Litter Training

[Buttons]

This is my first bunny and I just enjoy her so much! My question is about litter training. When shes in her pen she always uses her litter box but in the evenings I open her door to let her play and she poops and pees either on my couch or behind it. Is it possible to break her of this habit? Shes an indoor bunny and as far as we know shes aprox. 6 mths old. Thanks!

[Paradigm]

Firstly, has she been spayed? She will get impulses to spray if she has not been, and so she may be marking on and behind your couch rather than forgetting her toilet habits.

I’ve heard about some rabbits forgetting their litter habits when allowed in bigger areas but I think since she’s been toileting in a very specific area it’s likely she is marking where your smell is very strong.

I think the best thing to do would be use diluted white vinegar or a dedicated solution to break down animal urine to remove her smell from the area (so she is not tempted to continue marking there).

If there is room you could put a litter tray where she is doing this, or block her access and disallow her from the couch. If she is only allowed out when you are around this may work.

After a few weeks of hell with George, we have managed to supervise her out and block her from the bed. Interestingly, after 6 days completely banned from the bed, she had since been up for very short periods of time and hasn’t weed up there again.

[Beanie Bunny]

This is just the question I was about to post. My bunny is 2 years old and also uses his tray when he is in his pen but as soon as he is out in the lounge, he forget all about it. He has got in to a habit of mainly using one of his dig boxes so I removed it and placed a litter tray in its place but now he just goes right next to them on the floor. It’s so frustrating when they do so well using the tray when in their pen.

[Bunnymummy91]

Mine did this when he reached about 5 months old. He would sit in the exact place on the sofa I usually sat on and do it in the same place each time. We would tell him no, put him back in his cage and clean the area. After doing this several times he seemed to learn and hasn’t done it since.

[Jadeo09]

For a while if you can only let him into the couch area supervised and EVERY time she less out of her litter tray put her in it and say no.
It’s just teaching them when they don’t understand yet.
Sometimes if its the first place the peed in a room its hard to break
As someone said putting her litter tray over it makes them do it in there instead you could gradually day by day move the litter tray back to a more suitable location.
I try to have a litter tray in every room or move it from room to room depending on where bun is
Good luck you’ll get there in the end

[Jadeo09]

They always poo
If possible you could leave a few droppings behind the couch where she does it its their way of marking their territory
I got used to the droppings in the end ☺

[Author]

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