Both male and female rabbits can urine spray. But it is most common in unneutered rabbits, especially males, from puberty onwards. Rabbits will spray urine around their territory as a way of communicating their boundaries to other nearby rabbits.
They are marking their territory. Un-neutered males will mark female rabbits and their territory by spraying them with urine. Un-spayed females can also indulge in this behavior. It's another good reason to spay or neuter your rabbits.
3 - 6 months old: Adolescence
Male rabbits will often spray urine as a sign of courtship, circle your feet and mount them. Female rabbits tend to become very territorial over their personal space and may growl or lunge at you.
Rabbits commonly spray urine to mark their territory. If your rabbit is urinating on you, he or she may be attempting to claim you as part of their territory!
Both male and female unaltered rabbits will sometimes spray pee as a way of claiming territory. As you can imagine, this can leave you with a pretty smelly house, not to mention a lot of messes to clean up. This is another behavior that can really only be fixed by getting your rabbit altered.
If they are definitely spraying, the best way to stop this behaviour is to have your rabbit neutered. Marking behaviour is much more common in entire rabbits. This undesirable behaviour often resolves completely once the rabbit is neutered.
It is important to distinguish between urine spraying and inappropriate urination due to environmental or medical factors. When rabbits spray urine, they tend to spray on vertical surfaces; however, rabbits displaying inappropriate urination will generally urinate on horizontal surfaces.
Usually rabbits will pee anywhere from 2-8 times a day and it will be a golden yellow or amber orange color. The color will get a little darker and more concentrated if your rabbit is dehydrated.
Besides preventing reproduction and reproductive cancers in females and testicular tumours in males, neutering reduces unwanted behaviours like spraying of urine, aggression, false-pregnancies and excessive mounting.
Rabbits who are not spayed and neutered will spread their scent by spraying everything in sight. They may also do this when they are upset or simply dislike a person.
Rabbit urine can be removed from most surfaces using pure white vinegar or a diluted white vinegar solution.
If your rabbit is pooping/spraying pee everywhere, this is probably due to your rabbit marking his territory. It's a good idea to get your rabbit spayed/neutered in order to ease territorial feelings. Sometimes rabbits deliberately pee on your couch or bed because they're showing you who's Top Bunny in the house.
Male rabbits, like females, can become very aggressive when the testosterone kicks in, and the only truly viable solution for this problem is castration, also known as neutering. Testicular cancer, while far less common than uterine cancer, does occur, usually in older rabbits. Neutering eliminates this risk.
When a rabbit nibbles or bites you softly it is often accompanied with licking, which is a sign of love. He is trying to groom you and is simulating the grooming process (however, you have no fur to build up knots in so it results in just a little nibble of the skin).
On average rabbits will drink 50-150 ml/kg/day, so a large 5 kg rabbit will normally drink up to 750 ml each day, so anything over that could be abnormal. Similarly, normal urine production is about 120-130 ml/kg/day, so a large 5 kg rabbit will urinate as much as 650 ml per day, so anything over that may be abnormal.
Licking: Licking is a way bunnies groom each other. If your bunny licks you, it's a sign of affection as you'll often see pairs of bunnies grooming each other this way.
Benefits to Spaying or Neutering Your Bunny
Second, a rabbit that is spayed/neutered becomes calmer and easier to manage. Their destructive habits subside a bit,yet they don't lose their charmingly mischievous nature. Altered rabbits are also easier to litter train and have less of an urge to spray.
Aggression in unneutered rabbits is almost always cured or lessened by neutering. Often rabbits that are aggressive after neutering are really just scared and need time and patience to learn that the people that come near them aren't going to cause harm and they don't need to chase them away.
Liquid Fence Deer & Rabbit Repellent withstands up to one inch of rain per week and only needs to be applied once per month. If you experience more than 4 inches of rain/watering in less than 4 weeks, you will need to reapply the product. Make sure all vegetation is dry before reapplying.
Normal rabbit urine will vary from a pale yellow or clear colour, through various orange and brown colours, right up to a deep red colour. Rabbit urine may also look cloudy due to the presence of calcium carbonate being excreted within the urine.
Offering red carpets, cushions, or blankets to your rabbit allows them to seek out this vibrational energy whenever they need it. In my work with rabbits and other animals, it's very evident that they love to lie on the red when they lack regular contact with the outdoors. In contrast to red, blue is cooling.
Make a solution of white vinegar and water. Pour the solution onto the affected area or use a rag to dab it on. Allow the carpet or rug to sit for 2 to 5 minutes to allow the acids in the vinegar to break down the alkaline rabbit pee stain. Place a clean dry rag over the wet area.
Watch for Urine Spraying. NOTE: This behavior is most frequently seen in paired adult males but can be observed in paired females as well as in singly housed rabbits. Urine may be sprayed on the cage or on the submissive rabbit.
Clinics will charge as low as $50 and are usually less than $100. Private veterinaries can charge as much as a few hundred dollars, the U.S. average is around $250. At times and in certain situations the relationship with the vet may be the best choice for you and your rabbit.