Do Female Rabbits Spray Urine?

Territory marking is one of the natural rabbit behaviors besides digging and chewing. Being social animals, they use this behavior to claim what is theirs and warn other bunnies or send a message that whatever they have marked is theirs and they should keep off. 

There are various ways of marking territory including chinning, scattering fecal pellets as well as urine spraying. We will be examining whether does or female bunnies spray or not in this post. 

Do female bunnies spray? 

Yes.  Does or female rabbits can spray urine to mark their territory, i.e., "mature, unneutered males spray urine, and both males and females (even those who are reliably litterbox-trained) may leave what many owners tactfully refer to as “calling cards" [1]

However, this rarely happens. They will do so if they have to compete with their mate and it can happen in cages, walls, items, even on you (in such a case, your bunny is not peeing on you but marking you as its property). Furthermore, it happens even to the litter-trained does. 

However, this should be distinguished from inappropriate urination which is caused by medical and environmental factors. Spraying is characterized by urination on a vertical surface and the urine will tend to have a strong odor as opposed to ordinary urine. 

Sometimes, some people have complained about their rabbit spraying white urine. The whitish appearance is the calcium that is in their urine. These animals have to eliminate excess calcium if they eat too much since the amount absorbed is relative to the amount available in their feeds.

Dealing with urine odor

If you want to get rid of the obnoxious smell, you should consider cleaning the area with a mixture of water and vinegar. Alternatively, go for the more effective commercial bunny hutch cleaners and deodorizers such as Kaytee Clean Cage Safe Deodorizer, Natural Chemistry Healthy Habitat or Professional Strength Cleaner, Stain Remover, Deodorizer, Odor Eliminator for Small Animals.

Will neutering stop spaying 

Yes. It will stop or at least reduce this tendency since marking as a whole is often triggered by sexual hormones. Once your doe has been spayed, it will definitely stop or tremendously. 

Besides, neutering has many behavioral benefits including reduced aggression, reduced desire to mate, a longer lifespan, as well as reduced chances of uterine cancers. 

Finally, if you intend to breed your doe, neutering is not an option. In such a case, housing your does separately,  bunny-proofing your home, covering walls, and so on will be some of the ways to deal with this behavior.