Argh! Help, out of control peeing!

[xpokey77x]

My little Chewie is out of control. She pees on everything! Wooden shelves, anything fleece, including her fleece house and especially the fleece hammocks. Also over the side of the shelves so down the wall and the bars of the cage. I don't know what to do. Because she has been peeing over the back of the shelves, it went down and got onto their ChinSpin. I didn't notice at first because the back faces a wall. I had to take it out, I think it's ruined. The wooden part has pee all over it and then my little boy took to chewing on the wood so over all I think it's done. It only lasted a year

Is there anything I can do to make her stop? My little boy is so good, he pees on the ground in the carefresh in one corner and has for his entire life. She however, pees on everything they own. She was a breeder for the first 6 years of her life so I think it maybe because she never had a huge cage and had to pee in the small breeding run cages. I thought maybe it was because she's too lazy to go all the way to the bottom to go.
She does it right in my face too (not literally). If I'm sitting in front of the cage and talking to them, sometimes she will come hopping down to the big center hammock and look me right in the face while she pees!

ANY suggestions would be appreciated. I'm at a total loss regarding what to do

 

[Rickman]

Maybe you could P.M. Tunes and ask her to mention it to the "in house" vet - Maybe could be a irritation or minor infection!?!

 

[corneliuschins]

Of course Tunes is the all knowing he he he... But, I thought i'd add that she may be the dominant one and is needing to pee to claim her "space". Some also just are not as *clean* as others, and tend to poop and pee more out of the cage than in it. Sometimes it comes from an infection/irritation as Rick said. Sometimes it's just because they can. I don't think chins are as aware of their bodliy functions as like a rabbit or cat might be. You just never know. Sometimes they are good and pick one little space to pee in, and sometimes they just go whenever they have to. It's annoying, and staining, and corroding and destroying, and it's just another one of the great and wonderful things us fur parents have to deal with. I'm not sure that there's a fix to your situation either. I'm sure others will come and give suggestions, because I just don't have any. I'm sorry. I wish you luck in whatever you try though. - Jessica

 

[tunes]

Maybe you could P.M. Tunes and ask her to mention it to the "in house" vet

Of course Tunes is the all knowing he he he...

Jessica - Might want to re-read that. He said to ask the vet, not me personally.

I can honestly say that I have never had a chin do this, even chins that came from ranches that went from very small runs to larger cages. It's been my experience that most chins pick a spot or two and that's usually where they urinate. If I didn't have so many cages, it would very easy to freshen up the cages by simply scooping those particular spots out. I would think there might be the odd "accident" on a leap 'n ledge or house, but not to the degree that you are suggesting. That's not to say there's anything wrong at all, it may be totally normal for her, but it's just different from what I've epxerienced.

Have you noticed the color of the urine? Has this been going on the entire time you've had her or is it a recent development? I can surely ask our vet expert if you would like. Just work up a question and pm me and I will submit it to Angie.

 

[cherylslittleangels]

I had one like her (she passed on a year ago), I called her 'the urinator'. She's pee on EVERYTHING. It didn't matter which cage she was in, the walls behind the cage would be covered in urine on both levels and she was always quick to spray other chins as well. Fortunately she never sprayed me tho. I have some thin press board nailed up all around the walls so that my walls won't get totally destroyed.

 

[Stackie]

I actually have a chin like this. He pees on everything too- shelves, fleece, down the side of the cage, in the food bowl...

I honestly have not found any solution. He is otherwise a normal chinnie- eats, poos, pees, popcorns, runs around. Healthy, never been sick. I've found that it tapers off after awhile though. He was MUCH worse about 6 months ago.

My only suggestion is, use hydrogen peroxide on the shelves to get the pee out, and wash the fleece every few days. It's tedious, and it sucks, but not much else you can do, unless you just want to remove all the fleece. Maybe try moving things around, she may have designated them as peeing spots but if moved it might throw her off and she'll go somewhere else. Or, if they don't use the hammocks, just take them out completely.

 

[Chinniechantel]

I would say to limit the amount of fleece, that is just unsanitary and gross. Try chin chillers velcroed to the shelves? Maybe he should be in a cage with wire shelves! I agree that there really is not much you can do, sorry!

 

[Riven]

She was a breeder for the first 6 years of her life so I think it maybe because she never had a huge cage and had to pee in the small breeding run cages.

I think this is an unfounded assumption. I have runs and my chins don't pee all over in them, they pick on corner.

My suggestion is to make sure she doesn't have infection, and then learn to accommodate it. Put shelves in so they tip down so the pee runs down instead of behind.

 

[starleomach]

I agree make sure she doesn't have an infection then accomidate. I have one total slob here. She pees everywhere

 

[hannamumman]

Smiley is the same but I have actually found that having a lot of fleece in the cage helps as I can wash it on a regular basis. He used to pee on the wood shelves all the time and I would add fleece pillows so now I can just switch them out and wash them. He also will hop into the hammock for one purpose only, to pee...

 

[Cheknnudol]

One of my boys did this when I first moved them into their larger cage. I covered all the longer shelves that he was prone to peeing on in no-sew fleece covers all the way around and switched them out every now and again to wash (similar to liners). I'm not a huge fan of washing the wood itself - I would do what i could to keep it clean obviously but after a while it's just no longer in my control unless I'm dismanteling their beastly cage for soaking on a daily basis - so just putting fleece around them saved me hundreds in shelf replacements. Now that they've been in the larger cage for a while now I've noticed it drop off quite a bit, though this will be put to the test when i swap them to cage liners this weekend and stop putting fleece over the shelves entirely... wish me luck!

 

[xpokey77x]

Thank you all for your suggestions and advice. I have had her checked out and she is perfectly healthy. She's been doing this as long as I have had her. It doesn't seem to have changed much but I think it may increase a bit when she is changed to a new cage so corneliuschins, I think you may have a point. When I was doing intros and put her in his cage she would sit up on her haunches and scoot forward and she was intentionally peeing all over his shelves!
It sounds like there's not really anything I can do beside some changes to help absorb it. Cheknnudol, how did you make the fleece covers for the shelves? I was concerned that the fleece would soak up the urine and hold it against the shelves. Are they single, or double or lined quilting quilting also? And are they held to the shelve by anything? I was also thinking of switching to fleece cage liners in hopes that she will choose those over the shelves. I don't mind making accommodations and I know chins will be chins. I just don't like that she pees on things and then will sleep on them and that her cage mate, who is very clean, does as well. I guess these things are just part of the wonderful world of chin owning.