My bunny only pee and poop outside his cage!

[Cesar]

So my rabbit is about 5 month old.. he used to do his poop and peeing inside his cage and sometimes in his litterbox but when i started letting him outside his cage for long times like from 8 to 10 hours a day he started to only pee and poop on the couch! he stopped using his litterbox and whenever I bring him back to his cage he starts holding his pee until i get him out( for about 10 hours!) so he can do it on the couch! what should i do? i tried to put the litterbox on the couch but he did not use it and i tried to put some of his poop and pee on his litterbox to show him that this is the right place but he ignored it 

[Dface]

It sounds like your rabbit isnt sure where he’s supposed to be going to the toilet !
With so much time out of the cage he thinks the whole place is his territory and has found a much better place to pee.
Most rabbits prefer to use cushioned things to pee on(think chairs, beds etc)
There is also a chance he is marking territory (has he been neutered?) its very difficult to litter train a rabbit that hasnt been fixed

There isnt much you can do other than stop him from getting up on the couch or covering it with a water proof covering. The couch smells strongly of humans so he wants to make it smell more like rabbit.

[Wick & Fable]

Wick is not neutered, but is adequately litter-trained (can leave him out free-roam for half a day without an accident). For some un-neutered rabbits, it is possible, but for others, it may take a lot of time or not be perfect because of the territory-marking-instincts.

I suggest giving another (or two) litter box locations in the free-roam space. Wick has one litterbox in the bedroom (in his hutch) and two in the living room/kitchen area. As with litter training in a cage, you’ll want to try and catch your rabbit right before, during, or immediately after the act and plop him in a litterbox (if your rabbit isn’t stressed out by having you pick him up). Another option is when you see he’s about to pee on the sofa, start shooing him towards the box. Don’t chase, but try to coax his furry behind to the litterbox. Wick is quite familiar with the phrase “litter box”, and I always use the same tone of voice, so he understands what the words/inflection signify now. Wick has a lifted tail when he has a pee ready and squats down/perks his butt out when he’s about to pee. I would catch him right away (some times mid-pee) and carry him to the nearest litterbox.

The main idea is now that he’s free-roam, he needs to try to grasp the concept of “I need to move somewhere when I need to pee” and “I can’t pee here”. With Wick, action via re-location before/during piss & poop worked well. Excessive praise when he succeeded works as a great reinforcer too. Also, I added pictures of Wick’s litterboxes to show a nice design for litterboxes in a free-roam space which minimizes peeing out of the litter box while in it, as well as keeping hay contained so it doesn’t track in your space too much.

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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