urinating on my partner

Question
we have had our rabbit a week and are completely in love.  the only problem is she hates my partner she urinates and poohs on her and actually jumps onto her knee to do it she also bites her.  she does not do this to me or anybody else.  is there anything we can do to stop this my partner is getting quite upset!!!

Answer
Hi Jo

This is so hard to answer but there are many possible scenarios'.  First are you sure the rabbit is a girl?  Also is it a wee little baby that isn't potty trained yet?

If it is a buck and not a doe then he is marking your partner as to say this is mine and nobody else can touch it.  The biting part is also included in that.  When bucks mate they will bite the doe's.  Rabbits have tough skin but people usually do not.

If it is a doe and she isn't potty trained yet then you need to get her trained so that she knows she shouldn't be pottying anywhere but her litter box.  I will attach a site that works great for litter training even on older rabbits.  If she is a baby well she just doesn't know better.

Now why she does it to your partner and not you.. she either has a better bond with you and feels your partner as a threat, or again she adores your partner and wants all the other bunnies, including the big goofy looking one (you) that is her property.

When she bites have your partner let out a loud shrieking noise as if it is causing terrible pain.  Rabbits know what this means and that is what they do with each other when they bite to hard.

Then try to get the rabbit litter trained.  Don't be afraid to put her in time-outs in her cage for 10 minutes when she mis-behaves.  It might take a few weeks but she will learn.

I hope that you can get this worked out.  Rabbits are such awesome pets and it is so great that you love her.

Good luck and if you need anything else please let me know

Pam

http://www.freewebs.com/hgrabbitry/littertraining.htm