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House bunny..advice welcome!!

capel

Warren Veteran
Dougal has been a free range housebun for almost a year now, and up until fairly recently was really good at weeing only in the litter tray, but has now started weeing in random places as well. Any tips on how to get him back on the straight and narrow, as our carpets don't like it!:roll:
 
Is Dougal neutered? If so try to rule out any medical reasons. The only times that Julie wees outside of the litter box is if she has an urinary infection or some problem. The other thing is sometimes neutered rabbits feel the need to mark their territory if something has caged. So any changes to his environment that you can think of? New people, pets did you recently change all his things around? If you can figure out the reason then it will be easier to correct if not then just neutralize all the areas that he has peed so he can not smell the wee. White vinegar will do the trick. Then just go back to retraining him to use the litter box. Put out additional litter boxes if he is free ranged in an large area so that he does not have too far to do when he gets the urge. If he is not also pooing then I would really check for medical reasons first. I hope that any of what I have said might help.
 
I've just realised he's been a free range bunny for 2 years, not 1 as I said in last post. Yes, he was neutered before he came to us, and has no underlying medical problems..all in all a very active bunny with a healthy appetite. His behaviour's still the same..very inquisitive and friendly. Nothing has been changed in his environment recently. Leanne's duo came to stay for a week..they were in a temporary run in the kitchen extension, but Dougal never goes in there as he doesn't like walking on shiny floors , and the weeing problem started at least a month ago. I wonder if it's because he regards the whole lounge as his territory.... I know that retraining him to the litter tray may entail confining him, but he's not used to any sort of confinement and am worried that he may get stressed.
 
You may have to confine him to reinforce his good habits. I was only reading aboutn a similar case in Rabbiting On magazine and that is what the vet recommended. I hope he gets back into his litter training soon.
 
I thought as much. :(. I hadn't noticed the article in Rabbitting on, so will go and have a look later.
 
Was Leanne's duo before or after he started weeing? Even though he does not go into the kitchen he would still beable to smell them. Also you said that he he might regard the whole lounge as his territory. Is this recent? Could you add an additional litter box in the area that he likes to go most in the lounge?
 
He'd started random weeing a few weeks before they arrived. He's always had total free range but never leaves the lounge as he doesn't like walking on the parquet flooring which is in the hall. I don't think we'd have enough litter trays:lol: as he 's left evidence all overthe place..always next to the skirting boards.
 
Oh bless him. Could it be his version of spring fever do you think? Have you had the doors open more in the nice weather, can he smell the other buns outside maybe? He may have an even stronger sense of smell to make up.

Give him a noserub from me :love:
 
He is used to the smell of my other buns as he often bustles about beside their runs , but never displays "bunny" behaviour around them..shows no interest whatsoever. I sometimes think he doesn't realise he's a rabbit!
 
V went through a phase of doing this a few months back. Just randomly out of the blue, he started marking in each cornor of the room. Then meg started copying :roll: I can't really add anything apart from that as random as it started, it stopped and they never do it now.. :?
 
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