Suddenly eating/drinking a TON and peeing everywhere… what’s wrong?

[Fiona]

Since about 4 days ago, Moony has suddenly started eating a TON and seems constantly hungry, constantly begging for food. What worries me is that he is suddenly drinking a ton of water too- 2 full cups a day (is this normal for a 2.4 lb bunny?). He eats 4 huge romaine lettuce leaves, more parsley than before, and a ton of hay and pellets every day, as if he can’t get enough to eat. 

Then just this morning, he started peeing everywhere outside of his litterbox, even though his litterbox is clean. I changed the pee pad to a clean one, and he peed on it again. I changed the pee pad, and he peed again. He did go to the litterbox for a pee only once for the whole day- but all other pees were outside the litterbox.

He was neutered about 8 days ago, and he is currently 3.5 months old.

This sudden change in his appetite and constant hunger and thirst, combined with peeing everywhere worries me. Is this normal? Does anyone know what is going on?

[Mikey]

Some bunnies have a hormone spike right after theyre neutered. It could be that hes growing as well. At first my little Badger wasnt gaining weight at all but he was eating as much as the other two bunnies. Now hes eating a butt ton but hes getting bigger as the days go on. Dont over feed him though. Rabbits should only get about 1/8th cup of pellets per 6lbs of bunny. They should be given unlimited hay, but everything else should be limited to a certain amount

[Fiona]

Thanks, that makes me feel better. So 2 cups of water per day is a normal amount for a ~2.4 lb bunny? I’ll make sure not to overfeed. He doesn’t feel fat to me at all, so I was worried if there is a digestive issues or something else…

Does the hormone spike cause hunger/thirst too? Would it suddenly encourage spraying?

[Bam]

The hormonal spike seen after a neuter is more common than not and can cause spraying, humping, poop-marking, territorial aggression and several other sexually driven behavioral issues. It generally subsides after a couple of weeks but in rare cases it can last up to 8 weeks. It’s still very normal though.

His water consumption is over the top, of course, but most likely related to his increased food-intake, esp if he eats more hay and pellets (dry food). Polydipsia (drinking too much) is always an observandum though, so you might want to mention it to your vet. Increased hunger is a common side-effect of a neuter in any animal, plus a reduced capacity to spend energy, so you should be careful not to give him too much pellets, it can make him fat.

[Fiona]

Thanks bam, that’s helpful. I hope it’s just spraying. I haven’t actually witnessed him peeing yet, so I don’t know if he is actually “spraying” or just peeing a lot.

I called the vet, and she says even though the water intake is more than average, since he is energetic and not showing any other symptoms of being sick, to just monitor him until Monday and they’ll call back. The eating is apparently nothing to worry about. (?)

The vet also said he might be gorging himself on water for no reason, since I provided a bowl for him and not those bottles with the tube? Is that possible?

I was also informed that he is pooping outside the litterbox too, though less than pee. :s Maybe 30 poops per day outside his litterbox. He only used to have 5~10 per day before.

[LBJ10]

Ah, yes, a good old fashioned post-neuter craze. He is likely continue to get worse over the next few days, then begin to calm down once his hormone levels begin to balance themselves out. As Bam said, be prepared for increased hormone-driven behaviors and all-around naughtiness. I agree that the increased food intake isn’t unusual. The increased drinking does sound a little odd, but it could be due to the increased intake of dry food. Do you wet his veggies down? He is likely still a growing boy, so don’t restrict his food too much. But you don’t want him to eat too much either. When they say “unlimited” pellets for young bunnies, they don’t truly mean unlimited. Some bunnies have enough sense to stop when they are full and others, well, they don’t necessarily.

[Fiona]

Thanks LBJ! I don’t wet the veggies down. But I provide unlimited hay, but limited pellets, or else I think he would just eat pellets all day long and neglect eating hay or anything else. I feel like Moony is the kind of bun who would not stop when they are full LOL.

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