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Peeing everywhere - related to where I/bf sleep?

Melon_Pip

Young Bun
Hi, hoping some bun can help!

My two house buns (Mel and Tilly) have been peeing outside their litter tray for months. Inititally this was just in the corners of their indoor run, and after different arrangements of litter trays we finally agreed on one litter tray with hay rack, and another full of hay that's more of a digging/sleeping box (they don't pee in it much). Was still mopping up pee from the other two corners every few days, but not much.

Over the past month it's gone haywire. One corner they pee in loads, every night. Another spot is right next to the litter tray. Sometimes by their door too. Previously there was a mat in their run but I took it out a few days ago due to the constant peeing/cleaning.
During the day they have the run of the large room (and rest of flat/back yard at some point every day with supervision). So I'm thinking it could be behavioural as a protest to being in their run every night, but also...

The room they are in is also my bedroom. Over the past couple of months I have only been sleeping in there half the time. The other half of the time I am usually in the spare room with my boyfriend (someone's not used to bunny digging noises in the night :lol:). For a couple of months prior to this we both slept in my bedroom a couple of nights a week, and the buns seemed to have accepted him in this time/established the hierachy (particularly Mel who demanded lots of grooming from me then went up to him and sat there licking his jeans for ages!)

So I think it may be related to this somehow. I'm trying to sort of hang out in my bedroom on the days I don't sleep in there, in the hope that helps. I'm not sure if the boyfriend thing is confusing them as they know he's around/"bonded" to me (?!) but he's not sharing the "burrow" :roll: with me and bunnies? Would it help to have him hang out in there too when possible? Leave one of his shirts somewhere? Or is it to do with me NOT being there every night?

Or is it something else entirely? Will be taking them to the vet to be chcked over for something physical...

I'm also considering taking them to the bunny sitter for a week, just to really clean everything and sort of re-set them to new habits. Might this help or would the pattern of me not sleeping in the room for days at a time still disturb them?

Thoughts appreciated!
 
Clearly an obscure/baffling question to us all! Replying in case anyone ends up finding this thread with a similar issue.
The boyfriend is no more, I am now sleeping in my room most nights... and the peeing everywhere has stopped! They now have TWO digging boxes AND a litter tray, too. And their carpet back.
I'm guessing it was behavioural. Too many nights in a row not in there with them. Ex BF still accepted by them (and no. 1 bunny sitter!) so not straightforward though!
Ah, the mysterious workings of the bunny mind...
 
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