Rabbit Marking? Or losing litter habits?

[PickyPenny]

So Penny has learned a new trick and has a new favorite place! My bed. She’s now able to jump up there despite the fact that less than a month ago, she was terrified of jumping up onto the half level of her cage. ( I have ramps up now) Penny’s never peed outside of her litter box. But she peed on my bed and on the carpet yesterday. If it was just the bed, I would say marking since it was new to her. But she’s been in my room and been able to roam since she’s been in here. But she peed on the carpet. Usually, she’d run up to her litter box when she needs to pee even if she was able to roam, and she was really good about it. So why now? Btw, she’s been neutered before I got her. 

[Sarita]

I’m moving this to the behavior section.

[RabbitPam]

It does sound like she’s marking. If you’ve had a BF or a friend visit and go in your bedroom, she may be making sure they know it’s HER room and you are HER slave. If she’s going to be in that room regularly, then I would put a second litter pan in a convenient place on the floor, and the second you see her lift her tail or start to wiggle scoop her up and place her in the new pan. You can praise her when she goes in there herself, and say a firm NO when she starts to pee on the bed. The praise for going in the litter pan instead can be followed by a small treat, so she learns that it’s good to go there, even if it isn’t her main litter pan, and not rewarding to mess the bed. If you don’t catch her in time, place her in the pan anyway, blot the pee with a paper towel and place it in the litter pan, and toss all poos into the pan as soon as she makes them, too. You want to train her to use an outside-the-habitat pan and one inside. Some bunnies don’t make it all the way back home when they are out and need to go.

[Author]

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