Disciplining for peeing....too harsh?

[cestrin]

So....my bunny, Marshmellow, pees on my bed and in my room several times a day...it's a little ridiculous. I'll walk out of the room for a minute and she'll have peed on the floor, on my bed, or in my friend's sleeping bag (he's staying with me for a month). I did just move here. So this leads me to my question.... would it be bad (and maybe inhumane) to rub her nose in her urine (or put it on a paper towel and hold it at her nose) while saying 'no' in a stern voice?

I should preface this by saying that I'm a college student who isn't always around. I don't have a small area outside of her cage right now (it's either in her cage or the room). The room is probably about 100 square feet (maybe slightly less).

Any input would be nice as I'm getting fed up with washing sheets every night and not giving her any time out of her cage.....

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

Rubbing her nose in it really isn't effective.
You need to focus on why she is doing it, not so much on what she is doing. Due to the small space and new territory, she could be claiming the bed and hers. Keeping her off the bed and putting the sleeping bag away during the day could help. You may need to physically block off the bed.
Work on her litter training and keep her confined when you are not around. A plastic sheet over your sheets would at least prevent the urine form getting on the sheets and reduce your laundry.

Depending on your situation and budget, getting a loft bed might be a good idea. This is like a bunk bed, but the bottom part can be a desk or couch or something. It opens up space in a limited area. It would solve the issue of her peeing on the bed.

 

[Amy27]

Ditto Kate. What type of litter box set up are you using to try to litter train her? We might be able to help with that.

 

[AngelnSnuffy]

No, please don't do that. That will A: Not stop the problem and B: Make the bun not trust you.

Clean up the mess. Are you litter training, where are you with that if so?

Keep her off soft things, this seems to cause them to want to pee. Confine to cage, and slowly open space where she can go a little at a time.

Have you read about this in our Library?

 

[Tweetiepy]

I have to chime in on that but in a different way. Peaches has a grate over his litterbox and the pee is collected by the pine pellets below so he never smells them. Lately when he's out of his cage, he'll dig in a little stuffed flower and then he'll pee on or next to it - he does the same with a blanket. Now when he pees, he'll turn around and sniff/lick at it for long periods of time. So for me this method might not work - cuz he'd probably like that! If I clean up the uring & put the paper in his litter, he tends to chew the soiled paper or sniff it obsessively. On that note, I also believe that Peaches can't recognize his own scent - my reason for that is he'll repeatedly mark his territory with his chin, his pee or his poop (lots & lots of poop) and he doesn't seem to realize that it's him.

Best thing to do for a peeing bunny from what I've read is to catch him in the act (easier said than done) and put him in his litter) This however doesn't work for me at this time - but he is going for a neuter soon.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

You can use a collapsible playpen to confine her to one area and set up a litter box and all the other bunny essentials. Does sound like a territorial thing to us. Good luck.

 

[cestrin]

Thanks for your help! I will confine her space and keep fuzzy things away.

As for the potty training, I've been moving around so much I haven't been able to start. Since she's been here, there hasn't been 1 or 2 spots where she's going....it's kind of everywhere. I'll start on that too.

 

[elrohwen]

I agree with the others - it might scare her, and it certainly won't be effective. She's just doing what bunnies do when they want to mark their territory. You need to clean up the areas she's peeing thoroughly (extremely thoroughly) and confine her to a smaller area with nothing absorbent (except the litter box) until she gets the hang of it. It sounds like she had had too much freedom too soon, and doesn't understand what the litter box is for.

Is she spayed? Unspayed bunnies can be nearly impossible to fully litter train as they will want to mark their territory for hormonal reasons.

 

[Amy27]

Tweetiepy wrote:

Best thing to do for a peeing bunny from what I've read is to catch him in the act (easier said than done) and put him in his litter) This however doesn't work for me at this time - but he is going for a neuter soon.

I had to laugh at this comment. I have tried it to and it is so much harder then it sounds. At least for me it was. They would see me coming and then run while going to the bathroom which meant a bigger mess. Or I would be looking at them like are you going? No? Yeah? No?

 

[Holland_Lop]

Tweetiepy wrote:

I have to chime in on that but in a different way. Peaches has a grate over his litterbox and the pee is collected by the pine pellets below so he never smells them. Lately when he's out of his cage, he'll dig in a little stuffed flower and then he'll pee on or next to it - he does the same with a blanket. Now when he pees, he'll turn around and sniff/lick at it for long periods of time. So for me this method might not work - cuz he'd probably like that! If I clean up the uring & put the paper in his litter, he tends to chew the soiled paper or sniff it obsessively. On that note, I also believe that Peaches can't recognize his own scent - my reason for that is he'll repeatedly mark his territory with his chin, his pee or his poop (lots & lots of poop) and he doesn't seem to realize that it's him.

Best thing to do for a peeing bunny from what I've read is to catch him in the act (easier said than done) and put him in his litter) This however doesn't work for me at this time - but he is going for a neuter soon.

 

[tonyshuman]

I have seen them do "the pee stance" and said no very loudly and picked them up and put them in the pan--that worked. My guys only pee to argue over territory between my two bonded pairs (who get to run through the whole apartment on alternating days and each have their own bedrooms the rest of the time).

 

[Rabbit Hero]

Don't forget to clean messes up quickly with some vinegar to get rid of the smell. If she can smell her urine somewhere it may be telling her "its okay to pee here". plenty of rabbit slaves keep a little bit of dirty litter to help their rabbits figure out where their washroom is supposed to be.