spraying pee?

[paulsboopy]

my bun, i'm pretty sure is a boy and he's 4 months. he's starting to spray pee ALL over the place! and he's usually the good one about peeing in the litter but now he's spraying and even going OUTSIDE the cage. so...i was just wondering if this was normal?

 

[Flashy]

This is 100% normal. Unneutered bucks (and sometimes unspayed does) will spray to mark their territory.

He has entered adolesence so he is maturing, he should start marking things with his chin, he might start to smell more as he releases scent with his poo, he might start to circle objects or people, he might try to hump hands, feet, cuddly toys, anything.

Once he is neutered this should stop within 2-3 months. The sooner he is neutered the less implanted the behaviour will be in his brain, so the sooner he should lose the spraying.

He can be neutered by a rabbit savvy vet as soon as his testicles descend, but some vets prefer to wait a bit longer for various reasons.

 

[paulsboopy]

oh my gosh that's whatjail breakdoes!! he's been rubbing everything with his chin, including me, and smelling his poop. i guess i have another question dealing with that too. i have another bun, rascal,and supposively they were supposed to be the same sex, but rascal isn't doing any of the stuff that the jail break'sdoing.like i said,jail break's rubbing his chin on everything, spraying, AND he's humping. and i've noticed that his head's alot bigger than rascal's. i don'tknow if that'simportant. but rascal isn't doing ANY of that. so should i be worried or is it possible that rascal just hasn't gone through the first stages of turning mature?

 

[Flashy]

You need to check their gender. It could be Rascal is a girlie, or that he is not adolescent yet, or he could just not be a bunny ruled by his hormones. Do they both live together?

 

[paulsboopy]

yes they live together. their first mommy said that when she checked a few months ago, that they were the same. she wasn't sure what the sex was but she was pretty positive they were both the same sex. i mean, i HAVE noticed that rascal will sniff jail break's bum, but that's all he'll really do.

 

[Flashy]

If you turn them over, at this age you should see two testicles on each bun, just either side of their anus. They are big round bean shapedthings (unless they pull them up, and then they look shrivelled).

You are looking at probably separating them in the not too distant future and then trying to bond them back when they are fixed (spayed or neutered).

If they are m/f then you need to separate them because the f will get pregnant. If they are m/m then they are very likely to fight, and it will be nasty. They might not fight, but the chances are they will.

 

[Flashy]

http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=12064&forum_id=17this link might help with sexing them.

 

[paulsboopy]

will they still fight if i get them spayed??

 

[Flashy]

Once rabbits go through adolescence they become totally different personalities from when they were babies. There is no saying that spaying for females) or neutering (for males)will mean they can bond afterwards, but equally, they might, that will depend on the rabbits (and also, to a certain extent, how hard you persevere with the bonding between them because it can take weeks or months).

So they might fight after, they might not. There is no telling until you get there and after their hormones have died down.

 

[maherwoman]

Oh BOY do I know how you feel about this one! Spraying...oh how fun.

We have three boys here...Fiver, Velveteen, and Teeny.

Fiver (an @ 1yo Holland Lop) sprayed me once on the arm, the first week he was here. We neutered him pretty quickly after, and he hasn't sprayed a single time since.

Velveteen (a mini rex) is about six months old, and just sprayed poor Emily (our 8yo daughter) in the face the other day, so he's more than ready for neutering.

Teeny is an almost 6mo old Flemish Giant, and hasn't sprayed once (though I don't expect that to last, lol), but due to his breed, won't be ready to be neutered for another few months.

We're going to get another boy here in the next month, Teddy, who is over a year in age, and a dutch bun...dunno if he's sprayed, but I supposed I could ask JAK Rabbitry (who has him currently).

As far as housing them together...I would never recommend housing two buns that aren't altered/fixed. The simple fact of it is that no matter if they're same gender or opposite, you're gonna have problems. Some buns don't get too hormonal, and might be more docile in general...but other buns get VERY hormonal and would tear apart another bun just for territorial reasons. I know that people often think, "Well, they've been living together all their lives...why would they fight NOW?!" The simple truth of it is...hormones make a bunny completely change in personality, preferences, and attitude.

With same-sex couples, you chance fighting...with opposite sex couples, I can guarantee babies. And something to keep in mind...buns have a pregnancy period of approx. a month. And they can get pregnant again almost immediately after giving birth. The mother can also mate with one of her male babies, so even weaning has to be timed rather perfectly.

It's really just so much of a dangerous idea to house two unaltered buns...I just wouldn't recommend it to ANYONE, no matter what the situation.

This isn't meant to be critical...I know there's lots of misinformation about buns out there, and I know how easy it is to hear one thing, and another, and not be sure. I don't fault people for thinking misinformation is true...it's only natural.

Just be sure to separate them as soon as possible, and when you do, to figure out their genders (you could even see if you have a rabbit rescue is near you, and ask them to check). And if you find out you have a boy and girl on your hands, check out the Rabbitry section on what to do for a pregnant bun, because you'll more than likely have a litter from them. But don't worry, ok? It's an easy mistake to make...and you're not gonna get skewered for making an honest mistake. We're here to help...and I would offer tips on what to do for a pregnant bun, but I'm not sure what to do, myself (no experience there)...so ask about that in the Rabbitry, and they'll help all they can, ok?

Hugs to you and the buns,

Rosie*

 

[aurora369]

If they are four months old, and they happen to be opposite sex, if you seperate immediatly it may be early enough to prevent a pregnancy.

Girls mature at a slightly slower rate than boys do. So if they are litter mates and the boy is sexually mature, the girl could still have some maturing to do before she can have babies. I've had litters of babies fostered for a rescue and I know we get mom and the boys spayed and neutered when the boys are about 3-4 months old and the girls at about 5-6 months.

So grab a second cage and seperated them as soon as you can.

I would start looking for a vet who can do spaying/neutering for you. Take them in for a pre-operation check up and they should be able to sex them for you there.

I have had really good luck with bonding litter mates after their spays/neuters. You do have to be careful about a boy being able to impregnant an intact girl for about a month after his neuter.

Take a look at our vet listing and see if any vets are close to you:
http://rabbitsonline.net/view_forum.php?id=9

--Dawn

 

[paulsboopy]

thanks SOOO much!! oh man, that's alot of boys and spray hahaha! i got sprayed tonight three times in like 4 seconds. i can't even imagine with that many boys. i'm not going to be able to get the other cage until the weekend. but honestly, if she's pregnant, i think i might just go into a panic attack. i mean, OF COURSE i wouldn't be sad or anything cause it's baby bunnies! but i'm so freaked out with having the 2 of them and plus i'm TOTALLY new at this. so i'm really stressed out and worry about them constantly anyway, but if she was PREGNANT, i wouldn't have any idea on what to do. and i know that this website would be totally helpful, but lol...i guess i'd be even more freaked out than i already am. i just want to be the best mommy for them and i've only had them for like...a month (?) and i still don't really know what i'm doing. :?

 

[Flashy]

Maybe its worth starting to read about litters andbabies just incase. Also, if you are not feeling so confident in looking after them, try reading articles in the Bunny 101 forum (actually, even if you are confident), because they are a mine of information to any bunny owner.

Sounds like you have a sprayer there. I've got some funny stories of in the eye, in the mouth, anywhere, because I have 10 bucks, although thankfully, only 4 intact ones now, but I'm not going to hi jack your thread, lol. But don't worry, like Rosie has already shown, you are not alone with being victim to spraying. But it should calm down when he is neutered.

 

[Bunnicula]

Wishing you well on getting the spraying under control and with rebonding them after spay/neuter, too.

I do have one very docile bunny who never sprayed until we introduced another male into the household. Both males are neutered and they do not live together, but whatever it is about this 2nd male...it makes Pipkin into a crazed maniac. Whenever he is within a few feet of Capt Snow he becomes agitated and sprays whatever he is near (which, yes, has been me already).

So...I just sigh and am sure to keep them separate.

 

[Ivory]

Just a suggestion: If you don't want baby bunnies, I suggest getting the potential female spayed ASAP. Even if she is in the early stages of pregnancy, she should still be okay.

 

[paulsboopy]

thanks everyone for your input! so lol...um ALOT has happened in the last few days. i called the vet to see if i could make an appointment for them and she said that could get looked at AND get fixed on the same day, which would have been today. but it turns out that they're too young to have surgery (4 months). SOO we went and got the other cage and seperated them and rascal was on cloud 9 cause jail break couldn't hump her anymore and jail break was sad cause he just lost his sister. but i put them in the cages facing each other so i think they're ok. HOWEVER, the next day after seperating them...rascal started making a nest! :shock: so...i'm hoping she knows what she's doing though she's so young. but i think we're going to be ok lol. i'm actually excited now and i'm sure you're see me alot on here asking questions.

 

[paulsboopy]

well, i'm assuming it's the beginings of a nest cause ALOT of her fur is in the corner of the cage and she keeps sitting in it?

 

[aurora369]

It is possible that she's having a false pregnancy but it is just as possible that she is pregnant. I would give her a box to build her nest in just in case she is pregnant.

4 months is more than old enough to spay/neuter, especially if they are small bunnies. Larger rabbits take longer to mature, but your average "dwarf" rabbit is fully sexually mature at 4 months.

I would talk to your vet again and ask what the reason for waiting on the spay/neuter. Hopefully you can get them in asap.

--Dawn