Bunny Marking

[Manda]

I give my buns full range privileges- well Ms Petunia does not have full roaming privileges yet as she is only 8 weeks and the obvious needs to be done before she can live with Mr Buns who in fact has free range of the house. Mr Buns prefers to stay in his sanctuary(a large bedroom dedicated to everything “bunny” I can see why he doesn’t prefer to stray afar(as in come downstairs to the living room) for fear of what possibly lurks in the corners. I have brought him down before to be apart of the group and he will hang out for a while but eventually he will jump on the couch and pee! Mr Buns has great litter habits(which seem to be wavering in the poop department since Ms Petunia came along rightfully so) My Cinni, every time I took her somewhere she did not want to be she would pee out of anger. Is there a way I can make it so Ms Petunia does not pickup this naughty behaviour? I feel like I have the opportunity to create good habits here and any tips will be appreciated as when she is older and has her free range privileges with Mr Buns she will be willing to come downstairs and hang out but still have good potty habits. Again I cannot stress enough- I am aware she needs to be spayed and bonded before any of this can happen- this is not my first rodeo but it has been 14 years since I have had a baby buns!

Thanks!

[Wick & Fable]

The peeing could be a reaction to being upset by the displacement (taking her somewhere she didn’t want to be), and it could also be from just general marking (placed someplace new; make it smell like her so she feels more safe). Until she’s spayed, this behavior probably won’t go away. You can potentially mitigate it by placing fabrics that already smell like her on those areas so she doesn’t pee there as often. Since this is a result of a new environment and potential hormones, the behavior will naturally subside as she becomes more familiar with everything.

There’s a possibility she’ll learn that peeing on those surfaces is okay, so the key is demonstrating it’s not okay each time she does it. Shooing her or promptly taking her away to her litterbox is a good way to make sure that association is made.

There’s only one place in my home where Wick is blocked off from, and he pees at the barrier wall daily. We’re never there to catch it, so he’s learned it’s okay to pee there occasionally. But for high traffic places like the couch or a main living room area, the habit to pee somewhere is less likely to stick because you can be there to dissuade her from making the connection.

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[Manda]

Thanks Wick! I have noticed since she has settled in that she doesn’t pee on fabrics she has already peed on such as the couch. I had a blanket down that I was using and she made it her mission to pee on it. I did tell her no gently and put her in her potty right after but she didnt seem to care much- she just hopped out and on her merry way she went. When I put her on the bed she goes bananas with pooping but hasn’t peed so hopefully she will get better at that once she is spayed.

[Author]

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