No one likes his house full of pets excreta. Not only it seems gross, but it is also super unhygienic, especially when you have babies at home. However, you seem quite helpless when your rabbit cannot be potty trained despite all your efforts. It seems like everything is going to fail.
After posting our article on How to Litter Train A Rabbit-a Complete guide, we received multiple queries. All these were asked by confused rabbit parents who cannot help their bunny from peeing literally at every place in the house. Most of them called their bunny too stubborn to be trained or thought it had passed the training age.
First thing first, there is no such thing as training age. No doubt young bunnies can be trained earlier than the adult ones, and no age is impossible. Before moving further, it is good to read this article covering all the detail of litter training your rabbit from the very beginning.
This article will help you with all the practical solutions that bring amazing results if your pre litter trained bunny has started adopting bad habits. If you follow them exactly, you can easily stop your bunny from peeing everywhere.
Table of Contents
How To Stop A Rabbit From Peeing Everywhere?
If not litter trained, bunnies can pee on your carpet, couch, floor, lawn, and even on you. These are the most common questions we received.
So, we will discuss all these places separately in our article. We will be describing some of the effective tips specifically for all these situations.
How To Stop Your Rabbit From Peeing On Your Carpet?
Seeing your mature and litter-trained rabbit peeing on carpet can be very disappointing. Not only does the rabbit pee on the carpet, but it also seems to make it a habit and becomes stanch. If you are also facing such problems, this guide can help you.
Tips To Help Your Bunny To Stop From Peeing On Your Carpet:
Carpets are pretty comfortable and bunny favorite. If your bunny has developed a bad habit, it can sometimes become difficult to stop. However, if you be persistent in your efforts, you can easily stop your rabbit from doing this in days.
Feed Around Litter Box
Bunnies tend to be more inclined to pee or poo where they feed. So, better feed it near the litter box. You may have a nice hanging hay feeder in the form of bags or boxes. Provide water around the box too. There is a high chance your bunny will not return to the carpet then. Here are some human foods and treats options for bunnies that will make them stick to the litter box.
Do Not Feed Treats In The House
It is common to feed your rabbit treats while playing in the house. However, doing this will give it a wrong notion. Your rabbit will consider changing the litter box and making the carpet the new one. When the bunny finds it more comfortable than the previous one, it will most probably pee on it.
Therefore, never feed it on the carpet.
Make The Litter Box Comfortable
Bunnies more likely pee on the carpet because they find it very soft and comfortable. Moreover, if your rabbit’s litter box is not comfortable, it will be more likely to pee around the safest place it finds. So, check for the environment around the litter box.
See if there is something new in the environment or something is disturbing your pet. Analyzing your pet’s hutch will surely help you better analyze the situation. Notice anything new, even if it seems completely normal. Rabbits are not very fond of new things or people in their surroundings. So, you better keep things under check. Your bunny cannot tell you the situation itself.
Litter Spot Away From The Room
If your rabbit usually lives in the living area or your room, there is a high chance you may need to place another litter tray in the room. If the litter box is at large distances from the room, there is a high chance that your pet finds a new litter spot in the house. The carpet seems to be quite comfortable, and therefore they prefer it.
So, placing another litter corner close to the room and inside the house will ease things for you.
Territorial Habits
If your pet is not spayed or neutered, it will have a lot of territorial instincts. This behavior is more common in males, most commonly during breeding seasons or when there are also other pets in the house. Females also show such behaviors when there is breeding season.
However, if you are not interested in breeding your bunny, you can easily desex it. Call your vet to help it with all this stuff.
Discipline Your Bun
When you see your bunny peeing on the carpet, instantly tell it that it is a bad habit. If you do it later, it will not be of any use. So, discipline your pet as soon as you see it doing the deed.
Do not rebuke, shout or chastise your pet. Call out its name and tell it a strict firm “NO”. You can then move your pet around to another place so you can clean the mess.
Using harsh words or tones will only make your pet more timid, shy, and aggressive towards you. In the long run, it will severely affect your relationship with your pet.
Cuddles On The Carpet
Too many cuddles on the carpet can also make your pet feel that it is the safest and most comfortable place for them. Therefore, they do not want to go to their litter box.
The best way to avoid this is to make a toilet routine for your rabbit. Feed it according to the routine. You can also free the rabbit to move to its litter box when it is around the time.
As rabbits pee frequently, you can also watch for the signs. Some of the most common signs are fidgety, your rabbit going in more sitting position. It may also start roaming around or moving to the corner or where it peed before. However, that is not necessary. Your bunny may also end up peeing in the mid of the cuddle if it has fed just now.
Instantly Clean The Mess
Cleaning the mess at the very moment is very important. Use high-quality hypoallergic carpet cleaners to clean the area. You can also use fabric deodorizers to mask the smell completely.
If you are lazy in cleaning the area, your bunny will get more stanch in its behavior. It will become firmer in using the carpet for peeing permanently
How To Stop Bunnies Peeing In The House?
Bunnies are famous for being quite hygienic pets. They usually take a particular spot to pee and poo. However, if your bunny is roaming in the house peeing everywhere, there can be the following solutions.
Clear The Wastes Immediately
If you leave the wastes in the place or are lazy in cleaning them, your bunny will never learn the exact toilet place. Rabbits get used to the smells. So, you better clean off the surface with a good detergent and also use a disinfectant. Use a detergent that has some odor so that it can mask the previous odor.
Direct To Litter Box
Direct the attention of your bunny to the litter box. You may also wipe out the pee with cotton and then put it in the litter box. The smell will direct the attention of your pet towards the litter box. So, it will naturally move towards the box whenever it needs to pee.
Check The Environment Around The Litter Box
If the environment around the litter box is not comfortable for your pet, then it will never pee in that. The following can be the reasons for discomfort around the litter box
- Noise
- Litter box in the busy area
- Other pets around the box
- Some kind of irritating odors
- Dirty box (uncleaned).
Check For Medical Conditions
There can be territorial reasons making your rabbit spray its urine around the house. It is like marking the house on its own with its smell. The best solution here is neutering or spaying your bunny. Desexing the rabbit will decrease the territorial senses to too much extent.
So, pay a visit to your vet to rule out the chance of any related medical condition.
How To Stop Bunny From Peeing On Furniture?
Bunny peeing on furniture after being litter trained is quite unusual. However, if your rabbit has indulged in any such habits, the following points will help you save the day.
Observe The Habits
Observe your rabbit carefully. Notice if it is consistent in its behavior or pee on the furniture only a few times. Moreover, check if there is any change in the environment around the litter box. You may have changed the bedding, used the new one from a different brand, or so.
You may also need to check if you have changed the furniture or have changed the settings. Also, if you are using a new detergent in your house. Whether it seems significant to you or not, a change in anything may have significant effects on your bunny.
A Change In Smell
A new smell will affect your rabbit a lot and will make it adopt new habits. Most importantly, it will affect the litter habits of your pet. So, notice any new smells introduced in the surroundings of your rabbit. Try to eliminate them as much as possible.
If there is a particular smell your rabbit likes, you may direct it to its litter box. There will be a high chance then your pet will automatically move to the litter box.
Territorial Reasons
The most common reason for bunny peeing on flour is territorial reasons, as discussed before. You may need to contact your vet to get the solution.
Adult Rabbits Or Exotic Species
Adult rabbits or obese ones tend to develop osteoporosis and other bone diseases. Therefore, they feel it difficult to climb their litter box. As rabbits pee often so you see them peeing on the floor. If nothing works best in your situation or if your bunny is obese, you need to contact your vet as soon as possible.
Moreover, some exotic species show different behavior in different seasons and situations. You can better analyze the situation by knowing the exact pet breed and discussing it with your vet.
Direct To Litter Box
If your bunny has just started peeing on the floor, clean the floor instantly and throw the paper in the litter box with which it is cleaned. Like we have discussed earlier in detail, using some deodorizer will help remove the smell better.
Snappy Trainers
Snappy trainers will also be of great help to keep your bunny away from your furniture. If your bunny is being rigid, they will be one of the most effective ways to draw its attention towards their litter box. Snappy trainers work by producing a jerk and a strong snapping sound when your bunny steps on them. Hueter Toledo Snappy Trainer is one of the best snappy trainers in the market. You may Buy It On Amazon for $16.99.
How To Stop Rabbits Peeing On The Floor?
No one likes to step on a bunny’s poop or have a slip in its pee. If your rabbit has developed such a habit of peeing everywhere, you need to be quick in taking effective measures to stop it. Otherwise, it will become pretty rude in its behavior.
Keep The Floors Clean
Always clean the floor right away after your rabbit has peed, just like we talked about before. Also, toss the paper or cotton into the litterbox of your pet to draw its attention there.
Visit The Vet
Visit your vet to rule out any chance of illness or other medical factors that can be possibly affecting the behavior of your pet.
Check For The Scents
Check if there are some other new smells around the litter box. You may also be using something new in your house, which is making your pet like your house more than its litter box.
Place Multiple Litter Boxes
When your bunny starts peeing on the floor, it is quite difficult to stop the habit. So, it would be best if you placed multiple litter boxes on the floor. This will make your bun habitual of peeing in the litter box. Also, this will save your floors from getting dirty.
You may also customize litter boxes, painting and decorating them with different colors to make them resonate more with the house surroundings.
How To Stop Rabbits From Peeing On Grass?
If your bunny plays on your lawn, there is a high chance it will be peeing there. However, by following some simple tips, you can make your bunny move to the litter box:
Change The Litter
If your previously litter-trained bunny has just started to pee on the grass, it may have some problem with the litter box. It likes grass a lot more than its litter box. Therefore it comes there to pee.
You can work by changing the type of litter. Recycled paper, dried pine, hay are completely safe for bunnies. You should also ensure a lot of food and water is available around the litter box.
Multiple Boxes Around
Introducing multiple boxes in the lawn will pretty much solve the problem if your bunny is habitual of peeing on the grass. You can then gradually reduce the number of litter boxes, limiting them to your destined places.
Take Help From The Vet
As discussed before, a change in litter habits can also be due to medical conditions. You can take help from a vet to resolve the case better.
See If You Have Planted A New Plant
Rabbits are attracted to some plants. So, if your bunny’s behavior has changed after planting a new plant, it is because of its new smells. The only solution to this is introducing more litter boxes in the lawn where your bunny pees more often.
How To Stop Your Bunny From Peeing On Me?
Peeing on the owner can be accidental. However, if it becomes a habit, it is completely unacceptable. Not only will it be unhygienic, but it will also ruin your relationship with your pet. Therefore, we have talked about it in detail in another article. Give it a read to know every aspect of rabbit peeing on a person and how to stop your bunny from peeing on you?
Conclusion
We tried to answer almost every possible question in this article. The key solution to all these problems are:
- Identifying the cause.
- Working on the solution according to your rabbit’s situation.
- Look for any discomfort around your bunny’s litter box.
- Change the litter box according to the needs of your pet.
- Always keep the litter box clean.
- Look for anything unusual around the house.
- Clean the mess immediately. Use deodorant if the smell persists.
- Absorb pee in the cotton and toss it in the litter box.
- Feed your pet only around the litter box.
- Move it to the litter box when you see any sign.
- Call on your vet to rule any medical situation.
- Placing multiple boxes around the house helps solve most of these situations.
I hope you got answers to all your queries. In case of any further questions, you may comment below. I would be happy to help.
Hey, I live in the countryside with lots of pets including dogs, cats, horses and turtles. Yeah, I love pets and know how to keep this variety happy under the same shelter. I took my diploma in veterinary nursing and have been serving at a pet centre in my hometown since then. Pets make your life beautiful, enlighten a part of your soul and make you see far beyond what you have experienced before. I am here to make the relation between you and your pet much more strong. I will help you know how to deal with them in the best possible way, understand them and make them love you. Nothing will be more beautiful than your pet running in your lap when you step in after a hectic day, right. Moreover, I will also talk about all the grooming techniques and how you can manage everyday problems with your pets easily. Let us make our homes a better place for our pets to live in!
