Free range rabbit peeing on sofa

[Hayley]

Hi all,

I have 2 buns, Gin and tonic, that are a year and a half old. Fully litter trained but I have recently made them free range.

While I am at work they are peeing on the sofa in the corner.

Is this because they have more freedom?

They do not do it when I am there, only when I am out.

Any suggestions on how to stop this?

I have read that if I run a cloth over the bun, then on the sofa, so their scent is then present, it may stop it.

I actually think it is Gin that does it. When I check the camera it is him that is having a nice seat! ?

Many thanks

Hayley x

[Sirius&Luna]

Have you thoroughly washed the sofa after the peeing? You don’t want it to turn into a spot that they always pee on.

Otherwise, I would probably block the sofa off while you’re not there – I can’t see any other way of stopping them peeing on it when you’re not there to stop them. You could put puppy pads or blankets on the sofa, but that would reinforce the idea that they could keep peeing on it.

In my experience if I manage to stop my bunny doing something for a couple of weeks by caging an area off, then when I let her near it again she seems to have forgotten the previous problematic behavior.

[Wick & Fable]

If they are not spay/neutered already, it may be difficult to stop them.

If they are, I do suggest the cloth method you mentioned. This worked with Wick. I’d see him actively smell the cloth, then just lay on it.

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.

[Hayley]

Yeah completely cleaned. Same corner every time though!

Yes they have been neutered. I am going to give the cloth ago tonight ?

Thanks for your replies x

[Hayley]

So success! Cloth trick worked a treat! X

[Wick & Fable]

I’m glad it worked out! I will say Wick still had a couple accidents, but it slowly died off and now he doesn’t need the cloth there anymore. If you end up washing the cloth, be prepared to get your rabbit’s scent back on it again because it will seem foreign.

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.

[Willow]

Glad to hear your method worked… hoping I maybe able to seek similar advice.

I have a little male rabbit named willow.

He is trained I have had him since he was 6 months, he was a rescue. So it took him a while. However before he was trained he did try to lay claim to the corner sofa.

Since my boyfriend has moved in he has started again. However now he seems to as I am continuously watching him or cleaning. So we took him to be neutered thinking his would help and also help with other behaviour we had noticed.

The vet said it may take a while for the hormones to die down however he has continually been peeing and leaving droppings on the sofa since.

He’s also started kicking at night and is aggressive towards me. However not my boyfriend.

Please if anyone has any advice.

[Heychelsearae]

Our girl Lola, a 3yo mini rex, started doing this out of nowhere. We always cleaned up after, but she kept doing it. We made that section of the sofa ‘hers’ by laying down her favorite blanket. We were also feeding her dinner there sometimes, so we stopped that as well and she hasn’t peed there since. She actually loves having her own place on the couch and often just binks the second She jumps up onto it!

[Hayley]

How has willow been now? X

[ZKS]

Can you explain this “cloth” trick? I’m desperate to fix this problem with with my buns…

[Sirius&Luna]

@ZKS the cloth trick is where you rub a bit of fabric over the bunny, then either rub it on the sofa or just leave it on the sofa so that their scent is already on the sofa. Because it already smells like them, they’re less likely to pee mark.

This is an old thread though, so feel free to start your own topic where people may give you other tips

[Author]

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