She’s pooping EVERYWHERE

[Rhi]

The poops are driving me crazy. She poos all over her cage and im fine with that, I pick it up put it in her box. She’s only two months so I get it she’s a baby. What I can’t deal with is her jumping up on the sofa sitting on me or near me and as soon as she’s up there (even on me ) she poops or wees. Help! I want her to be able to come up and snuggle or climb up on my shoulder. She likes chilling there but I can’t handle the warm trickle down my back lol

[Wick & Fable]

It’s a combination of litter box training reinforcement, and getting her fixed which will reduce the marking.

To start, a rabbit who is not fixed (yours is too young atm) will naturally feel inclined to mark areas with their scent so they can feel more secure. Rabbits are prey animals, perpetually looking for danger.

For a rabbit so young, it’s best to concentrate on litterbox training tactics. You need to create a connection between the act of pooping/peeing and the litter box. Yes, some rabbits pick it up right away, but don’t bank on that because it does not happen as often as it seems.

You need to limit the space, and supervise. Every time there’s an accident or about to be an accident, make sure it’s cleaned up and you place your rabbit in the litterbox. If lifting her up and putting her there is not possible, try and distract her and push her bum a tiny bit, getting to the litter box. If you give her a large roam area, she’ll never make the litterbox connection.

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.

[Rhi]

Thank you for you reply. She is restricted to the living room. It’s not a big room. The main place she poops or wees is the sofa and she scatters in her cage. It’s definitely me that she’s aiming for with the pee. I’m quit concerned that she’s not going to grow out of this and I won’t be able to have her free roam ?

[Wick & Fable]

If she’s marking specifically you, firstly be flattered and happy. She’s claiming you because she likes you, haha. Wick sprayed me exclusively, and unfortunately, avoidance is really the best option. Just getting up and walking away or distracting her with something else if you see her getting ready to mark you. Potentially getting her a stuffed animal may curb her need to mark what she loves with that, but no guarantees a rabbit will accept the stuffed animal you choose. If you have her spayed, which is recommended for a plethora of valid, strong reasons, it will drastically reduce/eliminate the instinctual urge to mark territory and claim items via marking. Don’t be too discouraged. You’ve only had her for a bit. I’ve had Wick for over a year and every 3 weeks I swear I understand what his behaviors will be like, but then it evolves and changes.

Marking the sofa is very common, because it’s 1) soft, 2) elevated (able to see a lot of the environment = prime location to claim), and 3) it’s a large space with things to climb, so it seems quite vast, so marking a lot seems instinctual.

You can try the towel/fabric method, which is getting a piece of cloth/fabric which has her scent on it, and keep it on the sofa. Smelling this may deter her need to re-mark the sofa. A good way to get a scent on fabric is placing it where she eats for a few days, rubbing it on her, and just generally letting her do her thing 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.

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