rabbit pees on carpet when were watching him

Question
Hi Dana,

We have a 2-year old male lionhead (house rabbit) whose litter habits have changed in the past month.  He now uses his litterbox AND deliberately pees in front of us, while we're watching.  Is he seeking attention?  He knows this is bad, because when we react, he hops away "shivering" his tail as if he's amused.  We live in a condo, and he easily finds a hiding place after we catch him being bad.  

We've added a second cage to give him more options, but he still pees in front of us.  We clean each cage twice a day.  

Thanks for your time and your advice,
Adrienne

Answer
Dear Adrienne,

Yep, your smart little guy has found a new way to entertain himself:  getting attention from you by doing something naughty!  And the "wiggy tail" is a bunny's way of giving a naughty giggle that says, "And there's nothing you can do about it, either!"

Sadly for him, there is.  Neutering will help curb this behavior, if it's really getting bad.  This will also allow you to let him pick a spayed mate from among the needy rescues at your local rabbit rescuer's foster home:

www.rabbit.org/chapters

to keep him busy and less bored and needy of your attention when you might be too busy to give it.

Please also read:

www.rabbit.org/health/spay.html

Hope that helps!

Dana