White pee..

Question
Hi, my netherland dwarf Chester is 7 months old and has been very good to me. He is peeing on my bed and other beds he is around and shatters his feces now. Also, I've seen a thick whitish pee around his other pee. Until now he has been very good with his liter training and only used his cage for the bathroom. I feed him 3 palm fulls of pellets a day with fresh water whenever it is needed, and he gets unlimited amounts of alfalfa hay and a generous amount of lettuce per day. He isn't neutered yet either. I am planing on taking him to the vet if this continues. Also, his appetite is normal.

Answer
Hi Rajiv,

Chester is a hormone enraged teenage bunny.  He is in his sexual prime.  Male rabbits are very territorial and he is using urine and poop to mark "his" territory.  Neutering will stop this.  It will not stop immediately after the neuter since it takes some time for the hormones to purge from his system....and accordingly, the older he is when neutered, the longer it takes for this behavior to subside.

As far as the color of his urine....that is usually directly related to the color of the food he eats.  Also, rabbits metabolize calcium differently than any other animal and you are probably seeing lots of calcium being passed due to his diet.  There is some evidence that rabbits that get a diet high in calcium are prone to bladder sludge and/or stones.  Their urine will be quite concentrated.  The white coloring of his urine is most likely calcium crystals being passed due to the alfalfa hay.

So having said that, let's look at his diet.  At his age, he should be on an adult diet of very limited pellets, unlimited grass hays and limited greens.  A rabbit digestive system is designed for a low protein, high fiber diet.  Too many pellets (they are too high in protein and most have lots of calcium) will result in some digestive system issues.  Alfalfa hay has high calcium and calorie levels.  It will also result in having an overweight rabbit with dental issues.  NDs are very prone to obesity and to dental issues.  I would suggest slowly converting him over to an adult diet.  Our NDs get less than 1/8 cup pellets per day.  They get limited greens...with a ND, one leaf of romaine lettuce (no iceburg), a couple of leaves of dandelion greens or some sprigs of parsley....no more than 1/2 cup of greens or thereabouts.  He should also be converting from the high calorie, high calcium  alfalfa to the lower protein, high fiber grass hay such as timothy, orchard grass, oat or brome (to name a few).  This diet will lower the calcium levels and hopefully reduce the chance of urinary issues down the road.  It will also keep his weight in check.  The liver and kidneys take a pounding from fat in an obese rabbit.  And lots of hay is the primary way to keep the ever growing teeth worn down....and NDs are notorious for severe dental issues.

So...the answer to your question directly is:
1-Get him neutered to eliminate the "boy bunny" behavior.  Note that not all vets can safely neuter a rabbit.  It is sometimes very difficult to find a rabbit savvy vet.  Protocols/drugs used with dogs and cats are many times harmful or fatal to rabbits.
2-Modify his diet to low protein (very limited pellets and no treats) and high fiber (unlimited amounts of various types of grass hays).

Randy