Hes peeing on my bed!

Question
I recently got my little guy from a local pet store. His names Drift and his a loppy eared bunny. I've been told he's about 8 months old. My problem is he's peeing on my bed any chance he gets! I was told that once I got him neutered, the marking should stop, but it hasn't. I only got him neutered roughly a week ago so maybe he needs more time to adapt or something. I'm not sure what to do about it anymore. Any suggestions would be much appreciated. I'm getting tired of changing my sheets every day!

Answer
Hi Camilia

When rabbits get neutered it takes them about 30 days to get rid of all their male hormones.  He might also be angry with you for taking him to have surgery.  He should get better with time but I do understand how frustrating it is.  

The best thing to do is keep him in his cage unless you are keeping a close eye on him.  If he isn't completely litter trained yet it is a lot easier to do that while he is in a cage.  Once he is using his litter pan consistently then he can be let out and about more often.

Another thing you can do is to put him in a time out if you can catch him in the act.  Sometimes rabbits are pretty easy to litter train but other times they can be very hard.  I am not sure who told you that his bad habits would stop after he was neutered but they should have told you that it may take up to a month.  If there is anyway to shut your bedroom door or just keep him away from your bed until a full 30 days have passed it may help.

When litter trained rabbits pee where they aren't supposed to they are usually claiming that place as their own.  He might just love your bed so much that he wants it for himself.

I would give it 3 weeks and if he isn't completely better you can contact the HRS in your area.  They have behavior experts that will actually come to your home and help you figure out the problem.

The website is www.rabbit.org  look for chapters and find the closest chapter to you.  Send them an e-mail and they may have someone close enough to you.  If they do they often ask if they can come to your house to help you.

I am sorry that your bunny is doing this.  If you keep the bed off limits he may realize that it is not his litter box.

Good luck and I hope he stops after the hormones are completely gone.

Sincerely

Pam