rabbit sprays his urine

[schmice]

We adopted a stray rabbit about a month ago. We had a rabbit before who lived to be 11 which I understand is somewhat unusual. That rabbit, Oreo, had two operations for kidney stones which set us back $6000. Never mind, it was money well spent. The new member of our band gets along well with our cat and dog, and better yet, they get along with him. Here's the problem, sometimes when we get near him he'll run around and spray urine all over the place. My wife is not happy. I guess I'm not thrilled either because he's gotten my suit pants, my robe etc. several times. While it is kind of a drag, when you consider what's going on in the world today, it is of little consequence to me. When you gotta go you gotta go. I have a couple of questions for anybody out there who might know. Will he always be doing this? Is there any way to stop it or should we just consider this part of his character? Why does he do this? Is he making a revolutionary statement? We feed him timothy hay pellets. I give him carrots and pieces of banana. We got him a really nice hutch and we keep indoors. We have a large lanai and I let him out to run around etc. just about everyday since the weather here is usually very nice. The only problem with him being on the lanai is that he craps and pees everywhere. It looks like somebody dropped a bunch a capers. The carpet seems to be dissolving where he pees. Does this sound normal or what? My wife is telling my son and me that we can't have him out there for that reason. (We ignore her, of course, because he needs to run around. Anybody have any suggestions on how to potty train him or know of any way to keep the carpeting from dissolving? Is there a way to stop him from emptying his bladder when we first come up to him? My wife really likes him but this has become an issue. I understand it and tell her that I do (although in the end, it's really no big deal to me).Other than that, life is good. Help???

[CurtEastPoint]

1. Like spraying cats, first eliminate any medical issue.

He may have a UTI so I'd take him for a vet visit.

I did find this short article and didn't even think about the neutering issue:


Spraying (especially by males) may mean a number of things, and many rabbits are surrendered to shelters or set loose because their owners don't know what their rabbit is saying to them. The biggest reason rabbits spray, especially males, is hormonal - when they begin to mature, the hormones will kick in and they will start spraying as a response to puberty. This is why you should get your bunny spay or neuter your bunny as soon as he or she is old enough. Bunnies will also spray to claim territory, although this behavior should also be ameliorated by getting your bunny fixed. Believe it or not, when you get sprayed by a rabbit, it is actually a show of affection. The rabbit is claiming you as his property and marking you with his scent. Most of the time this behavior is easily cured after spaying/neutering, although sometimes more training is required.

If your rabbit is litterbox trained and sometimes leaves puddles elsewhere (especially just outside the litterbox), he may be complaining about something. Rabbits don't just forget their litterbox habits - this could be an indication that he isn't feeling well. If it appears that your rabbit is straining to urinate, take him to the vet - it may be a sign of calcium buildup in the bladder (sludge or a stone). See also Health. Male rabbits that have not been neutered will also mark female rabbits as their territory by spraying them, and sometimes female rabbits spray as well.

Sometimes even a well-trained rabbit will spray in response to external stresses, such as the introduction to a new pet or person the rabbit doesn't know yet. This is typically a temporary situation and will abate once the rabbit is more comfortable with its surroundings.

[schmice]

2. Thank you.

I hope it is just a matter of new surroundings, but I will take him in to the vet just to be sure. Again, thank you for your answer.