Litter Box Training

[baileymarie]

Hello all! My little bun is about 11 weeks old, male, and not yet neutered and we are having a difficult time getting him to use his litter box when he roams.

Right now he can roam around the living room and dining room but can always hop back into his cage for water, to eat, or use the bathroom. He has been using his litter box for poop (except when he’s cuddling on the couch he just lets it out and we pick it up and put it in his litter box) and I know he uses his litter box for pee when he is in the cage (as I have to clean pee out of it) but specifically when he is on the couch he will pee ANYWHERE... cuddling on us, hiding in the cushions, etc. We always clean it up with a paper towel and put the towel in his litter box and then move him to the litter box as well, then we clean up the stain/odor.

Im wondering how I can get him to stop using the bathroom on the couch... have we completely messed up in litter box training? Additionally, there isn’t really a way to keep him off the couch as he jumps up and down as he pleases

 

[Apollo’s Slave]

Neutering your rabbit will likely be the best way to get his litterbox habits to be set in stone. I would limit his space while training him. If you have an xpen, it would be best to keep him in there for a short time. The likely reason that he is peeing on the couch is because there are loads of different smells on it, so he thinks he should put his on too. Don’t slack on picking up poop and putting it back in the litterbox and wiping pee and putting the paper towel in the litterbox. After that clean it with a water-vinegar solution (i use 1/2 and 1/2) or another Odor removing solution that is safe for rabbits. Doing this should prevent him from marking the same place over and over again.
But once his hormones start to show up, his littertraining might stop as if it was never there. So after neutering, you might have to go through the process again, but by then, many rabbits just understand.

 

[bunnylove2024]

Neutering your rabbit will likely be the best way to get his litterbox habits to be set in stone. I would limit his space while training him. If you have an xpen, it would be best to keep him in there for a short time. The likely reason that he is peeing on the couch is because there are loads of different smells on it, so he thinks he should put his on too. Don’t slack on picking up poop and putting it back in the litterbox and wiping pee and putting the paper towel in the litterbox. After that clean it with a water-vinegar solution (i use 1/2 and 1/2) or another Odor removing solution that is safe for rabbits. Doing this should prevent him from marking the same place over and over again.
But once his hormones start to show up, his littertraining might stop as if it was never there. So after neutering, you might have to go through the process again, but by then, many rabbits just understand.

Yep, apollo's slave said it all! The only thing is you could try putting a litter box on the couch for a bit so he goes there instead-but I know that might be awkward.