Peanut suddenly peeing elsewhere

[sarahthegemini]

Edit: Woopsie, just realised this belongs in the behaviour section 

I totally jinxed myself by saying how great my rabbit’s litter habits are, that’ll teach me! Anyway, I’m here for advice on Peanut but a little background info – both buns have had fantastic litter habits in regards to urinating. As soon as we started using substrate only in their trays, they knew where to go. Only a handful of pee accidents in the 10 months I’ve had them and these were all prior to their spay and neuter. With the exception of one the other week and one just now. 

The other week me and my partner decided to take advantage of the buns being in their carrier after a vet trip (for a weigh in – both are ideal weight by the way ) so we took them upstairs and thoroughly vacuumed the downstairs area. We lifted up the flat lounging logs to discover pee. We got rid of the logs and cleaned the carpet with vinegar and no more incidents. Fast forward to just now, Peanut was a little nervy as I was cooking and partner was making loud noises opening and shutting the freezer drawers so Peanut was hiding out under the sideboard coincidentally where the logs used to be. Once I was finished, he hopped on over to his bkankets/digging corner and peed. I removed the blankets and discovered a couple other wet spots which we’ve cleaned with vinegar.

What do I do next? I’m not concerned that it’s health related because:

-He’s pooping and eating plenty

-He’s drinking plenty and doing most pees in the litter tray 

-He’s active, cheeky, and still running to the kitchen for treats

-It’s not dribbles of pee, it’s a full on puddle

-He seems totally aware of what he’s doing, I.e. He lifted his bum up to pee on the blankets which is how I spotted it lol.

The last two points make me think it’s not a urine infection or anything like that. There’s no strange look or odour either. So I’m confident that it’s behavioral. Any tips?

[Q8bunny]

Hmm… a little bit of time in litterbox bootcamp is what’s usually recommended – ie temporarily confining bun to small space with litterbox until bun toilets exclusively in it, and then gradually increasing bun’s space again. Somewhat time consuming but has been known to be effective.

[Deleted User]

Litterbox bootcamp!!!  I love it!! 

I remember we were just talking about that, Sarah! …hopefully I haven’t gotten any bad juju… I’d better check under the bed!  Anyway, I think Q8 is on to something there! Also, how big is the litter box? I was using a smaller cat litterbox and I found that poops were being left all around it, (no pee thankfully, besides some that had splashed on the baseboards ) but I got her a cat tray twice the size and she seems much happier with that arrangement! And I agree, it sounds more “attitude” related than health related. 

[Q8bunny]

Yeah, a bit bigger is better since buns raise their tails to toilet and enjoy scooching backwards against the side of the box but then love to forage through the box contents to see what’s what. Weirdos.

[sarahthegemini]

Posted By Q8bunny on 7/28/2017 11:46 PM

Hmm… a little bit of time in litterbox bootcamp is what’s usually recommended – ie temporarily confining bun to small space with litterbox until bun toilets exclusively in it, and then gradually increasing bun’s space again. Somewhat time consuming but has been known to be effective.

I didn’t have the heart to limit his space  BUT I have been incredibly vigilant, anytime I see him perch I check he isn’t lifting his little bum  So far, so good! Of course if it becomes a regular habit then I’ll have to send him to bootcamp  but I am thinking the pee incidents were possibly due to fear, I. E. He peed when the cooker was being particularly noisy and I didn’t notice so was unable to remove the scent hence he peed there again. I don’t know, I’m convincing myself here lol. 

[sarahthegemini]

Posted By BunNoob<3 on 7/29/2017 3:12 PM

Litterbox bootcamp!!!  I love it!! 

I remember we were just talking about that, Sarah! …hopefully I haven’t gotten any bad juju… I’d better check under the bed!  Anyway, I think Q8 is on to something there! Also, how big is the litter box? I was using a smaller cat litterbox and I found that poops were being left all around it, (no pee thankfully, besides some that had splashed on the baseboards ) but I got her a cat tray twice the size and she seems much happier with that arrangement! And I agree, it sounds more “attitude” related than health related. 

Definitely check the bed  The litter boxes are standard cat size boxes, he has plenty of room to eat and poop and shuffle about. Buttercup has even been known to roll around in it 

[Q8bunny]

C’mon! Hoomans spend time with their heads in their toilets too.

[Deleted User]

Bahahahaha

Sometimes I find Quincy just sitting in a bunloaf in his box… just ignores all the other comfy places he has!! He has only had one “accident” outside of his litter….. it was in his sandbox, which is also the same kind of tray as his litter tray. Maybe that one is my fault

[Q8bunny]

Con. Fu. Sion.

[sarahthegemini]

No more issues since I made this thread…until now! The little munchkin peed in the same-ish spot as his last accident. Not sure what to do as his previous accident was three weeks ago so limiting space I don’t think will help. Do I just accept that he does this sometimes? Lol  It was right by his diggy blanket area. Boys aye 

[joea64]

I’m wondering a bit about my own buns’ litter habits too now after reading this. When I emptied out the litterbox Tuesday evening I saw a gratifying number of poops as well as evidence of ample peeing, but there seems to be a collection of hay and poops building in the corner right opposite the litterbox and possibly urine too; I’ve been noticing a bit of an occasional whiff since last evening. I’m going to clean out the used litter/soiled hay again this evening so I’m going to take a look and see if one of the bunnies is actually using that corner as their toilet; perhaps not because I haven’t caught either of them in the act, but it’s one of these things a new bunny parent has to observe. Maybe if I could only find a longer litterbox that covered that whole area from corner to corner… (I think I’d better stop at Walmart first and get me a new whisk broom and small dustpan, I’d been meaning to do that this weekend but may be best to do that this evening.)

[DanaNM]

Posted By sarahthegemini on 8/24/2017 6:33 AM

No more issues since I made this thread…until now! The little munchkin peed in the same-ish spot as his last accident. Not sure what to do as his previous accident was three weeks ago so limiting space I don’t think will help. Do I just accept that he does this sometimes? Lol  It was right by his diggy blanket area. Boys aye 

Ooof, Bertha pees on all things soft and fluffy, and anything she can dig in, so I have no advice here, aside from getting rid of the blankets. 

. . . 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.  

[sarahthegemini]

Posted By DanaNM on 8/24/2017 11:55 PM

Posted By sarahthegemini on 8/24/2017 6:33 AM

No more issues since I made this thread…until now! The little munchkin peed in the same-ish spot as his last accident. Not sure what to do as his previous accident was three weeks ago so limiting space I don’t think will help. Do I just accept that he does this sometimes? Lol  It was right by his diggy blanket area. Boys aye 

Ooof, Bertha pees on all things soft and fluffy, and anything she can dig in, so I have no advice here, aside from getting rid of the blankets. 

I did think perhaps it’s the softness that he found irresistible, but wouldn’t he pee on them all the time if that was the case? 

[sarahthegemini]

I washed the blankets and dried them, put them back down and the rascal peed on them again. Back in the wash they go! Unfortunately I’ve ran out of vinegar so I’ve just had to use soapy water for the carpet puddle. I’ll have to forgo the diggy corner for a while and see if that stops him. Just a little confused as to what prompted him as they’ve had a blankety corner for months now. Maybe it’s the softness or hes marking?

[Boston's Mama]

I would think it’s the softness – or perhaps the blankets coming back smelling different to his usual territory – so he makes them “his own” again

[sarahthegemini]

Posted By Boston’s Mama on 8/25/2017 5:29 AM

I would think it’s the softness – or perhaps the blankets coming back smelling different to his usual territory – so he makes them “his own” again

Any ideas on how I could get them to smell like him so he doesn’t feel the need to pee? Not sure he’d let me rub the blankets on him but I could try!  We have blankets in their carrier which is accessible at all times and he hasn’t peed in there, even with fresh clean blankets. Or maybe I just haven’t spotted it 

[DanaNM]

Does he pee in that corner even without the blankets? 

have you tried nature’s miracle? I find it works better on carpet than vinegar. 

. . . 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.  

[sarahthegemini]

Posted By DanaNM on 8/25/2017 4:04 PM

Does he pee in that corner even without the blankets? 

have you tried nature’s miracle? I find it works better on carpet than vinegar. 

Time will tell – I’m going to keep the blankets away for a week or so and see what happens. Wish me luck! 

I’ve not tried/heard of nature’s miracle. It is a pet specific item? If so I’ll keep an eye out next time I’m at the pet shop

[DanaNM]

Posted By sarahthegemini on 8/25/2017 4:18 PM

Posted By DanaNM on 8/25/2017 4:04 PM

Does he pee in that corner even without the blankets? 

have you tried nature’s miracle? I find it works better on carpet than vinegar. 

Time will tell – I’m going to keep the blankets away for a week or so and see what happens. Wish me luck! 

I’ve not tried/heard of nature’s miracle. It is a pet specific item? If so I’ll keep an eye out next time I’m at the pet shop

Yes, good luck! 

Yeah, Nature’s miracle is a pet specific enzyme treatment that breaks down the organic compounds and odors. I usually blot up most of the pee, add the solution, let is soak for a few minutes, then blot it dry. I block of the area from the buns while the area is wet.

It’s been a life saver for cat messes and pee, and I haven’t had issues with the buns re-marking the area after I clean with it. They have a bunch of formulas, but I usually just use the original one. 

. . . 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.  

[LBJ10]

If all else fails, you could simply try putting a litter box there. It can be a bit inconvenient, but it’s better than having to clean pee from the carpet over and over again. I remember doing this with my boys and it seemed to work.

[sarahthegemini]

So far, no blankets and no pee! And *touch wood* there’s been no pee mishaps in their carrier which I’ve kept blankets in

[LBJ10]

That’s great! Hopefully it was just a phase.

[DanaNM]

Great! I wish Moose’s peeing could be linked to blankets….!

. . . 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.  

[sarahthegemini]

I’m really pleased he hasn’t had any more accidents. It obviously was triggered by the blankets! I’m just a little confused as to what sparked the sudden marking and also a little sad that I’ve had to take away the digging corner of blankets I wonder if I will ever be able to put it back w/o him peeing on it…

[sarahthegemini]

Posted By DanaNM on 8/28/2017 11:00 AM

Great! I wish Moose’s peeing could be linked to blankets….!

I’m just about to give your thread a read. We will get to the bottom of it! 

[DetectiveandSeñor]

Posted By joea64 on 8/24/2017 7:07 AM
I’m wondering a bit about my own buns’ litter habits too now after reading this. When I emptied out the litterbox Tuesday evening I saw a gratifying number of poops as well as evidence of ample peeing, but there seems to be a collection of hay and poops building in the corner right opposite the litterbox and possibly urine too; I’ve been noticing a bit of an occasional whiff since last evening. I’m going to clean out the used litter/soiled hay again this evening so I’m going to take a look and see if one of the bunnies is actually using that corner as their toilet; perhaps not because I haven’t caught either of them in the act, but it’s one of these things a new bunny parent has to observe. Maybe if I could only find a longer litterbox that covered that whole area from corner to corner… (I think I’d better stop at Walmart first and get me a new whisk broom and small dustpan, I’d been meaning to do that this weekend but may be best to do that this evening.)

Hi bunny friends! I have a similar issue as Peanut. Only one of my bunnies seems to sometimes pee on the rug next to the litter box… does anyone have any suggestions for why this might be happening? Or how to change the behavior? A side note is this bunny I’m speaking of, Señor, was never really in a cage at all. I got him at around 4 weeks and tried keeping him in a cage to get comfortable using it as his own space and for potty training as well as keeping from frights with my older rabbit Detective. However, he hated the cage so much he would not stop pulling at the cage with his teeth that I felt if I kept him in there any longer he would hurt himself. So they get along great now, a year later, but Señor is inconsistent with peeing in the litter box. But the only other place he pees is just outside the litter box on a small area rug. Any suggestions?? ??

[sarahthegemini]

Still no more accidents  Now when do I try putting the blankets down again hmm 

[DanaNM]

Posted By sarahthegemini on 8/31/2017 3:34 AM

Still no more accidents  Now when do I try putting the blankets down again hmm 

Hahaha, never! 

Or you could try them with plastic sheeting underneath, like I mentioned in my thread on Moose?

. . . 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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