INTRODUCTION

All rabbit owners have been in this situation, which can be embarrassing if it happens to a visitor or "disgusting" if it happens to us or the children. This type of marking is common in all animals and in rabbits it is most notable for occurring in spraying (just like cats do). 

This type of marking with urine (in spray) is much more common in males than in females and has many causes, it can be very annoying but it can be corrected, and as responsible owners, we must inform ourselves and tackle the problem in order to have a good coexistence.

WHAT CAUSES MY RABBIT TO URINATE ON ME?

There are many causes for our rabbit to urinate on us, these are some of them:

LACK OF EDUCATION:

Have you ever considered the possibility that your rabbit is not educated to urinate in a certain place? If so, you have to start training it as soon as possible, rabbits are very intelligent and many times they learn by themselves but, on other occasions, we have to teach them with a little patience. The first thing we will do is to prepare a place where he can do his business inside his cage or park, for this we will use a corner or a good sized hygienic tray in which our rabbit can fit comfortably, we will put a good absorbent substrate at the base and a grid on top to avoid contact between the faeces and urine and our rabbit's feet. Every time we see that he uses it, we will give him a reward and, if he leaks a wee-wee or a poo outside the corner, we will take it with toilet paper and leave it under the grid. 

Any areas he stains outside the corner should always be cleaned with a bleach- or ammonia-free cleaning product.

FEAR:

According to some vets, this is the main reason why rabbits urinate on the people they live with. They are very sensitive animals and must be treated with great care. If you have not yet gained their trust and suddenly take them in your arms, the rabbit will feel trapped and may unintentionally pee on you.

TERRITORY MARKING AND SEXUAL BEHAVIOUR:

Rabbits are very territorial animals, so if your pet has made a habit of urinating on you every time it approaches you and repeats the same thing with certain furniture in the house, it is very likely that it is carrying out what is known as territorial marking. Other types of marking are scratching (as if they were digging) and rubbing their chin on your body or certain objects in the house; under the chin they have a small gland called a "button" that helps them to do this.

DISEASE:

Of course we should also consider the possibility that the rabbit is suffering from some illness such as stress, kidney failure, diabetes or E.CUNI. If we see that our rabbit urinates more than normal and drinks water in excess, or if we see that it urinates on itself and wets itself continually we have to go to the vet as this is not normal behaviour. 

HOW CAN I STOP MY RABBIT FROM URINATING ON ME OR MY THINGS?

The first thing we have to do is to go to the vet to find out if the cause of our rabbit urinating on us or our things is a disease. Normally the cause is usually due to territoriality or sexual behaviour, so castration is usually the best option. 

In the meantime, we should prevent them from climbing onto sofas or beds for hygiene reasons.

CAN RABBIT URINE BE DANGEROUS TO HEALTH?

This is a doubt that is especially prevalent in Latin American countries, due to myths that rabbit urine is bad for your health, that it causes sterility in females or that it causes them to abort. 

This is not true, the only way that rabbit urine could harm us is by being dirty: never cleaning the area, not ventilating the room... Urine has vapours which can cause irritation to the eyes and mucous membranes, but for this to happen there has to be a lot of urine accumulated over a long period of time in the same place. An owner who is neat, who often cleans his rabbit's bathroom area and ventilates it every day will never have any health problems. If we are immunosuppressed or pregnant it would be advisable to use gloves and a mask when cleaning our rabbit's bathroom, but not only the rabbit's but also that of any other pet for security reasons as the defences are lower. 

CONCLUSION

Urine marking is common in all rabbits (especially in those males with higher levels of testosterone), but it has a solution and is not a reason to get rid of our rabbit.