spaying and change in litter box habits

Question
QUESTION: hi dana. im wondering if you could help me figure this out. my tripod bun(shes missing a hind leg) was spayed on may 10th. everything went smoothe. before her spay her litter box habbits were very good. no accidents on the floor or in her crate which shes put in every night while we sleep. after she came home from the surgery i kept her crated for a few days while she recovered which she really didnt seem to mind. she had some accidents in there but i just figured she was too uncomfortable to jump into her box. after she was back out and about during the day her litter box habbits were fine. theres never any urine on the floor and if she goes into her crate during the day just to flop she doesnt have any accidents, but shes still piddling in her crate at night after she is put to bed. every morning there are spots of urine around the box but randome spots as well which never happened before the spay except for the ones where her bum might have been hanging over the box and she missed. do you have any idea as to why she might be doing this or some suggestion as to what i can do to get her back on track? where the urine spots are randome im so so concerned about her foot getting wet if she standing in it at some points during the night. she did have a minor issue with the beginnings of a hock about 3 months after her amputation. the fur is gone on that spot and it does become red at times but is never open. im always so worried about that foot. thankyou in advance for any info or advice you might have for us....michelle

ANSWER: Dear Michelle,

Unfortunately, your bunny has discovered that she likes to piddle in that comfy box, and she sees no good reason to go outside for it, once she's bedded down.  Rabbits often make minor behavioral changes like this when circumstances in their lives change (e.g., the spay), and--to be honest--there's not a whole lot you can do to change her mind about this.

What you *can* do is provide a surface that won't collect urine and cause a problem for urine burn.  For this, I'd recommend lining her crate with artificial fleece (highest pile) from PalacePet.com  It is *excellent* for wicking away urine from the surface and keeping bunny dry.  We use this for all our crippled bunnies who can't get away from their pee, and they stay very dry and comfortable.

We use a layer of towels under the fleece to absorb the urine, and you can line the very bottom of the crate with a rinsable plastic liner (e.g. a bit of carpet runner plastic protector--something stiff works best).  Get a few sets of towel/fleece so you can launder them as they become soiled and keep her crate fresh and smelling nice.

I hope that helps!

Dana

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

QUESTION: hi dana..thankyou for all the advice on how to keep her dry. i justed to make sure that you understood that her crate is actually a dog crate 44 in long by 28 in deep so its really big. she does have a litter box in there. if she goes in during the day just to flop, she will use the box.. the door is only closed at night while we sleep for safety reasons..thats when shes peeing in there but never did that before her spay..it was always dry in there in the am when i opened the door to let her out. i just wanted to make sure you understood that because after i read what i posted to you i realized i was very wordy and may not have been clear enough..sorry to bother you again. i know you must be flood with questions daily..thankyou, michelle

Answer
Hi, Michelle,

That *is* weird behavior.  Not sure I can really explain that, since she does use her litterbox when she's able to go in and out of the crate.  

I wonder if doing an experiment might help solve the mystery:  allow her complete freedom at night, as you do during the day.  If she doesn't piddle in the crate when she's free, maybe she's just doing some subtle form of "acting out" to protest being crated?

It's a thought.  But other than that, I really haven't heard of this before (specifically) and can't explain why she'd do this only at night.

Wish I could be of more help!

Dana