Rabbits

Why Does My Bunny Pee On Me?

Why Does My Bunny Pee On Me
Written by Mehwish Imtiaz

None of us like having their bun pee directly on us. It is okay if your pet does it a few times, and you can easily relate it to the accident. However, if your pet has developed such a habit, it can become a significant problem.

You will not only be reluctant to pick your bunny up but also will be frustrated by the mess. This will directly impact your relationship with your little cuddle pet. Do not panic. In this article, we are going to address this issue in detail. We will discuss the possible reasons and all the practical solutions that work wonders in stopping your rabbit from peeing on you. So, let’s begin.

Pet rabbits pee on their owners because of several reasons. Sometimes the pee is due to an accident, which is quite normal for me because, after all, rabbits are animals. You can expect this behavior from any of your pets.

Other reasons for bunny peeing on their owner include:

  1. Fear
  2. Trauma
  3. Any medical problem
  4. Marking Its Territory

If your rabbit has a habit of peeing everywhere in the house, including your furniture, grass, and floor, you may check this article:  How To Stop Bunny From Peeing Everywhere? A Complete Guide.

Fear

 If your rabbit pees on you whenever you pick it, this shows a sign of fear. It gets scared because, at that time, your rabbit was not properly socialized. Socialization can be with humans or any of your other pet animals. So, first, make your rabbit comfortable with you.

Try your best to make it recognize you. Socialize it properly. Make your bun get used to people and other animals around them. In this way, you can limit the chance of unethical peeing of rabbits.

Rabbit’s nature reveals sensitivity. If you mishandle them while settling on your arms, your rabbit will involuntarily pee at you. If your rabbit gets habitual of your presence, there is a high chance that it stays calm and does not show any unwanted behavior.

Trauma Medical Problem

Rabbits have the ability to remember any past negative experience of mishandling. This leads to emotional trauma. Always handle your rabbit with great care and confidence.

Your lack of confidence will lead to your nervousness and post mishandling. Once you mishandle your bunny, it will remember you as unsafe. This will generate an innate sense of fear and restlessness whenever you hold it.

If something like this happens, you need to be very consistent in your efforts with your bun.

Any Medical Problem

If your rabbit is peeing on you most of the time, he might not be well. Disproportionate urine cycle represents many health issues, including:

  • Urinary Infections:

Urinary tract infection is a common infection in rabbits and is also known as cystitis. Bacteria cause inflammation in the walls of the bladder or urinary tract. Thus, making it painful to pass the urine.

  • Kidney Diseases:

Kidney diseases are also present in rabbits. Any kidney disease will lead to less control over their urethral muscles. Therefore, urination becomes involuntary.

  • Diabetes

Diabetes is very common in rabbits, especially in obese ones. Diabetes leads to excessive urination in bunnies. So, it is more like a rabbit urinating everywhere than urinating only on you. There can also be other reasons for rabbits urinating everywhere other than its litter box.

  • Urinary Incontinence:

Urination incontinence is a condition in which a rabbit losses its voluntary control over urination. This situation results in accidental leakage of urine. To avoid this, consult your pet’s vet immediately. The most common reasons for urinary incontinence include:

  • Spinal cord injuries
  • Injuries on the cerebellum that is responsible for voluntary actions.

Marking Its Territoty By Leaving Scent

Territorial behaviors are common in rabbits, especially male ones. Marking territory by a bunny is more specifically known as “spraying.” Spraying in rabbits is completely voluntary. It is more common in some rabbits, while some are not so interested in it. Moreover, spraying is more common in breeding seasons or when the rabbit has started to own a new place.

Rabbits pee on sofas or any other place or object, showing all the other creatures that it is their territory.

Normally rabbits are on horizontal surfaces when they need to urinate. On the other hand, when rabbits need to mark their territories, they pee on vertical surfaces. Spraying has a sharp and more pervasive smell than the normal one.

So we can conclude that:

If unwanted urination of your rabbit is infrequent so for sure, you can ignore this. Accidental peeing can often occur in rabbits. But if your rabbit is peeing everywhere every now and then, it’s high time for you to monitor him properly. To avoid this impropriety, take into account the following:

How To Stop Rabbits From Undesirable Peeing

Here are some tips that work wonders in this case if you follow them exactly.

Litter Training Of Rabbit

One best option is to litter train your rabbit. Make a proper litter box for your rabbit to avoid unwanted smells in the house.

The litter box should have a lot of pellets in the bottom. Keep some treats in the litter box because the rabbit usually spends a lot of time there. Keep the litter box in the corner where the rabbit is used to peeing or pooping. Start with a small area. Slowly introduce the rabbit to the whole house and keep multiple litter boxes at different corners of the house.

You can have the detail on litter training your rabbit in this article: How to Litter Train A Rabbit.

Advantages Of Litter Training

  1. The cleanliness of your rabbit’s enclosure will be maintained.
  2. You don’t have to monitor your rabbit’s activities every time.
  3. Your house will be free of the pungent odor of rabbit urine.
  4. Easier hutch cleaning.

Neutering Or Spaying

Sometimes a litter-trained rabbit can leave its poop and urine traces on some areas to mark his territory. Clearly, litter training is not helpful in this condition. So, the best option is to spay or neuter your rabbit.

Being realistic, you can not only rely on litter training your rabbit. This will not give you 100% surety that your bun will not urinate whenever it wants. It is because when territory marking comes into play, litter training is completely out of question.

Also, litter training can be a time-consuming process. So in a short time, you can neuter your rabbit to get fruitful results.

However, only go for it if you do not plan to breed your pet rabbit in the future.

What Is Spaying Or Neutering A Rabbit?

Spaying or neutering is a process in which animals are prevented from reproducing. In females, reproductive organs, i.e., ovaries and uterus, are removed (spaying). While in males, the male reproductive organ testicles are removed. This surgical process in males is known as castration (neutering).

How Does Neutering Help In The Unwanted Urination Of Rabbits?

The process of neutering removes the hormones or reduces their intensity from the male rabbits. Male rabbits are more likely to show territorial behaviors. Females also show but these are less than males. Removing the hormones will reduce sexual activity, and the chance of unwanted peeing will also decrease. When you neuter your rabbit, he will lose most of his territorial tendencies.

Simply put, desexing a rabbit ease its territorial needs.

Having A Trusty Bond With Each Other

As discussed above rabbit’s accidental pee is due to mishandling. You need to have a trusty relationship with your rabbit. Gain your rabbit’s trust and make it realize that it is safe with you. Once the rabbit is comfortable with you, the risk of peeing will reduce.

Rabbits are not too socializing pets. Do not introduce them to strangers in a haphazard manner. Doing this will make your rabbit nervous and threatened. In the worst case, it will cause your pet to lose confidence in you too. Therefore, your bun can urinate out of fear in return.

What To Do If My Bunny Pees On My Bed

Usually, after neutering your bunny, the risk of bunnies spraying urine will decrease. Your bed smells like you, so your rabbit will pee on to it, leaving a scent showing its territory.

Tips To Stop Rabbits From Peeing On The Bed

After following the above steps, sometimes the bunny will pee onto your bed (except for the case of neutering). So, in addition to your training, you must take care of your bed or soft furniture as well. Here are the few tips that can help you solve the problem.

Forbid It Instantly

Whenever you feel your rabbit is about to pee on your bed or sofa, restrict him by saying NO..! Your voice should be loud to tell your pet that something it done is not likeable. Also, forbid it with hand gesture. This will prohibit him from peeing. However, do not be too harsh or rude with your bunny. Doing this will seriously effect your relation with your little fur ball.

Clean The Surface

Immediately clean up the surface of the bed to avoid further stinking. If your bunny has accidentally peed on your bed, show it dislike for its behavior. Remove the poop and wash the surface. Remove the wastes with a paper and place them in the litter box. In this way, your rabbit will get the idea where the deed should be done.

What If Cleaning Is Not Done Instantly?

If cleaning is not done at the very moment, your rabbit will get used to its scent. Therefore, it will do it again and again.

A Game Changing Tip

You can absorb your rabbit’s urine in a small cotton pad or paper. Put the cotton or paper in the litter box. Doing this will indicate your rabbit its true territory. So, it will avoid such behaviours in future.

How To Clean Rabbit Pee Properly?

If the urine spots are small, you can use white vinegar or baking soda. In this way, you are eliminating your rabbit’s scent and neutralizing the territory.

Use a waterproof mattress as they are easy to clean in case of an accident.

You can also use a mattress protector. So, the urine will not pass from it to your bed.

You can easily remove the pee stains on the floor by washing.

Do Rabbits Pee When They Are Excited?

Yes, sometimes rabbits do pee in excitement. Whenever you give them treats or feed them, they will get excited and sometimes pee in excitement. You can consider it normal because it falls in the accident category.

Conclusion

You see, peeing behavior in rabbits can be easily controllable. If you think your rabbit is being stanch, figure out the reason patiently. Once you know the reason, you can easily work on the solution.

I hope this article helped you solve the problem. In case of any other query, you may drop the comment or contact us through email. We would be happy to help.