bunny urinating outside of litter boxes and drinking more than usual

Question
QUESTION: Hi Dana,

I have a question regarding my 2 1/2 (at least) year old California bunny.  Lately, especially since the weather has gotten cold here and I have a mobile radiator heater on, my bunny has periods of time in the past 3 weeks where she drinks an inordinately large amount of water (2 to 2 1/2 times as much as usual), then proceeds to urinate in her litter boxes as well as all around her cage.  Disturbingly enough, she did this right in front of me last time, into an already existing pool or urine in her cage.  Is she mad at me and acting out, could this be due to the heater (which she seems to like to sit near), or is it a medical problem?  She also seems to have an increased propensity to chew on any food she can get her bunny teeth on, such as veggies that are getting ready to be put in the compost pile, houseplants, and I have even caught her chewing on her cedar shavings.  What could be happening and what would you recommend?

Thanks in advance for your advice,
Audrey

ANSWER: Dear Audrey,

As strange as this may sound, your bunny needs a dental exam.  You'll need to find an experienced vet who can look *deep* into the mouth to check her molars for spurs.  These are sharp points that can develop if a bunny isn't eating enough hay to keep the teeth flat, and they can be so painful and irritating that a bunny will (1) start to have very picky eating habits and (2) sometimes drink an inordinate amount of water in an attempt to soothe the sores in the mouth.  (The excessive drinking will, of course, lead to lots of urine.)

She may be acting out to "tell" you that she's in discomfort, so the sooner you get her to an experienced rabbit vet who can check and fix the molars, the better.  Please read:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/dental.html

and find a good vet here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

That said, excessive drinking and excessive urination can also be a sign of renal disease.  If it turns out that the teeth are fine, then please ask the vet to do bloodwork and a urine specific gravity test to be sure her kidneys are working fine.  But the combination of drinking, odd behavior and unusual chewing suggest to me that this could be a dental problem, and I'd check that first.

Hope this helps.

Dana

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Dear Dana,

Thanks for being so informative and for even adding further links for me to learn more about my rabbit,
Beatrice.  (She definitely thanks you as well!)  I had a follow-up question as well, that is a prompted by your response.  I have also recently been putting Beatrice on a small "diet" of sorts as she seemed to be moving beyond what seemed a healthy weight.  Whereas I used to give her a handful of kibble and a very healthy dose of hay (2-3 handfuls), which she used to completely finish, I have lowered the amount to 3/4 a handful kibble, a handful of hay, along with occasional supplements of a fresh veggie (ie, spinach, 2-3 baby carrots, a fruit).  Also, she doesn't consistently drink without unseemly abandon, such as yesterday, when she seemed more regular in her intake of water.  So my questions are these:  1)  does her inconsistency in water intake and the fact that I  have put her on a diet make this behavior somewhat more indicative of a behavior issue, 2) I read that rabbits should be given as much hay as they wish to eat, is this true?  Regardless, I think I do need to get her a regular vet here.  I look forward to hearing from you again.

Thanks so much for your advice and Happy Christmas wishes from Audrey and Beatrice

Answer
Dear Audrey,

Her water intake may change with the seasons.  Cooler weather usually means less drinking.  But her diet could use some adjustment, from the sound of it.  Please read this for an overview of a good, balanced rabbit diet:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/diet.html

Hope that helps!  Hoppy Holidays!

Dana