Why do male and female bunnies spray? 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.
Territorial behaviour
Rabbits are both a social and a territorial species. Urine spraying is also called 'marking', and is used by rabbits as a form of scent communication. Both male and female rabbits can urine spray. But it is most common in unneutered rabbits, especially males, from puberty onwards.
Beware the rabbit holding their tail up, it is frequently followed by spraying. 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.
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.
Rabbit spray looks like it's splashed everywhere. Say, walls, furniture, and even other pets or people. It's also usually done on vertical surfaces. While a normal pee is typically a puddle on the floor.
Reducing urine marking behaviours Males and female rabbits can spray urine on vertical surfaces to mark their territory. It is more commonly seen in males than females. The urine from a sexually mature male also has quite a strong odour.
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. The younger the rabbit is neutered the better, preferably less than six months of age.
3-5 Years Old
Rabbits tend to become a little less active by the time they reach this age. It is said that rabbits also become more affectionate during this period and they will start to trust you more.
It is common for rabbits to be offended and hold grudges against people. The most common sign that a rabbit is upset is when they give you the cold shoulder, ignoring you and refusing to take any treats. Rabbits holding a grudge will also flick their feet and people and urinate in places they normally wouldn't.
Depending on the severity of the offence, a rabbit can hold a grudge from hours to several days. Sometimes, a simple stroke on the forehead or an apologetic treat can remedy a miffed bunny, but if your rabbit is truly offended, they can sulk for quite some time!
Both male and female rabbits can spray around your home or their hutch, but the behavior is most common in unfixed males. However, it's important that you can distinguish rabbit spraying from other urinary problems. Spraying is slightly different to other types of inappropriate urination.
According to [65], the colour of rabbit semen is white with the intensity dependent on the concentration of the sperm.
Rabbit pee can be many different colors and still be healthy pee. 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.
The best way to avoid dealing with unwanted urination behaviors is to have your rabbit spayed or neutered. These procedures remove the reproductive organs that are responsible for the production of hormones that can play a role in territorial behaviors.
It is considered especially dangerous because it can damage the cervical vertebrae and subsequently the spinal cord, which may lead to serious and irreparable spinal cord injury.
Give your bunny a couple of weeks to settle in. Provide several litter boxes of different sizes with low entrances in the areas where your pal roams. Seed them with a bit of his or her feces; not enough to make the litter box dirty, just enough to give your rabbit the idea that this is the place to go.
You can help your rabbit calm down by covering their eyes with your hands. During this time, you'll want to speak gently to your rabbit. If your rabbit is familiar with you, then they'll also know your voice. Speaking gently can help your rabbit to understand that there is no danger, and will help them to calm down.
Spayed or neutered rabbits also tend to be more friendly and affectionate toward their pet parents (as well as other pets in the home) and are generally easier to litter box train. Another huge benefit is curbing, or reducing, unwanted behaviors.
There is a good chance that aggression towards the owner will decrease appreciably following neutering. Rabbits go through puberty at 5 to 8 months old. The older they are past this age, the less likely it is that neutering will significantly change their behavior.
Unneutered male rabbits spray, and both males and females are much easier to litter train, and much more reliably trained, after they have been altered.