Bunny behavior!

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hazelnutbunny

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Hey everyone!
I've got a female spayed bunny, she's 9 months old and the sweetest bun I've ever met :)
I littered trained her way back when I brought her home, and she used to pee and poo right inside the littler box.
She spends her day walking freely, but since she's a professional destroyer (even the place being all rabbit proof!), I can't ler her staying alone during the night. She has a big space where she stays while at sleep. There she has a litterbox, and outside another one.
3 weeks ago she started to poop everywhere that's close to her both litter boxes. All I was doing was collecting all the poops and putting them inside the litterboxes, but she didn't change her new behavior.
5 days ago it got worse only on the outside the sleep place litter box: she started to pee on places REALLY close to the litter, like one hop away! She never did this before, and now she does it 2 or 3 times a day (but she is still peeing inside too!)
In the place she sleeps she only pees on the litterbox, though she poops everywhere.

Other things non-related to all this:
- She has been digging everything lately. Me, the floor, my bed, everything. I've talked to a few people about it and no one knows what to do, considering she is already spayed.
- 4 weeks ago she started to wake everyone up at 6 am with lots and lots of noises! I've been trying to get her really tired during the day (running, playing) and it gets a little bit better. Any other thoughts? :)

Thank you!
 
My bunny does the same and at first I thought he may want his litter box cleaned, so I di that, but he carried on outside his litter even though it was perfectly clean! I have no reason as to why. But as for the digging, rabbits are natural burrowers and digging is a natural and instinctive behaviour, as in the wild, they dig deep underground burrows to live in, so digging is in their DNA and that won't change whether they're spayed or not! lol I just accept it when Doogle digs now, it's super cute and endearing. In context it can mean different things, i.e - if she digs the floor then flops out, she's doing a 'cat paddle' to get comfy, if she digs the bottom of your jeans (or whatever you're wearing) on your legs/feet, she wants your attention, maybe strokes would resolve that! Or sometimes it's out of curiosity, other times, perhaps she's trying to dig as if she we're a wild bunny burrowing a hole underground to live in. Bless her though she sounds cute!
 
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Yeah, she is a real sweetheart! A lovely bun! I only asked about the digging because she didn't use to do it, it started from one day to another! So... Who knows? ;D
About the pee.. I'm not sure the reason, really! I clean her litter box often. I'm not sure if it mean she need a bigger litter or some health issue? I would just love to fix this! Thank you :)
 
Sudden changes in potty habits can indicate a UTI. That's a possibility.

Some rabbits can be picky about a change in litter type or change in location of litter box. Some don't like a soiled litter box, but some don't like it cleaned too often either. Examine whether any of these changes have taken place lately. Those could also explain her change in potty habits.
 
Hmmm! Thanks! I'm gonna talk to the vet, since nothing has changed... It's the same litter, the same box, the same everything... Cleaning as often as always have been! :/
Thank you so much :)
 
Changes in the environment can also lead to a change in litter habits. New pet, new smells(lotions, soaps, cleaners, etc), moving furniture, really anything changed in a rabbits environment has the potential to set them off. Things to look out for if it is a potential health problem are straining to urinate, dribbling urine, urine soaked bottom, reduced or loss of appetite, stiffness or changes in rabbits movement or hopping.

Things like marking with puddles outside the litter box and obsessive digging can be a seasonal thing. Spring can lead to 'spring fever' in rabbits, even neutered/spayed ones, where normally hormonal type behavior can increase such as humping, spraying, marking, as well as nesting and burrowing behaviors. Can also occur at other times of the year. I have a spayed doe that on occasion starts up with nesting behavior. She'll start frantically gathering up hay to build a nest, and digging to aid in this endeavor. For several hours she'll be at it, then all the sudden she calms back down and is acting normal again.

Digging can just be a normal burrowing instinct, but it can also be a signal of an underlying health problem(rabbit is uncomfortable so acts out with changes of behavior), or it can be a sign of boredom. frustration, or not getting enough attention.

Rabbits can be complex little things, so it can be difficult to figure out what it is exactly that is causing a change in behavior.
 
Thank you! :)
I just talked to her vet and he asked for me to watch what's going on a little bit more. He told me to take her there if it gets worse (since she is not doing it on both litter boxes and all), and told me he believes it's nothing.

I'm not sure it has anything to do with any changes at all, since nothing has changed in months... Same products, same furniture, same people, same amount of time by my side - the whole day! She gets loads of loads of attention!. I work at home and while I do it, play with her the whole day. She's a spoiled bun!

The litterbox that she's doing this is much more smaller comparing to the one she has inside her home, maybe it's that? Maybe she needs a bigger one?
Considering she's eating normally, is extremely active, still friendly and with normal poop, I tend to believe the peeing thing is behavioral... I think I'll try getting her a bigger litterbox.

About the digging, I'm really not sure what it means! I'm thinking about getting her a sand space for her to dig :) I feel like she digs me because she wants me to make her comfy, and digs my surroundings for my attention. Who knows?

Thank you all :)
 

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