male urinating outside tray only after neuter

I have a single male, aged 15 months, neutered at around 13 months. We didn’t do the op earlier because it wasn't necessary; he hadn’t been spraying or showing the usual distress of hormonally charged rabbits. Shortly after he turned a year old, within a matter of days he seemed to lose most of his toilet training – though he still urinated in his tray virtually 100% of the time.

He then almost immediately got better re: the litter tray with his droppings, but since then has taken to urinating outside the tray maybe a couple of times a week.

What’s so odd is that it only seems to happen when he’s especially happy, e.g., just been petted until he’s tooth-purring with bliss, or we’ve just spent a lot of time with him. It’s not spraying as such, just a damp patch left behind, of varying sizes from essentially large droplets to a wet spot as large as his entire bottom. He have also noticed that it’s *usually* but not always in a spot he frequents, making us think of territoriality.

He seems otherwise healthy, fit, and happy. If anything he’s grown even more loving towards us since the op.

It’s a real head scratcher. Any ideas?

I really can't give you any precise help but have you considered it might be a slight urinary infection from the way you describe how he is weeing. Some very clean bunnies go to pot post neuter then a few weeks later return to their normal habits but this doesn't seem to be the case with Orie. It could be just a natural bunny behaviour. It could be the time of the year when hormones come into play, even when neutered.

We considered UTI, which has been ruled out by a vet. If it's in the range of natural bunny behaviours, it's not one I've read about, so perhaps he's breaking new ground.

Has he not returned to normal then?

my bunny bailey does exactly this... he has been checked for UTI infections lots of times and has always been given the all clear!

However bailey is suffering with an on going ear infection and touch wood at the moment we are on top of it, for the last 8 months or so I would say he wee's outside his litter tray about twice a week. (before ear infection started) It is always during the afternoon? don't know if this is the same with your bunny?

He is a super star normally and always uses his litter tray, but we have puppy pads down around it and he goes on these like I said about twice a week. I always find it when I put fresh ones down on a friday, and normally about tues/wed - very weird little bun. We've just put it down too that's the way he is and he'll do anything to create more work for me! :lol:

The vet seems to think it might be down to when he has a little more calcium to dispose of, not excessive amounts but maybe a little more than usual he rather goes on a flat surface. Bailey's isn't spotting though.. his are full on wees!

I've just come to the conclusion I have the weirdest bunnies ever! haha!

It's the new normal.

Ruthyjones89 - it can happen anytime during the day. It's definitely spotting rather than full on, though occasionally they're very large spots! Last night he enjoyed an extended petting session, the result being a decent sized wet patch. <sigh> Most often though it doesn't happen while petting, but just when he's sitting there looking content.

He goes a few days with nothing, then gets leaky for a day or possibly two, on and off, ad infinitum it seems.

We're a little worried about him sitting in urine for any real length of time - if it might put him in danger of infections. It's always on carpeting, so some of it gets wicked downwards, but still…

About three weeks ago we set him completely free range in the house, 24/7. Prior to this he'd always gone into an indoor pen every night. One might normally expect a change in routine to have side effects, but this behaviour spans months before the change; as mentioned, it started directly after the neuter. I only bring it up because I was half expecting to be advised to start over again with the training, by confining him.

All the vet could suggest was a variation of happy puppy syndrome, i.e., weeing from pure excitement.

No I wouldn't confine him.. bailey is also a free range bun. (he also has a partner but thankfully she hasn't started copying him yet!)

Where he is weeing on the carpet, have you tried placing a litter tray there? or even a puppy pad? Bailey would happily wee on the carpet, but we put the puppy pad there to soak it up and like you so he does't sit in it or get any on his feet etc.

hmmmmm, If I was you, I would still be a little concerned though as I'm sure spotting is normally a hormonal thing but surely that would have calmed down now. Do you ever see a build up of calcium deposits? (white wee)

I've never heard of a bunny weeing from pure excitement, but maybe others have?
One thing I will say is that Bailey will easily pee maybe a couple of times in the carrier when we're off to the vets from being scared though... so maybe they can pee from certain emotions?!

Maybe it is connected to his neuter but I am not sure how? Do you have a rabbit savvy vet?

I wouldn't say our vets are particularly unsavvy - they see a fair number of rabbits – but I wouldn't call them bunny experts,* either. I'm not sure even the most savvy vet could help us with this.

Could do the multiple litter tray thing, but that would mean having half a dozen or so including on furniture (his favourite chair where he recently let loose already has a carpet square on it; a litter tray would probably confuse the heck out of him!), and given that he does this where he's relaxing, and he doesn't tend to relax in his tray, I suspect he wouldn't be minded to use them.

No calcium deposits, we've been checking.

I hadn't heard of using puppy pads - he might start snacking on them!


* Although there's a wealth of anecdotes out there, I do sometimes wonder if anybody can really be an expert on bunnies anyway. They live to confound us.

Update, for what it's worth. For a while this was off and on, maybe several days without it happening, then a day or two of this, then another break... but now it's every single day. Mostly mornings. He still goes in the usual corner of his tray 90% of the time, but the rest of the house is fair game when he starts leaking. He runs around leaving wet patches everywhere. It used to mostly be when he was excited - say, waiting for his favourite food (greens) in the morning - but now he does it even when he's calmed down, leaving a wet patch when he gets up. Still otherwise healthy as can be, as far as we can tell. We're at a loss how to change this behaviour.