Neutered Rabbit Pee/Poop on Bed

Question
I saw the question regarding the spayed rabbit peeing on her owner and her owner's bed.  I have a similar problem.  Our 6 year old neutered rabbit is really good about using his litter box.  However, he poops and pees on our beds.  If we are napping on the couch, our rabbit will jump up on top of the blanket and sit there for a few minutes (really precious).  But when he hops off, we discover that he has left us with about a dozen poops! He is a free roaming rabbit and he doesn't let us pick him up, so correcting his behavior by placing him in his litter box is not an option. 1) Why does he feel the need to mark his territory when he's pretty much chinned everything in our home and we give him ample freedom? 2) Is there any other way of correcting his behavior?  Thank you!

Answer
Dear Hee,

It is *very* difficult to correct a behavior like this.  He is marking you (and your bed) as his own.  He just feels very...*comfortable* up there with you.

I still would recommend that when he *first* hops up with you, that you gently pick him up and carry him to his litterbox.  Put him in it, give him a favorite treat, pet him and praise him and wait until he pees.  And *then* bring him back on the bed with you.  You can do this with a free-range rabbit as well as one who has a hutch as a "home base."

If you really can't get him to stop, then how about a plastic-backed, cotton bath mat that you can put on the bed next to you just for him to lie on when he's up there with you.  If he pees on it, you can just take it off and launder it for the next time.

Hope that helps!

Dana