I am still having trouble?

[kimberleyanddarren]

When hopscotch is in the living room he is good with his litterbox however he has taken a liking to drinking out of the dog bowl and he is drinking out of it non stop. My first thought was an infection or something and so i have had this checked out (when i went for just a check up and to see about the spay) and the vet said it is just because he likes the water and likes the big bowl and there is no problem with him physically.

However he is drinking so much he is peeing non stop.. i took the bowl away now but then i wondered.. did he want this much water should i leave it should i take it away? he would do about 7 pees in the 4-5 hours i have him out each night.. i am constantly changing his litter tray and the worst part is that although 80% of the time he gets it right when he is running around he doesnt pee in his litter tray in his hutch.. i did post a question before about him peeing infront of the door if anyone recalls and recently he decided to start peeing in the far corner so i moved the litter tray and now he is going in about 4 different places in his hutch..

I did hear that unspayed bunnies wee more than spayed ones or is that incorrect? there is stll a month or so to go before the spay so what can i do in the meantime.. any ideas?

ps. i think he is getting into his teenage stage as he is about the right age for it now and he doesnt want to be petted as much as before and has started being generally grumpy also i caught him chewing one of my slippers which is the first time he has ever chewed anything.. does this sound about right to u?

Thanks all!

[charlie82]

hi,

All that you describe actually sounds completely normal behaviour. Rabbits do urinate frequently and the fact he is not using his litter tray completely is most likely because he needs neutering. How old is Hopscotch now? You don’t need to wait until the text book age before neutering, it can be done as soon as his testicles descend so long as you have a rabbit savvy vet who is willing to do so.

I know how you feel, I’ve got a lionhead around the same age as you whose hormones are raging! She won’t stop pestering my dog and is becoming a little aggressive and agitated with him…poor thing just lies there and takes it. She is only 1.2 kg but my vet will neuter her now. I can’t wait!!

[Scarlet_Rose]

How much water is Hopscotch driking in relation to how much hay he is eating? Rabbits like mine who pig out on hay drink a lot of water. Also what kind of water device does Hopscotch have for his personal use, a bottle or crock? Rabbits tend to like the crock better and so it could be why he prefers that over a bottle in his cage (if that is the case).

The behavior sounds normal for an un-altered rabbit.

[kimberleyanddarren]

he is only 3 months and the vet says he needs to be 4 before he will do it as he is so tiny (only 1.3lbs) he drinks i would say more often than he eats hay he eats probably 2 human handfulls a day and drinks perhaps 1/4 of a dog bowl a day. In his hutch i have a water bottle which he does drink out of i have also put a bowl in there but he wouldnt touch it so i got rid of it.. it would still be full after a day or two and would be changed about 3-4 times a day yet would still be full of hay and crap lol its just the dog bowl i think he likes.
and to charlie my dog just lies there and takes it.. he is a border collie but is huge like alsation size and he is scared of the rabbit when he comes up and nudges him and stuff now he walks off and jumps up next to me on the sofa (he isnt allowed really but i couldnt bare to put him down when he is sooooo cute lol)

[Gravehearted]

yes – it does sound normal to me too. he does sound like he’s reaching puberty – but based on his very small size waiting sounds like a good idea.

[kimberleyanddarren]

yes i am happy to wait and put up with it as it is in the best interest of hopscotch, i may just wait till after his neuter now anyway because i read that afterwards it is pretty much out of the window anyway?

[Sarita]

The vets do like to alter the smaller breeds when they are older to get more weight on them. I’ve never heard about unaltered rabbits peeing more than altered ones – I do know that those rabbits who are kept outdoors obviously drink more water.

[kimberleyanddarren]

no he is indoors all the time. i am looking forward to his neuter i want to know what his full time personality is because it differs from day to day now really depending on his mood, the drinking has slowed down now because i bought a crock bowl just like the dogs but its a bunny version and so much smaller and i fill it now to limit the amount he drinks so now he has the small crock and the water bottle and is peeing much less, the nurse at my vets surgery suggested i let him walk about in a bath tub which only has enough water to cover half the tub as he may just enjoy the water, any ideas on this?

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