Urinating outside of the litter box

[PhoenixTheMiniLop]

Hi everyone, Phoenix is about 3 months old and usually urinates in her litter box. Tonight I've gone to tidy her hutch up and there is only one wee in the box and the rest are through out her hutch soaking her hay (great!) and on the tiles while I was sitting next to her she just started weeing where she never wees!!! Does anyone know why she is doing this and why she urinated outside of her hutch altogether!!?? I don't get it! She's usually so good.

Also i am taking her to the vet this week to have a poo test done and her nails trimmed and also she has some poo on her tail, looks like she has layed down on some cecal poos? So I was going to get the vet to bathe her bum a little bit to get it off (as I'm too nervous to do it for the rest time!) I'm a sook I know! But I want it to be done right.

Please if anyone could give me some answers, that would be great thanks

 

[PhoenixTheMiniLop]

Does anyone have any answers for me?

 

[stevesmum]

Your bun has been sick lately right? Maybe this is related to it and she hasn't fully recovered yet. My dear departed miss bun did the same thing. She would just pee wherever she happened to be lying or sitting, when she was having one of her many many bouts of GI stasis. Definitely take her to the vet and in the meantime lots of hay and water. I'd cut back on the greens too if she's eating hay. And put her on oxbow digestive support tablets. Hope she'll be ok!

 

[PhoenixTheMiniLop]

Yes she was unwell last week and has had diarrhoea so she is booked in to see the vet in the morning at 9am. I just couldn't believe it she never does this but I will inform the vet so there aware of it.
Just want her to get better!!! It's stressful and scary knowing she is not her full self. Hopefully they will be able to figure out what's wrong with her so she can binky again

 

[PhoenixTheMiniLop]

Thanks for your reply, stevesmum really appreciate it! I'll get onto that

 

[JBun]

It could be a health problem or it could just be down to the onset of hormones. She's at the right age to start wanting to mark her territory. Also many rabbits like to pee on their hay. It may help if you have her hay in her litter box. For my rabbits, I use a large rectangular litter box and either put the hay in a non peeing corner or in a hay rack above. This helps keep more of their peeing and pooping contained.
http://www.sandiegorabbits.org/litter-box-training/litterbox-setup-success-0

An underlying health problem is also a possibility. It could be due to a bladder issue especially if she is dribbling urine, or other health problem that is causing pain. Though if she is behaving and eating normally, then a mild bladder infection would seem the most likely, as anything too painful would affect her behavior and appetite as well.

 

[PhoenixTheMiniLop]

I actually have hay throughout her entire hutch and then have recycled paper pellets in her litter box and that works well, we've never had this problem, I mean she will do the odd wee out of the box but most of them are in it but the last 2 days or so she has been doing them throughout her hutch and on the tiles last night (this has never happened!)
How will I be able to know if it's a health issue or a hormonal problem Jbun??
Also, when she drinks from her drink bottle her belly (I'm guessing it's her belly?) makes this weird squeaky sound the whole time she's drinking, is this normal? She's pretty much always done it...

 

[hamsterdance]

My buns bellies make noises when they drink too! It's normal for them

If you can get her to pee in an empty clean litter box and then somehow get that sample to the vet quick they can test it I think.

 

[PhoenixTheMiniLop]

What noise do they make?
Yeah I might just do that thanks. Not sure how getting her into the carrier is going to go! Haha she doesn't like being picked up

 

[hamsterdance]

You can try leaving the carrier in her cage for awhile and putting her veggies in to lure her in.
It's sort of like the sound a humans belly makes when you drink lots of water! Just the gurgling

 

[PhoenixTheMiniLop]

She doesn't eat veggies yet but I can try with a pellet, she loves them
Yeah that's exactly it! Haha so strange just didn't know if it was normal or not