Male neutered rabbit suddenly acting out

[Autumn]

So, I have a male, mini-rex, neutered rabbit named Bunners that is…oh, 7 or 8 years old maybe. It’s been so long I forgot. He has a life partner named Java, she’s a lop-eared rabbit about maybe 5 or 6.

He has been exhibiting tear-bringing behaviour as of recent. He is no longer using his litterbox in his cage, he pees in a corner of the cage and also decides to defecate outside of the box. I put a litterbox in that corner and tried putting urine soaked newspaper in it to no avail. When he is let out, he suddenly decides to do territorial droppings. He has not done this for YEARS now. This was concerning enough, but there were no burn marks around his genitals when I checked. His droppings look fine. I don’t know if he has a UTI or not, his urine looks and smells normal.

Things became more concerning when last night, I had them out for exercise, and I go out to find balls of Java’s hair scattered about the area. I put Java away and had Bunners spend the night alone in a pet carrier. They seem to be doing fine this morning, but I sure had trouble going to sleep last night. He has never, ever, not even as a young bun, exhibited this kind of behaviour. I’m really worried. Should I take him to the vet? I don’t know what to do. I’m scared. Just, any advice or help would be great…

[Mikey]

Is she spayed? Are either of them moulting? Is the weather getting warmer there (winter to spring, for example)?

If shes not spayed, her hormones could be shifting with her age, causing him to act out to her changes (hormones can change a rabbits natural smell). If either of them are moulting it can also change their smell a bit, and often rabbits gain an attitude during a moult. Weather change can also cause attitude problems until the weather settles out.

Its also not unheard of for an older male rabbit to go through a few week long hormonal phase out of the blue.

If you are worried, it wouldnt hurt to see the vet

[Autumn]

Yes, Java is spayed. Neither of them are moulting, just naturally shedding like alwaysssss. It’s currently right-in-the-middle of winter, and they are accustomed to the gloominess of it. So I’m really not sure…all of today they’ve behaved, except for a ball of Bunner’s fur (Java clearly felt threatened after last night and who could blame her?)

I probably will schedule a checkup for Bunners…I know it is him exhibiting the problems.

[LBJ10]

Considering his age, it could be adrenal gland-related.

[Sirius&Luna]

I think generally, if there’s a sudden, unexplained change in behaviour, it’s worth seeing a vet.

Bunnies are so good at hiding their pain, often the only sign is something like a loss of litterbox habits or irritability.

[Author]

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