Do Rabbits Pee When Excited? {How To Stop Them}

My rabbits used to pee when I arrived home. Do rabbits pee when excited?

Do you want to know how I stopped it? What are other reasons why rabbits pee where they shouldn’t?

In this article, we’ll talk about rabbit urine and the feelings or behaviors attached to its causes in random occasions.

Do Rabbits Pee When Excited?

Yes. A rabbit pees as part of its way of communicating. Excitement is one such reason for the spraying or releasing of rabbit urine.

Intense emotions of fear, excitement and happiness may cause a rabbit to pee uncontrollably. You might get peed on or they might spray an area around the horse or hutch as a sign of marking territory as well.

A rabbit wants to possess you as their partner in many cases and will pee to mark this occasion of territory claiming which could include you as well.

Do Rabbits Pee When Scared?

Yes. Rabbits can vocalize a loud scream when they are fearful of their life and they may lose their own bodily functions of being able to hold in their bladder as well.

Urine may get released out of fear. A rabbit has so many predators in the wild and needs to use their speed and stealth-like silence in many cases to escape.

If a rabbit feels cornered, they may pee out of fear feeling that this is the end of their road.

Rabbits may also pee to:

  • Mark their territory
  • Show excitement
  • Spray a mate to mark her as his property
  • Signify that you are their as well with urine

This means you might get peed on as a sign that your rabbit wants to let you know that you are matched with them and bonded forever. Sounds sweet, but it definitely isn’t preferred to get pee on us.

Do Rabbits Spray When Excited?

Spraying urine is more of a sign of marking territory, Males pee on females to mark them and let others know that this rabbit is taken.

I have been peed on countless times by my male rabbit who wanted to claim me as his. After he got neutered, this action ceased and we were finally pee free.

He also peed when we entered the home with happiness and greeted him loudly with excitement. Now, we walk in more calmly and greet our rabbits with gentle tones.

This allows them to relax and feel relief to see us rather than jump for joy and mirror our own exciting tone which could also result in them peeing uncontrollably.

Are Rabbits Territorial?

Yes. Rabbits a highly territorial and they use their pee to mark their:

  • Hutch
  • Property
  • Mate
  • You

Rabbits may also use their scent glands under their chin and rub it on objects or territories to claim it for themselves. They may also rub their chin on their partner to signify the bond is more than just physical. Scent is arguably the strongest sense in many animals including rabbits.

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Why Does My Rabbit Pee On Me?

Rabbits pee on you to make you a part of their social group or partner for life. They want to make sure no other rabbits show up suddenly and think they can take you away from them.

You are part of your rabbit’s clan now and they want to show that with pee. Thankfully, this stops with neutering or spaying and with a few social, social and environmental changes that you can make to discourage it.

Reason why Rabbits Pee

1. Hormonal Changes

When rabbits develop hormones through sexual maturity they express it in peculiar ways. One such method is spraying urine on their mate or even us.

Hormones may also a cause to act out in such ways:

  • Aggression
  • Hissing
  • Mourning
  • Chewing excessively on things they shouldn’t

When Do Rabbits Reach Sexual Maturity?

The numbers below are based on breed sizes and averages. Here we display them for you reference, but expectations are always occurring when rabbits mature faster based on their environment, genetics or other factors

  • Small breed rabbits: 3.5 to 5 months.
  • Medium-sized breed rabbits: 4 to 6 months.
  • Large breed rabbits: 5 to 8 months

As you can see, the smaller the rabbits are, the more likely it is that they will mature earlier.

2. Displeased

A disgruntled rabbit may release some pee out of anger or frustration. You might get peed on here as well.

You might also see them chewing on cage bars, stomping their feet or refusing contact. Hissing or grunting may be heard as well.

How Do I Know If My Bunny Is Mad?

Your rabbit could be showing you with sign language that he or she is made. Here are some examples:

  • The body is tense.
  • Vocalizations
  • Their incisors are on display
  • ignoring you for a time.

A rabbit could get made because they are feeling:

  • Bored
  • Often overlooked
  • Not handled properly
  • They are dissatisfied with their confinement
  • Petted in places they don’t want to be petted
  • Surprisingly or unexpectedly picked up
  • Being handled when they do not want to be

Is My Rabbit Peeing Out Of Fear?

Possibly. Fear, trauma or being startled are often reasons why a rabbit might unexpectedly start peeing all of a sudden.

Other reason include:

  • Excitement
  • Urinary incontinence (not being able to hold their urine)
  • Pain
  • Stress
  • Marking territory
  • Urinary tract infection
  • Kidney disease

If the peeing is uncontrollable and continues like this for days at a time, then a visit to the vet is recommended to see if there are medical reasons and not just hormonal, social or environmental factors causing it.

How Do I Get My Rabbit to Stop Peeing on Me?

A rabbit who is peeing on you could be marking you as their mate or territory. You can stop this by getting a male rabbit neutered.

You can also litter train rabbits to make sure they know where the right place to pee is located. They may find that spot and it’s up to you to correct it or place a litter box in their preferred location.

Your rabbit might be too excited to see you or scared. Both reasons can be discouraged or helped by moving slower, speaking gentler to them and overall action in the home that is more calm around them.

If these tips do not help, there might be a medical condition causing your rabbit to not be able to control their own urine.

Frequently Asked Questions:

1. Why does my rabbit pee on my bed?

When they are claiming their area, your rabbit could pee on your bed. They leave their fragrance by urinating on it. Your rabbit may perhaps be too young to manage his or her bladder. They may have a medical concern in rare situations.

2. How often do rabbits pee?

Your rabbit may be peeing more than normal, but it may appear that they are just doing a tiny bit at a time. A healthy rabbit will pee between 2 and 8 times each day, therefore compare this to your rabbit’s urinary patterns.

Conclusion

All rabbits will experience enthusiastic urination at some point or another. The trick is to recognize when it’s happening and intervene to see whether it’s developing into a learned habit.

You may stop your rabbit from believing that making enthusiastic pee is what they ought to do by taking action. You can successfully train them to just urinate in their assigned areas and use a litter box.

 

Thank you for visiting PocketPetCentral.com for the best information to help you enjoy the life of your pocket pet companion in a fun, safe & healthy way.

Anna

My name is Anna and I work full time in my local pet shop where we sell many animals that I write about on this site. I love all animals and love writing about them.