New Bunny Pee Concerns

[Clairem128]

So I’ve recently adopted a 5 year old netherland dwarf (female) to be a companion to my giant chinchilla (male) for the past week I’ve been doing bonding and they’ve really hit it off and already share food and groom and cuddle (both are fixed). The female Renfri was cage bound and aggressive before I adopted her. She’s starting to come out of her shell and be more affectionate and absolutely adores Jaskier (male) however her litter habits are something that is boggling me. Maybe its because she was only spayed 6 weeks ago at the age of 5 or because she was stuck in a small cage for most her life but she wants to go everywhere but the box (she mostly goes around the box and near the food bowl for pellets and greens) She has even gone while I gave her head massages and pets. It really varies in color too (though I have give her carrots and strawberries as treats along with oxbow urinary support) her pee is sometimes is a little milky but nothing alarming but also sometimes very red. She has good eating habits and honestly loves all the food. Her drinking habits appear normal (maybe drinking a little bit much but only after eating usually) shes a bit thin so I’m trying to put some weight on her. I’d just thought I’d ask to see what others think if any of this is cause for concern or just me being a paranoid bunny parent. I’ve attached a few pics of her and her pee to just give an idea.

[LBJ10]

Did you do some litter training 101 with her before attempting to bond? I’m going to guess it’s a combination of never using a litter box in her 5 years of life, recently being spayed (hormones are still fluctuating), and trying to establish territory. They may be getting along nicely so far, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be any marking going on.

The pee spots in the photos look normal to me. If you’re really worried though, you can try dabbing some hydrogen peroxide of a fresh spot. If there’s a lot of fizzing, then there is blood present. Little to no fizzing means no blood is present. This isn’t a 100% fool-proof method, but it seems to be helpful in most cases.

[Clairem128]

I’m going to ease up on the bonding for now and try to get her trained more, even though they seem to be enjoying each other’s company. I got a very large low box for her since she’s so small to try and get her to move more towards using that. The rescue that I adopted her from said she was very grumpy and territorial so ill let her settle a few weeks and try to get her trained. I guess the oddest thing her peeing after a long petting session. She just lifts her tail and goes, not bothering to move from her spot. Though maybe she’s trying to say I’m hers. I did the peroxide test multiple times and every time I had no fizz so it doesn’t appear to be any blood. And her pee seems to be fairly normal in color today (no carrots or strawberries).

[Bam]

I don’t know why rabbits pee when they have been pet, but some do. It could perhaps be a relaxation thing? It’s not an observandum, but it is of course inconvenient for the human.

Red is a normal color of rabbit pee when the bun has had dandelion or carrot or other plants with a lot of carotenoids in them. Rabbit pee should never be completely clear and colorless.

 

[DanaNM]

Her box habits might not return until they are fully bonded, so I personally would actually work on finishing the bond, then worry about litter training again! I’ve had some buns (Bertha especially) that all box habits go out the window completely until the bond is fully cemented.

Bertha would sometimes pee after a long petting session! I think she would just get so relaxed she was too lazy to move to her box! I learned to expect it, and after she would get up from a pet session I would just shoo her over to her box.

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

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