Rabbit peeing outside litter tray - getting desperate now!

Have pair of houserabbits. They've been bonded since late 2016. Mel (male) and Tilly (female). Both long ago neutered. Tilly is the dominant one, I think.

Now and then they pee outisde the litter tray repeatedly (I say "they", I'm pretty sure it's Tilly) and the only way to stop them is to take them elsewhere to the lovely rabbit sitter for a week. This gives me a chance to clean throughly and sort of re-sets their behaviour.

Well it all got out of hand because of the UK lockdown so no rabbit sitter. Eventually I figured the solution was to set up a temporary run for them in another room, so it's a bit like they've gone "away" and hope behaviour re-set. I cleaned everything in/around the temporary home and neutralised it so they didn't know where they were. However, after a few days I started to let them out so they could go outside. (Didn't let them into any other rooms though.)

They've been in temporary home almost 4 weeks now whilst I thoroughly clean and make adjustments to their usual home in the hope it'll at least be easier to clean. (It's taken ages because I've had uni deadlines and needed to source wood etc and frankly I'm struggling due to the lockdown myself so things taking ages).

For the past 2 weeks they have peed in one spot, outside the litter tray, every night. Last night I put another litter tray there (with a it of tissue soaked in their urine in it for smell!), and saw this morning they have peed outside it, on their carpet. (Tried to attach pics but can't)

WHY?? How do I stop them doing this?

I'm worried that they'll just start up again when they return to their old home. (I was planning to neutralise everything, and entire room, so again it's like a completely new home to them. Gradually increase space etc.)

Any advice welcome. I'm going to remove the carpet and clean the pee bit today. They have a different mat in their usual run, but obviously I'm worried theyll pee on that as it's awkward to remove and clean - normally I'd just do it every 4-6 months if they're not peeing on it! Any ideas of something better than a mat to go in there? It's shiny laminate floor so I have to use something. The foam squares won't be any good because they'll just eat them...

Please, if anyone can help... I'm getting desperate. I cannot spend an hour+ a day cleaning up pee.

Most of my previous and present rabbits will pee on carpet or anything soft. You could try using non slip vinyl flooring as that is easier to clean and usually doesn’t provoke them to mark it.

I've been wondering about that. Will non slip lino be non slip enough for them? Any recommendatins for a starting point?

They haven't really gone for carpet before. It's annoying I can't post pics but will try to explain! Their temporary/current set up is an XL puppy crate with a fence/run attached. It's this bit that has the carpet. They were peeing in the gap between the edge of the puppy crate and the carpet. It's only once I've put a litter tray there they moved onto peeing on the carpet next to it.

In their usual/permanent home it was similar - they kept peeing in the corner on the laminate, where the mat didn't quite reach. When I put another litter tray there, they peed next to it, on the mat... (My adjustments include boxing in this corner so it's all wipe clean like the inside of a cage, instead of pee seeping under the edges.)

I guess easy cleaning is the only way to go! But it's annoying because I'm sure it's behavioural. Tilly is a very bolshy bunny! (And the size of a cat!)

Thank you

It should be fine, I have used it in hutches when I had outdoor rabbits. My rabbits manage on laminate flooring fine but it has a slight grain to it. I would see if you can get an offcut from somewhere if you can, it might be better if you can put it on some ply board under the run area where it goes over the carpet. You could try a larger tray, Something like a low underbed storage box works well.

There's no carpet there already. My whole flat is laminate. It's just that I gave the rabbits carpet (flat weave mat type) in their run. So vinyl should work if I can find some... having to wait for shops to re-open!

They have large litter trays, also underbed boxes with litter and hay for digging boxes, but they do pee in these a little. I've been through so many different types of litter tray, combinations of trays and boxes, placement of trays... trying to stop them peeing over the edge, kicking litter, throwing litter box around...! Tilly is the most diffcult rabbit I've had, by quite a long way! They can't even have a food bowl because she throws it around. They have lots of toys and things and she loves the digging boxes though I can't believe your pic of Frosty in a little bed - my tow would have destroyed that and weed all over it within hours!

Melon_Pip said:

There's no carpet there already. My whole flat is laminate. It's just that I gave the rabbits carpet (flat weave mat type) in their run. So vinyl should work if I can find some... having to wait for shops to re-open!

They have large litter trays, also underbed boxes with litter and hay for digging boxes, but they do pee in these a little. I've been through so many different types of litter tray, combinations of trays and boxes, placement of trays... trying to stop them peeing over the edge, kicking litter, throwing litter box around...! Tilly is the most diffcult rabbit I've had, by quite a long way! They can't even have a food bowl because she throws it around. They have lots of toys and things and she loves the digging boxes though I can't believe your pic of Frosty in a little bed - my tow would have destroyed that and weed all over it within hours!

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Rabbits are a bit of a challenge sometimes :roll: it could be worse at the moment with a bit of spring fever. And changes in territory usually makes any territorial marking worse. I think if you can lose the carpet it might be ok. Some bunnies can’t cope with laminate but Frosty and Fern are ok on it. You could try using cardboard on the floor in the short term if you can’t get vinyl. I used it during bonding and just kept putting clean pieces down when they did a wee. Actually, they now have a litter tray on the bed. Because guess what, Frosty kept weeing and pooing on it :lol: That photo was taken I think on his first go on the bed when he first came.

Some rabbits just won't be fully litter trained but most will. I think you have just got to manage it the best you can. I have 36 buns, litter trained except for some poohs, but 2 will not be clean. They have 2 litter trays but either one of them, or both, go elsewhere. I had 2 rabbits which had 5 or 6 litter trays but they still found spaces where they wee'd on! :roll:

Just a thought but have you tried cleaning up the wee patches and then neutralising with 50/50 mix of white vinegar and water. Easier once you have hard flooring!

Zoobec said:

Rabbits are a bit of a challenge sometimes :roll: it could be worse at the moment with a bit of spring fever. And changes in territory usually makes any territorial marking worse. I think if you can lose the carpet it might be ok. Some bunnies can’t cope with laminate but Frosty and Fern are ok on it. You could try using cardboard on the floor in the short term if you can’t get vinyl. I used it during bonding and just kept putting clean pieces down when they did a wee. Actually, they now have a litter tray on the bed. Because guess what, Frosty kept weeing and pooing on it :lol: That photo was taken I think on his first go on the bed when he first came.

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It surely can't be spring fever still? Tilly starts with that in January as soon as the days are noticeably longer! :roll: She goes really mad too, there's an old thread on here I posted like WTF because I'd not had a doe before! I actually checked with the vet that she was neutered because I couldn't believe it!

The weird thing re. territory is that they did have a few "accidents" in the first few days, as expected whilst they got used to it, but this particular spot has become problematic only after they'd been there a couple of weeks. Same in their usual home - they get along fine for a bit then it starts as soon as they seem to be more comfortable in it or something! Usually it's months between this being a problem, I'm not sure why it's got worse now.

Unfortunately they skid all over laminate and hate it. Can't give them cardboard because they eat it! I think Tilly might be happier as an outdoor bun but I don't have the right outdoor space, and Mel is definitely an indoor bun!

For now I'm going to take out the carpet and put their other mat in, but moved over so if they pee in the same spot hopefully it won't go on the carpet. Will clean and neutralise with vinegar too. Going to try with another litter tray again too. The spot they pee on is sort of in a corner behind the open door of the puppy pen, so i'm going to arrange it differently so they can reach the spot more easily/enjoy a litter box there in case the awkwardness of the spot is somehow making them mark it more!

They really are hard to fathom sometimes! They have already peed in the same place since this morning so it's definitely that spot and not the carpet that's making them do it.
Wish me luck! :lol:

@Tonibun - She has been litter trained for 3.5 years, on the whole. She was actually really easy to train, after getting her from a shelter where she wasn't. Just now and then this issue flares up. And wow, 36 buns!

Thanks to both of you x

We have a very determined Peepee bun. Called Pip. She's is spayed, and 4 years old. She is totally littered trained other that what I call her "errant pees"

We've finally managed to stop them, by working out what she was trying to tell us.

She would pee every night right next to her gate that we locked her in every night. No matter what the surface was.

After convincing my OH to let them be free range buns the peeing has completely stopped. Hurrahhh. She is quite a stubborn top bun and she obviously didn't like being shut away from us and the rest of her territory.

Not sure if this helps you at all, but perhaps your bun is trying to communicate something? It drove me mad cleaning up her pee every morning and Constantine washing things, so I understand.

Good luck.

Thanks.

The new arrangement seems to be working, fingers crossed. They are loving the new litter/digging/hay box and sleeping in it...