Help! Bun peeing on me when on couch.

[prince dorian the bun]

Dorian is a young (under 2 years old) neutered bun. He has impeccable litter habits, as in they have been 100% for peeing from day one. We had some sleepy and excited bun poops when I first got him around six months, but even those are pretty rare these days. Mostly just a pellet or so he kicks out while getting too rambunctious in the litter. But then there is the couch… I tried a few times in the beginning with different tactics, one to have it as neutral smelling as I could get it, the other was to let him hang out on a blanket a bunch before the couch and then use that as a couch cover so it had his smell. Long story short, we would have piles of poos and then he’d pee and I would give up and go back to sticking a x-pen around it. I would really like not to have a fence around the couch, so I tried again yesterday evening. I was on the couch and he initially was just excited to hop on it and then hop off and run around super excited. Eventually he decided to come up and sit on my lap (lucky I had a blanket over it). He was super snuggly and a little wiggly, the all of a sudden he start going crazy licking my arms (he is a licker, and was licking a bit before… but this was like mad washing versus a quick lick lick) . About that time I smelled pee, I am pretty sure he did it right before the mad licking.  I just don’t get it.

He does hop on my bed, he has not had any issues there… if anything my bed smells so much more like me than the couch. My couch is also small and not one of those squishy ones. If I could figure out what was triggering it I would maybe be able to fix it. I mean we are back to the x-pen fence for now, but I would like to just let it be open and maybe just block it when we aren’t on it. Any suggestions appreciated. (except the move his litter there, he seems to go the most on my lap… that’s just not going to work).

[Trixieandcookies]

Is the couch used like did you buy it used? Sometime if the previous owner had a pet who peed on the couch and there is still that tiny smell that only the bun bun can smell that could be it. But if not it could be your clothes or maybe it has the scent of another one of your pets? I know my bunny does not like the cats scent and she’ll chin things that they have rubbed on.(Her and the cats are mortal enemies but her best friend is my dog lol) I know he pees more on your lap then the couch but only on when you are on the couch. Has he just started doing this?

I am no expert but i hope this helps 🙂

[prince dorian the bun]

@Trixieandcookies it’s a new couch… well new as in I am the first owner. I did have a cat previous to Dorian (I think we got him about 5 months after she passed away), it is possible she had peed on the couch as she was having health issues towards the end. Though really she wasn’t allowed on the couch much for this reason and I did always put on pee pads, but it would be over a year ago. There are other areas where I know for sure she did that he couldn’t care less about. He also lives in her old room and decided he likes a couple of her toys, so I don’t think her scents the issue (if any still lingering). Oddly I have only seen him chin something once and it was from a friend who was fostering a bun and had given me a couple of his old toys. I had to throw one of them out as he really seemed annoyed by it 😀

I have tried the couch time maybe 4 or 5 times now, each time in failure and I usually give it a couple weeks if not a month between attempts. The one previous to this was almost 2 months ago actually, I was hoping long enough he’s be over what ever sets him off. As for my clothes, they were the same ones I’d been wearing all day and he’d been crawling over me when I was sitting on the floor. There is the blanket, but he has peed on that before… so if he smells anyone it’s his own naughty bunself. Granted I have washed it a couple times since then, so most likely it just smells like me if anything.

Oh and I have only let him on the couch when I am on the couch. I am wondering what would happen if I am not actually.

Thanks!!

[Trixieandcookies]

Hmm It could be the blanket but probably not. Maybe its just a habit? Honestly I am clueless what it is🤔 You should see what he does when you are not on the couch. I wish I knew what it was so I could help!

I hope everything goes well!😊

 

[prince dorian the bun]

Thanks @Trixieandcookies , appreciate the support! If he keeps being a little bugger we will just have a fenced off couch, not my ideal, but it is what it is. The things we do for our buns!! 😀

[DanaNM]

Couches do tend to smell very strongly of humans so they seem to be a problem for some buns.

I’ve seen these couch protectors that I think are meant for dogs. I wonder if something like that might help? Both with blocking the triggering smells and making clean up easier?

. . . 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.  

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