Can buns catch urinary infections from each other?

Can bunnies catch urinary infections from one another?

I just wondered as Primrose has always had really dark orangey red urine even though she doesn't eat anything of that colour.

My little boy bun hasn't been right recently and I'm just trying to rule a few things out and wondered if urinary infections can be passed on to one another...for example if they hump one another

Nicola and Harvey xxx

I would think that they can pass them on to each other, as guinea pigs can certainly do that (I have a longstanding UTI problem in my group of 3 guinea pigs).

Hi Sarah :wave:,

Thanks for responding xxx

The reason I ask is that my two bunnies have been seperated by mesh for a while so I can monitor my boys eating and pooping and he has been fine. Primrose my girlie has had dark reddy orange wee for a long time but the vets dismissed it being anything sinister even though she never eats anything orange etc.

I let both the bunnies go back in together a few weeks ago and about a week after putting them back in together my little man was poorly. This may be mere coincidence. He had an upset tummy, loose stools and unformed caecotrophs, wouldn't eat and hardly drank anything.

He was treated with a few days of metronidazole to be on the safe side but that didn't really have any effect so we stopped that. He is eating his pellets again now but seems to be in some discomfort and his urine has turned a darker orange colour. I know that could be due to the metronidazole but he finished that over 11 days ago.

I wondered if he could have a UTI, perhaps caught from Primrose. Although she hasn't been diagnosed with one. She has had this dark urine for a long time.

Not sure whether it's a possibility or not? At the mo I'm grasping at straws as there are so many other illnesses with similar symptoms. It does look as though he has an uncomfortable tum.

Harvey has to have his molars burred ever few months but his teeth look fine at the mo, no sign of spurs.

What is the treatment for a urinary infection? Harvey doesn't do well on some antibiotics and had a terrible reaction to a penicillin based injection last year and was very ill.

Thank you for any help,

Nicola and Harvey xxx

rabit urine is quite often a red/orange colour even if they don't eat anything specifically that colour. Mine went bright red after I gave them some apple twigs to chew on for example. Their urine can also get red and dark if they are stressed. Bonding could do that do that or if they aren't drinking as much it will become more concentrated.

a urine tract infection would also cause him considerable pain peeing and he would look hunched up and straining. He might also not be able to direct the pee so would be damp and might also look litter training completely. You vet might also feel that his bladder/kidnesy were swollen.

I think you might have to look elsewhere. His symptoms sound more like teeth/gut problems. I would get the vet to check for certain that he has no molar spurs and perhaps also give him probiotics (especially the ones with added fibre) to help his digestion. Keep his food quite bland, hay only with a handful of pellets until you see signs of improvement. Raspberry, strawberry and blackcurrent leaves are also quite good at binding a loose tummy if you can get hold of them.

Hello :wave:

Thank you very much for your reply.

His tummy has settled now. He had the upset tum a couple of weeks ago (loose stools and unformed caecotrophs) but he isn't his normal bouncy self. He is choosing to hide away rather than come out to play and run around. His urine was normal, like a yellowy colour before he became poorly but now it's a darker orangey/red colour.

He has been choosing to sit hunched up under the bed but will have a little run around if I coax him out but he is in discomfort from something. I have started him on rantidine just in case he has an ulcer. That was started about 2 weeks ago.

The vet checked his teeth for spurs last Saturday but they all looked fine. He only had a dental on the 6th March and goes 3 months between each one.

It looks as though he is discomfort from something and from the way he hold his tum I think it's his tum. He weed on the bed last night whilst he normally wees in his box.

He has biolapis every day and profibre mixed into a paste.

Any ideas?

Lots of love,

Nicola and Harvey xxx

Might it be EC? I'm just thinking about the infectious element here.

Hi Sarah :wave:,

They were both tested for EC recently and they both came back as negative

I did wonder whether it could be coccidiosis as can't they have it in varying degrees?

Nicola and Harvey xxx