What can I do about my bunny poo-ing on the couch?

[Raisin]

Hi All

Raisin is a well behaved bunny (so far ) but does not poo in her 'toilet' but prefer jumping on the couch and doing it there. She will run around in the living room and not doing a thing, but will come and sit with me on the couch and do what she needs to do. She also does this at night when I am not there.

Any suggestions how to make her stop doing it. The poo is not the worst but she recently started pee-ing on the couch as well!

Thanks

 

[ilovetegocalderon]

Sounds like she's claiming the couch as her territory. Is she spayed?

 

[Mummel]

Before you let her get to the couch again you should also clean it very well so next time she goes there she doesnt smell her own poo etc.

Bunnys have the habit to pick one place for doing such things..and when they smell they've been there before they just do it again

 

[Jenni]

Gretchen does this sometimes too.

I stopped letting her on the couch for a bit and that seemed to help. I also put a litter box on that side of the room, which she does use.

When she jumps on the couch now, I only let her up to be petted. If she starts exploring, I make her get down. (she thinks this is a fun game)

The other day she left a few pellets up there. I made her get down and then she went immediately to her litter box on her own, so I think she may be getting the idea.

She is not spayed. She is getting spayed on Monday, and I hear that is supposed to help. The best course of action for me was to keep her off of the couch, since she seemed to think it belonged to her. Also, she did pee on the couch once too, so it may get worse before it gets better. Luckily I had a blanket over it at the time.

Some people suggest putting a tarp over the couch, because it protects it and some bunnies don't like the texture of the plastic. This probably works for some, but Gretchen bounced all over that tarp like it was a trampoline (another fun game). She's not scared of much. (My dog is terrified of the tarp and the rabbit.) It is easy though and it does protect the couch.

 

[Raisin]

Thanks all!

Raisin is not spayed as she's still much to young,8 weeks old. I am going to wash all the covers of the couch this weekend and see if it prevents her from poo-ingthere. I even though of putting a litter box on the couch but thats not to comfy for us humans Maybe I will put one close to the couch in a corner she also likes. She already has 2 litterboxes but another one wont hurt

There after I will keep putting her on the ground if she jumps on the couch, but I still have a problem at night when she's there alone. I took the scatter cushions of the couch the past 2 nights and she does not poo that much on the couch anymore. She loves them as they have shiny stones on them and she bites them off. Maybe this will help a bit as well.

 

[Raisin]

Mümmel wrote:

Before you let her get to the couch again you should also clean it very well so next time she goes there she doesnt smell her own poo etc.

Bunnys have the habit to pick one place for doing such things..and when they smell they've been there before they just do it again

Hi Mummel

I washed the all the covers of the couch this weekend, but last night she peed on the couch TWICE, I was so upset with her! She does not seem to learn that shes not allowed to do that. Now I am not allowing her to get on the couch at all which is sad because then she does not sit with me. So now I go sit on the ground with her. I have also enclosed her in a rather large area so that she can not get to the couch while I am not there, but it feels cruel as she was used to run around freely. Hopefully she will get better after being spayed. She's only 7 1/2 weeks old so still much to young.

 

[Jenni]

Hopefully some day she will be able to sit on the couch with you.

I know I have the same problem. My hubbie really wants to sit on the couch with the bunny, butGretchen just can't be on it until she is more reliable. It is so tempting, because she is such a cuddle bunny.