Suddenly using food dish as litter box?

[MandyMarieB]

For the week I've had him, Skippy has been pretty good about peeing in one corner of his house. He poops all over it, of course, but that's okay. But suddenly today... he's started peeing and pooping in the food dish. He's peed it in twice today. (I already cleaned it out once and put fresh food in... just looked again to find the same.)

What would cause him to start doing that suddenly? Anyone else had this issue? And any thoughts on how to discourage such behavior? Even if I were a bunny, I don't think I'd want to pee on stuff I was going to eat... lol. (Note: he does have a litter box too, but he uses it as a bed/hay table/poop box. Doesn't ever pee in it.)

 

[whiskylollipop]

Did you clean it out with a scented detergent maybe, so he's trying to make it smell less foreign? Or could be that he's decided that his second pee spot is going to be right over here. Try moving his dish away from that area.

 

[Blue eyes]

How old is your bunny? How large is the food bowl? Is he neutered?

 

[MandyMarieB]

Only cleaned it with water and a rag, so nothing scent-wise has changed. He's 7-8 weeks. The person I got him from had gotten him from a flea market at 6-7 weeks. So he's very young. I'm doing the best I can for him. And he's been SO great even with that disadvantage. But it was just like he suddenly decided "hey, I'll pee in here." Woke up this morning and he had done it again.

He's not neutered yet because of his age. I had read that he can be at 12 weeks? I intend to do so then.

 

[Blue eyes]

Males can usually be neutered around 4 months of age.

If he is wanting to pee in a container, maybe you ought to add a litter box in the place you've been putting the food dish. Use a plastic box, add bedding and top with hay. He seems to like going "in a box". Not sure how the rest of the cage is set up, but it's a good idea to remove the loose bedding from everywhere except the litter box.

Try to use as small of a feeding bowl as possible for now so that it is too small for him to fit in it. Hopefully, then, he will use the plastic box instead.

 

[JBun]

Does he seem to like to nap in the dish as well? Baby rabbits tend to like to have a small enclosed space to snuggle up in. Lots of baby buns pick the food dish for this nap, and he may just be peeing in it while in there. If this is the case, try offering a small cubby hole of some sort as an alternative.

Another possibility is he's a bit insecure being in a new home, and wants to make sure to mark the food as his.... or he may just think it makes a good litter box Best option is to try a different type of dish, like blue eyes suggested a smaller one, or one that attaches to the side of the cage so you can place it higher up so he's less inclined to want to sit in it.