Male pet rat urinating too much

Question
Hi
I have two 5/6 month old rats and I'm a bit worried about 1 of them his names Boo and he seems to be urinating anywhere and everywhere. At first we just thought it was because he's the dominant male, which he is as our other rat Pippin is very timid. But we've noticed that Boo will literally urinate on everything even as he is walking he leaves a trail everywhere. We used to allow him time to play in our bedroom but he has started to make it smell as his urine is quite strong. We do still let him play out of his cage but only in the bathroom. We have had rats before and although there was the dominant male also, they didn't seem to be this bad..
Now we are worrying incase he maybe ill, he does drink a lot of water too an he has a good appetite and is always very playful. But do you have any advice on what could be causing him to urinate this much? Is he just too hormonal as a male rat or should we take him to a vet?
Thank you for your advice, it's much appreciated.

from amanda x

Answer

Its hard to really say if he has a urinary tract infection or if he is just marking his turf. He is fast approaching the age of puberty which is around 6 to 8 months of age and this is when males tend to mark more. Rats also mark their area with urine to use as a trail back to their nest. They do this more often when they are in a foreign area such as a room they have never been in or a strange cage.  

On the other hand, frequent urination could indicate a urinary  tract infection and you said his urine is stronger than before which an indication of infection as well.
With an UTI you may also seen blood in the urine which is referred to as hematuria. Have you noticed any change of color?