Rabbit is peeing out of litterbox

[oreobun]

Hi!

So I have a question-my bunny Oreo, whom I rescued when he was abandoned in a local park in September of last year, has recently (just yesterday in fact) been peeing outside of the litterbox. He seems perfectly healthy and active: ears, eyes, nose, bum and fur are all clean and in good condition. He is still eating as normal and his poops look normal also. His pee is yellow color with a very slight orangey tinge at times and sometimes a bit of calcium residue and he is also peeing the usual amount: he is not dribbling small amounts. He is peeing just in front of his litterbox, and always in the same area. I’ve only seen him actually pee once, and he doesn’t look as if he is straining to pee or is in pain.

Something interesting that might be worth mentioning is that he did two pees in the same area (I didn’t see him actually do them, I found them in the morning and they were quite dried so I’m assuming he did them during the night) then I cleaned them and watched him for a bit. After I cleaned them, he got up, sniffed/licked the area which I had cleaned, and then peed there again! I am inclined to think this is territorial marking, or maybe he just prefers to pee there instead of on his litterbox? Maybe I should add that we think he is quite young? And we also believe that he is unneutered (I don’t know if this info helps, but I thought I might as well say it in case! 🙂 ) 

Attached below is a photo of a pee that he did:

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Thank you so much and I look forward to any replies! 🙂

[Bam]

It does sound like a form of territorial marking. Could you move his box so it sits on top of the favored spot? Some buns do seek out a lutterbox because its a litterbox, but its rather more common for a young bun to want to choose the “best” spot to pee in, regardless of what’s there. If you put the box on that spot, chances are good the bun will pee in the box.

Full-on territorial pee marking by an intact male tends to spread the pee over a larger area. An unneutered rabbit can do a 360 spray, i e a sort of binky whilst peeing. Another pee marking method is to back up against a wall and pee up the wall, several feet high.

[oreobun]

Hi @Bam!

He peed outside of the litterbox again today. It was a normal pale yellow, and he’s super healthy and happy as usual! But I think I may have figured out why he is peeing in that exact spot! That same spot is the spot I leave from after I have given him attention and I leave to do other things. Do you think it is possible he is peeing there in protest of me leaving? I also realized that whenever he pees outside of the litterbox, I obviously realize and come back to clean it with diluted vinegar and paper towels. So perhaps he has connected peeing outside of the litterbox and me returning to clean his pee and give him attention. So maybe he sees it as a way to seek attention? Just some thoughts I am not an expert in rabbit behavior so I have no idea if this is right or not 🙂

[DanaNM]

I think it’s more likely he just has chosen that area as his potty spot. Buns don’t always see the box itself as the potty area, and will treat the general zone as their toilet area. One of my buns was doing this in an area just outside his box, so I added a smaller box with lower sides to that area and it solved the problem.

. . . 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.  

[oreobun]

Hi! Thank you so much for your reply!

Yes that makes more sense, considering it’s just in that area and nowhere else. I will try lowering the sides of the litterbox and see if that makes a difference.

Thanks again! 🙂

[Bam]

It can be wise to put the box in the spot the bun chooses. I once caught a stray bun (named him Yohio) outdoors, I quarantined  him in a big hutch run that I’d built as a “summer cottage” for the bun I already had. I noticed he’d pee and poop in one corner of the run, so I put a box there. He accepted the box as his toilet right away, and I think it was because the box was in the “right” spot.

After 2 weeks, when he was vaccinated and neutered, I brought him inside (rabbits should always be kept inside post-surgery, they’re prone to hypothermia after full anesthesia). He stuck to going in the box for the rest of his life. He slept at the foot end of my bed, and he never once peed there.

Here’s a picture of Yohio:

[LBJ10]

Is he actually standing outside the box and peeing? The one accident we had was a bunny butt reaching too far over the edge of the box and he peed over the side.

[oreobun]

Hi!
Thank you for the replies! I’ve actually seen him squat beside it and pee, so I don’t think he’s peeing over the rim of the litterbox. Maybe I will try and put something there so that it’s not comfortable for him to pee in that spot, and he feels more encouraged to use the litterbox. If that still doesn’t work, I will try moving the litterbox. He actually does still pee mostly in his litterbox, and he poops there too. It’s just as if he sometimes forgets and pees outside of it. By the way, @Bam, Yohio is absolutely gorgeous! He’s lucky you found and rescued him 🙂

[BinkyBunny]

I have a couple of ideas.  Clean up the pee outside of the box with a paper towel and then put part of the urine soaked paper towel IN the litterbox.  This may encourage him to go in there.  Also, you could make his litterbox enticing if you haven’t already.   Put soft hay there and add some treats or fresh herbs like mint parsley etc.  Since bunnies like to eat and do their business at the same time, it may encourage him to keep the habit strong in there since he also gets a little reward. 🙂

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