rabbit has started to pee everywhere

Question
My neutered rabbit has started to go EVERYWHERE except her litter box. She isn't
confined to her cage but will go on her bed and everywhere in her cage but the
litter box. She is a flemish giant about 2 years old and was a rescued bunny who
has just started to do this. I don't want to confine her but I'm not enjoying the
puddles of piddle she is leaving. Any advice would be appreciated!

Answer
Hi Mindy,

Aren't Flemish great rabbits?  I have a pair...one rescue.  Andre "The Giant" is a steel gray hunk of a rabbit....and Chyna "The Big Show" is our fawn colored rescue Flemmie.  They are nearing 30 pounds each.

Since she has been fixed....we can look in some other directions.  First, has anything changed in her home area?  New furniture?  Rearranged the furniture?  Any unfamiliar visitors around her recently?  Soemthing as simple as a different smell from an air freshener can trigger this behavior.  Anything at all that has been changed?  If so, it could just be some territorial behavior.  It's a lot worse in rabbits that haven't been fixed yet but can and does happen even in fixed rabbits.

If nothing has changed, a vet visit is in order.  Could be a urinary tract infection.  An elevated body temp is a sign of that.  I would suggest doing at least a cytology on a urine sample (it's a type of mini-culture looked at under a microscope).  If bacteria is present, a full culture might be in order.

If there are a lot of crystals in the urine, it could be from bladder sludge.  An x-ray can easily show that.  At one time it was thought that a diet too high in calcium was the cause of sludge.  Now we know that isn't necessarily the case.  Some rabbits are prone to sludge/stones same as people.

If there is a problem with the urine, I would suggest a blood panel and pay particular attention to the renal values.  And ask for a titer for E Cuniculi as part of the lab.  This is a protozoan infection that can present itself as a urinary tract infection and is often misdiagnosed as such.  Very few vets have actually seen a real case of EC.  If the titer shows high positive, things need to be looked at carefully.

But my suggestion is to first look closely at anything that could have upset her in her immediate area.  In the wild, rabbit memorize the entire area....every nook and cranny and have marked it with their scent....if something has changed....it might be a natural response.  But pay close attention also to her water intake and her urine output.  The urine is a little thicker than most animals and the color depends on the pigment of her diet.  But many times with sludge, the urine may be as thick as toothpaste.  If nothing has changed in her environment....I would get a physical exam by a rabbit savvy vet.