different litter box maybe (I hate to buy a 5th one though). haha yes I have considered video taping them! Maybe we’ll try that this week.

[bunnytowne]

Your rabbit is starting to sound like our 1 legged neighbor.   I would rather deal with a rabbit than the 1 legged man tho.

Hmm that sounds strange she didnt’ realize she was going when you gave her a treat.  Poor buns.  Poor you.

[skibunny8503]

Posted By bunnytowne on 06/23/2009 08:03 PM

Your rabbit is starting to sound like our 1 legged neighbor.   I would rather deal with a rabbit than the 1 legged man tho.

Hmm that sounds strange she didnt’ realize she was going when you gave her a treat.  Poor buns.  Poor you.

 

  Well we went out to Walmart and got a tubberware storage contianer a little bigger than their litter box and also a smaller one to put in another part of the cage.  So far so good *crosses fingers*  We left the grid out too and put down shredded paper then the wood pellets which seems to work better but we’ll see what happens when I get up tomorrow morning.  Seems like their more mischievious when we’re asleep!

[skibunny8503]

I give up, we went and bought new litter boxes.  They were doing so good all day and today.  I came in from outside and there’s a puddle of pee right outside the box!  It’s always in the same spot (some times other places but mostly in this spot is where it happens the most), I don’t understand it?!  Parsnip has been gone for 2 weeks now and she’s never been in the cage.  It’s not a spray marking, it’s just pee.  And the thing that gets me is I don’t know who did it.  Might have to talk to my husband about setting up the video camera tonight.  I’m going nuts over here.

[katie, max & penny]

have you cleaned the spot with vinegar? the buns will keep peeing on the same spot if they smell their pee but see its been cleaned up.

and i definitely agree with the video! i would love seeing what my buns do when im asleep! haha!

[skibunny8503]

Sometimes I’ll clean it with vinegar and sometimes when I’m in a hurry I’ll just wipe it dry.  Maybe I’ll have to keep tabs on that now   Well we were going to video tape today but then remembered our tapes are only for an hour or two.  So we’re going to try to figure out how to either record right to dvd or on the computer but it was too late to figure it out tonight. 

[Quantum]

Move the litter box so it covers their favorite pee spot? Perhaps it’s their way of saying, “Darn it, no! Here! Put the box here !” Bunnies can be very odd people sometimes.

[skibunny8503]

I moved it a little but if I move it too much they won’t be able to get to their hay bin   I just cleaned their cage and I have several tiles for them to lay on…3 of which had pee all underneath them YUCK!!  I was on my knees bending over backwards to clean the corner.  Gracie had about 6 poo on her butt this morning, 3 of which I had to use scissors to get off.  I gave her a grape yesterday, so I’m going to lay off the treats and see if that helps at all.  I can’t remember, but is there a certain hay for sensitive stomachs that might help her?  I’m not sure if this was revenge for holding her and cutting her fur but she followed me in the bathroom after I cleaned their cage and peed all over my bathroom rug!!    I had about enough of that so I made her go back in the cage.  She is just getting to be such a pain.    I’m wondering if she pees and then Archie minics her because he was starting to try to chew the recliner like she does too.  

[Beka27]

Have you considered redoing their condo?

[skibunny8503]

Posted By Beka27 on 06/25/2009 08:52 AM
Have you considered redoing their condo?

 

I just got my husband to stop too  

 

[jerseygirl]

Posted By skibunny8503 on 06/23/2009 07:12 AM

The vet said to keep an eye on Gracie about peeing outside the litter box, and if it gets worse they can test her for bladder problems.  I wouldn’t think it’s bladder problems because she’d probably be peeing everywhere all the time. 

Not necessarily.  I think testing for infections and/or bladder issues might be a good idea if things continue.  Just some thoughts…if she has an infection, this could make her pee smell different and Archie may respond to this be marking also – like he mightn’t recognise it as her pee.  How long has this been going on?  I know Gracie particularly marked when Parsnip was in the house but do you think it’s possible she and maybe Archie too are reacting to her absence also?  To the change?
 

[bunnytowne]

You know you are right Jersey girl…            bunnies can react to an absence of another bun or animal too..  You might be on to something there.

I was going to suggest putting a towel where they pee outside their litterbox.  I now realize it is inside their cage right? 

OH noooo pee all under their tiles too.  Yes I understand it is very frustrating absolutely. 

[skibunny8503]

Posted By jerseygirl on 06/25/2009 05:46 PM

Posted By skibunny8503 on 06/23/2009 07:12 AM

The vet said to keep an eye on Gracie about peeing outside the litter box, and if it gets worse they can test her for bladder problems.  I wouldn’t think it’s bladder problems because she’d probably be peeing everywhere all the time. 

Not necessarily.  I think testing for infections and/or bladder issues might be a good idea if things continue.  Just some thoughts…if she has an infection, this could make her pee smell different and Archie may respond to this be marking also – like he mightn’t recognise it as her pee.  How long has this been going on?  I know Gracie particularly marked when Parsnip was in the house but do you think it’s possible she and maybe Archie too are reacting to her absence also?  To the change?
 

Next time it happens I’ll have to give it a smell.  I know sometimes it will look differently; more clear or more cloudy yellow.  Hmmm I didn’t know they could do that when a bunny is absent.  She’s been gone about 2 weeks; not sure when it started exactly but I started marking it down on June 11th.  They had been laying by the doorway when she was there and now they stopped.  That might be it.  If she came back and they stopped then I’d know but she isnt’ getting her staples out until Mon. now and someone’s coming to look at the bunnies that morning too and marked Parsnip down to look at.  So we’ll see…I’ll post more about that in another thread later.

[BinkyBunny]

I used to be baffled sometimes why Rucy would go outside of the box, but then I found out Jack was just a big box hog, and when she would get in, he would push her out. She ended up getting into such a habit of it, that she wouldn’t even go into her “own” box when I bought one. So I had to get into the habit of just retraining her. (This is very difficult of course, if you can’t be there, but if you can find something enticing to put into the box, that might help. Also, watch and see if one bunny is territorial about the box (doesn’t have to show aggression, but if one goes in, and then the other, and then the first one leaves- all can be signs of giving up the box)

It is also important to be sure to clean the urine thoroughly because the scent that is left behind will only encourage repeat offenses. Water usually doesn’t get rid of odor like a 50/50 white vinegar and water mix does.

[skibunny8503]

Posted By BinkyBunny on 06/28/2009 02:13 AM

It is also important to be sure to clean the urine thoroughly because the scent that is left behind will only encourage repeat offenses. Water usually doesn’t get rid of odor like a 50/50 white vinegar and water mix does.

 

I think that’s what our problem was, that we didn’t spray it every time.  Or we might have been out most of the day and by the time we got back it had dried or soaked through.  Plus we had the hole in the lino that was covered up by the tile, so it was going through the crack of the tile, and through the hole and soaked into the mat.  We’ll be more careful this time.  And so far so good with the cage setup; they haven’t peed yet!  Some poops every so often, but other than that, pretty clean. 

[Author]

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