Inappropriate Peeing…

[jerseygirl]

How conscious do you think rabbit can be with this behaviour?

I just replied to Moz about her buck Chomper spraying her. Mostly about it not being a punishment of her but his claiming or showing of stress.

Then I went to my kitchen and Jersey came hung about. I was washing a carrot top for her. As I put it on the floor, I noticed she’d already had peed on the floor. (A long ongoing behaviour problem) She instantly turned around and started lapping it up. Yuck I know but I believe this is her way of undoing what she did. I didn’t give her the food then as I don’t want her to view it as a reward. 

 Normally she’ll doing this peeing behaviour while I’m looking at her. If she slips up in the timing, she’ll lap it up then also. Today it was almost like she thought “Whoops, she was getting me what I wanted…I didn’t need to pee”

So now I question my reply to Moz.  How conscious are they with this sort of peeing? Is it different with spraying vs puddle on the floor?

Sometimes it completely feels like a message “I’m not pleased” Last night she started to do this and I said “No!” but she just ran to a different spot and did it’s anyway. She doesn’t fear me at all and makes me think she very deliberately and consciously is leaving her message.

[Deleted User]

I think your trouble with Jersey is different from rabbits spraying which is instinctive. Rabbits spray things, people, other animals and objects to mark them mostly, or out of stress like you said. I see Jersey as a unique example of a rabbit who misunderstood your training. I think she associates treats with the act of peeing rather than with where she pees. You used treats to get her to pee in the litterbox I recall.
The lapping up the puddle is very weird. Maybe you are right and she wants to undo the thing she did…
just let me know when you train her to go in the yard, will you? I see a lot of potty training potential in Jersey! My rabbits just pee to mark and when their bladders are full, but your Jersey is definitely something else~

[Sarita]

You know, I wonder if you wouldn’t get some insight from Dana Krempels on this. Have you spoken with your vet about her drinking her urine? Could be a medical or diet reason for this. Maybe it’s not behavior related at all.

[Deleted User]

Excellent point, Sarita. It could be a deficiency in salt, like livestock resorts to urine drinking if they are lacking salts, or just a predelection for salty flavor. Urine can only be lapped up on a smooth surface too so maybe she would do it in other places but can’t.

[Balefulregards]

Hmmm. I do know that I think our girls are very similar in temperament – and I know for certain that I have watched Coco turn and urinate on my shoe ( or something else that smells strongly of me) when she is upset with me for a number of reasons.

So, I believe Rabbits ( maybe willful Dutch girls?) can use their urine to express themselves differently than a territorial marking.

But why re-ingest it? Can rabbits have excess sugar in their urine? I am highly curious as well.

[jerseygirl]

just let me know when you train her to go in the yard, will you?

Like toilet breaks for a dog? Lol. I did feel like I was toileting her at one stage but she always kept some pee in reserve.  

I see Jersey as a unique example of a rabbit who misunderstood your training. I think she associates treats with the act of peeing rather than with where she pees. You used treats to get her to pee in the litterbox I recall.

Yes I did –  after her habits lapsed when this became a 2 bun household. As a young bun though she self trained.  She still will go on the box then run over too me expectantly for food treat. She gets head pets instead and is ok with that. It’s hard to tell why she does the floor peeing but sometimes it feels reactionary to not getting something.

She doesn’t drink it that often at all now. She did it occasionally when she first started the floor peeing back when she was a single bun. I had mentioned it to the vet before. She didn’t know why but was not concerned. Jersey has had a blood panel done that showed no problems. They do have an appt next week for booster shot so I can run it passed her again.

Thanks guys for your concern though. I hadn’t meant this to be another Jersey thread on this behaviour. More so about this behaviour in general.

Apparently cats do this too. Pee or spray to communicate.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Sometimes it completely feels like a message “I’m not pleased

Totally human to interpret it that way but I would caution against that. There isn’t an instance of animals using pee to give the ‘middle finger’ to other animals. They’ll use it to claim territory becuase it contains olfactory information-they’ll pee to let others know they can mate, some evidence that dogs will pee to tone down the tenseness of meeting other dogs (I peed over there and you can learn all you need to know about me-you don’t have to come so close to smelll me). But they just don’t pee to be jerks-even though so many dog owners will tell you that’s what they are doing (their just not!)

And as far as puddles vs. spraying-having been sprayed (and although disgusted I did try to take it as a compliment lol)-Rupert will thoughtfully go in his litterbox corner lift his butt and pee -when I’m cleaning the litter box. I think they consciously decide they have to pee and do it-as for where they are-well if it’s somewhere they peed in the past, that’s probably a grand place to pee again. I think that’s just all it is.

And I’m no bunny litter expert though! Noot has foiled me for two years, I gave up and just carpeted his home in puppy pee pads and that’s all she wrote.

[jerseygirl]

K&K, that’s exactly why I posted this – because I do put the human reasoning into the scenario and this is what I’m questioning I guess. You can feel like it’s spiteful or vindictive sometimes but it seems ridiculous a fluffy lil rabbit could have such human traits. lol

 

Rupert will thoughtfully go in his litterbox corner lift his butt and pee -when I’m cleaning the litter box. I think they consciously decide they have to pee and do it-as for where they are-well if it’s somewhere they peed in the past, that’s probably a grand place to pee again. I think that’s just all it is.

Ah…so it’s like brain sends message to pee and body soon proceeds to do the action. That would be true what Petzy said of her association with peeing and food. Like the variable schedule you mentioned in another thread regarding behaviour. I(Jersey) sometimes would get food when I peed (in litter box) I’ve peed here (floor) before so it’s therefore toileting spot in my rabbit mind. I pee on floor I may get treat. So she’s could think she is peeing in an appropriate place as she had toileted there before?  Though she reacts when I caution her, moves a bit then proceeds to pee. This could be because she’s already acting on brains message to pee?

[KerryA]

Hey im also having trouble with my 7 monthbold female rabbit named bucky. I think I went wrong when I let her have to much freedom way to soon. Its like she thinks the house is her box even though she uses her litter box also.

I decided to confine her to her cage and a small area below it also caged. I give her lots of love etc especially when shes in her box but when we let her out it is like she just forgets and she starts going everywhere. She jumped the pen fence once and went all over our bed too.
I am thinking it could be spiteful or maybe she thinks I am mad or shes mad cause she has no more space to own but what we gave her.

[LittlePuffyTail]

Hi, Kerry. We ask that members please not reply to old threads. This one is from 2010. Please feel free to start a new topic with your question. Your post will get more attention that way too.

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