litter training

[bugsy]

Hiya my beloved Bugsy is 4 months old, and was litter trained, we have recently moved and currently he is living with me in my bedroom, he has the freedom of the bedroom all day and night, the only problem is he likes to wee and poo on my bed when i am out.  He still uses his litter tray but when i’m not there he goes on a rampage!!  Can anyone help as i don;t want to put him in a hutch while im at work.  thanks

[Elena Niznik]

Hiya nice name!! so cute! a few ppl have had this problem of their bunnies going poop or pee on their sofa or bed, if you look in the behaviour section of the forum you will find lots of help for your answers. One of the ppl on here ( anitastark) suggested rubbing your bunny with a damp cloth and transferring the scent onto your bed that way your bunny will smell him self and maybe not scent mark. She also suggested gently pushing your bunnies head down when ever u catch him/ her in the act that way they will get the idea that this is your area and they arent to claim it. Hope that helps if now contact anitastark she will have lots of info for you.

[bugsy]

Thanks for the information, unfortunately when he wees we are out of the room, i do catch him pooing well i chase him round the bed which is funny! i have noticed since we have moved he nibbles my feet which can hurt and he has stopped binkying, do you think he is unhappy with the small space, and having to stay in his hutch while im at work, i still feel rotten about it as for 3 months he never lived in his hutch and now he seems to be in there permanently.  take care sam

[Elena Niznik]

He is maybe just a bit unsettled. The only thing I would suggest is try and get him into some sort of routine so that he knows whats coming. He might be a little stressed with his new environment but im sure he will adjust soon. As for him being unhappy I really dnt know. A rountine should help him become litter trained again and help him settle in and when he is comfortable he will soon be binkying again.

Sometimes rabbits nip to say hello and other times its simply just to say “outta my way” Binkybunny gave me advice on a similar problem Whenever he nips you too hard let out a loud squeak ,that should stop him ( rabbits only hear shrill squeaks when another rabbit is dying) or if you want to talk to him in bunny language turn your back to him, but look round every now and then so he knows its ok to approach.

[Elena Niznik]

I just noticed that your bunny is quite young it could also be because he is a big bag of hormones and his acting like a teenager. I have only ever had an older rabbit so I dnt know much about hormonal bunnies.

[bugsy]

actually another thing he does that is puzzling he cleans my legs (trousers) or my pillow is this natural, why does he do it?

[Elena Niznik]

rabbits groom each other to be nice and form bonds so he is telling u that he likes you, (i think)

[BinkyBunny]

Welcome Bugsy Malone!!!     Tallullu has given you some great advice.  Some of what I’ll be advising will be confirming what has already  been said.

First – your bunny is reaching sexual maturity and this is the time when the hormones drive territorial behavior – which can include marking.  If spreading your bunnies scent doesn’t help, then you will have to claim the bed as ONLY yours.  The only way you can do this is to not allow your bunny on the bed when you are there and block your bunny from the bed when you are not there.  Once he gets it, he can then be allowed on your bed.  But I wouldn’t allow him on there for at LEAST two weeks.

Note: Neutering your bunny will help tremendously with this problem, though you still need to train even an altered bunny.

Second – I am always recommending x-pens because they allow enough freedom during confinement.  Maybe you can look into that.  

Third – Anytime you change things around, whether it be moving or just moving your furniture, you still need your bunny to understand what is "his" place versus a more neutral place that he is not allowed to mark in.  One way to do this is to make the x-pen or whatever is "his" place be just his.  This means you don’t reach in to move things around while he’s in there. So for example, change his water, his litterbox, etc, while he is out running around.   Don’t reach in to pet him while he’s in there either.  Again you won’t always have to do this, but during training or retraining.

Also, it’s a good idea to let him get into and out of  his space/pen on his own.   Meaning don’t pick him up to place him there.   It’s best to gently herd him to his space and then offer a treat once he’s there, and then quickly give him peace.  So he understand it’s a safe place that is just his.  Once he can find security in a place he is less likely to mark other places.  

But there will be places, like your bed, or couch, that hold our scent, that he may still try to claim. In that case, you wtill have to use 1st and 2nd tips.

Keep us updated on how you decide to solve this problem and of course we are here to help you through it.

[BinkyBunny]

Posted By bugsy malone on 09/15/2006 7:13 AM
actually another thing he does that is puzzling he cleans my legs (trousers) or my pillow is this natural, why does he do it?

Tallullu is right.  By cleaning your trousers or pillow, he thinks he is grooming you, which is a form of affection.  He’s bonding to you.   Your pillow smells like you, so that’s why he does that to your pillow. 

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