peeing problems

[crystall.xxi]

my 5 year old rabbit victoria has been peeing around her cage for a couple weeks now, about a month. she is also spayed. she has a plastic bin as a litter box because when she had a triangular one, she peed over the edge of it. when i replaced her litter box, i put it in the exact same spot and she stopped missing the litter box and i was very happy because that meant i didnt have to clean pee on her cage every single day. but after two weeks of that, she started to urinate in another corner of her cage. she started to do it a lot more in that corner, so i moved her litter box there. a lot of people may be thinking, “you shouldve just put another litter box there”. well she has a pet store cage as a little home. she is out for playtime all the time unless im sleeping or have to go somewhere. so shes out for at least 8 hours a day. since she has a kinda small cage, i dont want to add another litter box as it minimizes the space she has to play. and dont worry, this cage is not as small as you think. anyways, recently she has been peeing everywhere in her cage and ive been quite annoyed because i have to constantly wash her fleece and pads that are at the bottom of the cage. so yesterday i took out all of her padding and blankets, and i woke up to her stepping in pee all over her cage. im going to have to give her a feet bath but can someone please help me?

[sarahthegemini]

To be fair, even if she’s out for 8 hours a day she still needs an adequate size cage (if she’s out for 8, she’s still cooped up for 16). Is she doing full on puddles or is she dribbling?

[DanaNM]

It could be that her cage is so small, she thinks of the whole thing as her litter box. Especially since there are blankets and fleece…. my girl pees on anything soft and fluffy. Agree that if she is dribbling it might be a urinary tract infection.

You can use cornstarch to give her a dry bath. Add cornstarch to the wet parts of her fur, rub it in, then gently comb it out. The starch absorbs the pee and then falls off. If the urine has already dried you will prob need to actually wash her feet : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UcoZHBlQ80

One way to increase her space in an affordable way is to add an x-pen so she has a “front yard” to her cage. NIC storage grids could also be used to do this.

. . . 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.  

[crystall.xxi]

this is actually just a cage until i have more space for an x pen. and it is full on puddles of pee. her cage isnt that small either, its actually a large rabbit cage for a pet store cage. and the least is 8 hours, its usually the whole day but unless i really have something to do, the least is 8. as i said, her cage isnt that small so i doubt she thinks of the WHOLE thing as a litter box.

[DanaNM]

Does she only pee in it when the blankets are in there? What are the cage dimensions? A big pet store cage is often still pretty small…

How long have you had her? Also, how high is the jump into the litter box? Some rabbits get a little arthritic as they get older and have trouble jumping into their box. 5 isn’t too old, but could be possible.

Usually when there is a sudden change it’s a good idea to visit the vet to rule out any medical issues.

My bunny Bertha will pee on anything soft, as well as timothy grass mats. If there is hay available outside her litter box, she’ll pee there too.

. . . 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.  

[crystall.xxi]

she pees even when i take her blankets out. ive had her every since she was 11 weeks old. the jump into the litter box is about a few inches, not too tall or short. she pees mostly in her litter box, but there are a few puddles around her cage

[Azerane]

Peeing out of the litter box when she wouldn’t normally can be a sign of a urinary tract infection. It would be worth scheduling a vet appointment to get her checked out as if it’s a UTI she’ll need antibiotics to clear it up

Have you recently moved house? Moved the location of her cage? Added a new pet to the family?

[crystall.xxi]

nope everything is the same as it was, except i changed her old rectangular litter box to a slightly smaller one. i just changed it back to the original, and she hasnt peed outside so far. we’ll see though.

[Author]

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