why is my pet rabbit's urine red?

Answer 1

blood!!!!!! he is an alien!!!

Answer 2

If you do some quick research on the net, you'll see that red urine is quite normal in rabbits, and is caused by eating certain foods. If the urine is a uniform red colour, then there is nothing to worry about. If the urine has clots or streaks of darker red in lighter urine, then this would indicate blood clots, and should be seen by a vet straight away.

Answer 3

My rabbit had greens today for the first time, and his urine was red. This is a little scary, but he is playful as always, so I am pretty sure that the color of the urine is a result of the pigments in the greens. See below:

The normal color of urine from rabbits is yellow. Sometimes the urine can become red, pink, brown, or orange. This condition, often simply called "red urine," can occur in healthy rabbits as well as those who are ill.

Causes of red urine

Plant pigments: In healthy rabbits, the red color of urine can be due to porphyrins and other plant pigments that have not all been identified. Sometimes diets with large amounts of plants high in beta-carotene, such as carrots and spinach, can cause the reddish discoloration. Ingestion of pine or fur needles has resulted in red urine as well. The discoloration is unpredictable: two rabbits may be on the identical diet, and one may have red urine, and the other not. Generally, the changes in urine color caused by diet are intermittent and only last 2-3 days.

Antibiotics: The administration of some antibiotics may increase the levels of pigments in the urine.

Stress: Some have suggested that stress or even a change of season may result in reddish discolored urine in some rabbits.

Dehydration: Dehydration will concentrate the urine, causing it to become darker in color and intensifying any pigmentation that is present.

Blood: If the red coloration is due to hematuria (the presence of blood in the urine), it is a sign of disease in the urinary tract, such as:

Kidney or bladder infection
Kidney or bladder stones
Kidney or bladder cancer
Bladder polyps
Blood in secretions from the uterus or vagina normally appear as a bloody discharge on the vulva, or as several bloody drops before or after urination. If the rabbit is not seen urinating, the blood may appear to be uniformly mixed in the urine found in the cage. Secretions from the reproductive tract that may cause red urine in nonspayed females may be due to:

Endometrial hyperplasia (thickening of the lining of the uterus)
Uterine infection
Uterine cancer
Uterine polyps
Abortion
Bilirubin and urobilinogen: In very rare instances, the discoloration of the urine may be due to the presence of chemicals called bilirubin and urobilinogen. Increased levels of bilirubin and urobilinogen may be found in the blood and the urine if the rabbit has liver disease or her blood cells are being destroyed.

Answer 4

Unless you gave it food coloring, it shouldn't be. Rabbits have a fragile digestive system. If they are blocked or anything goes wrong with their tract, you have less than 24 hours to get them to an experienced vet. Rabbits cannot throw up so if something is tearing inside it has to pass. Hairballs can be dissolved with meds, other stuff requires surgery. Mine eat a lot of carrots and I never see orange or red urine. I would suggest putting your bunny in his carrier and get to the animal hospital ASAP!

Answer 5

if you check rabbit sites rabbits urine can range in color from brown to yellow to red. its normal for it to be different colors. i would look for other symptoms if your bunny is ill like eye or nasal discharge, skin irritation, sores on the feet, irregular hopping, head tilt, eating or drinking behavior that has changed, etc.

edit: the folks that have replied that it is blood in the urine are incorrect and do not have rabbits. i have experience with 5 rabbits and red urine is not a problem.

Answer 6

Rabbit's urine can be naturally red.

If the over all colour is red, this is just pigment. If it is blood it would look like streaks of red in otherwise yellow urine.

Shame how many people are unaware of this fact about rabbits.

Chalice

Answer 7

'bloody' urine turn out to be porphyrin-pigmented basic urine or a sanguineous vaginal discharge associated with uterine adenocarcinoma, polyps, or abortion. Thick white urine containing reddish-orange pigment is indicative of an excess of dietary calcium."
Red urine is a descriptive term for the condition where a rabbit's urine varies in color from the normal pale yellow to dark yellow, carrot orange, brown, or bright red. Red urine is not a medical problem. The color usually returns to normal within one to three days, although I have had a couple of rabbits take three to four weeks before their urine returned to the pale yellow color. White urine may be due to excess calcium in the diet; if it stays white for many days you may want to discuss your rabbit's diet with your veterinarian. Dark urine resulting from heat stress or dehydration may require fluid therapy

Answer 8

In most cases it will be blood- please bring him into the vet as soon as possible! Could be kidney or bladder infection, kidney or bladder stones, kidney or bladder cancer, or bladder polyps.

All can be fatal if you don't bring your bun to the vet. If you can bring a sample of urine to the vet with you. You can catch it using a wide/shallow container. All you need is about 1 tablespoon for your vet to run a UA (Urine Analysis) and about 1/4 of a tablespoon to run a strip test to determine if the discoloration is blood, bilirubin, or urobilinogen.

In very rare instances, the discoloration of the urine may be due to the presence of chemicals called bilirubin and urobilinogen. Increased levels of bilirubin and urobilinogen may be found in the blood and the urine if the rabbit has liver disease or her blood cells are being destroyed.

Answer 9

My guinea pigs had red urine and had to have stones removed at the vets.

It may very well be Bladder Stones.

Take to the vet because, whatever it is, red urine isn't a good sign!

Answer 10

That's probably blood.... take your rabbit to a vet, NOW, and keep him away from other rabbits in the mean time.

Answer 11

that would be blood in his urine i would get him to a vet asap that specializes in rabbits