not so funny bunny

Question
I have a 9month old female rabbit just here lately shes been pulling out her fur, shes the only rabbit we have so i know shes not pregnant..is she still having the urge to nest, like many other females. also she's been peeing on the couch! She has free roam of the house, or she did till one day i came home and she peed on the couch. One day she even did it in front of me..while i was on the couch! needless to say she no longer is allowed out her cage when we're not home. She's usually really good but here lately she wont potty in her little box and she's going on the couch and in the kitchen, whats going on with my baby bun?

Answer
Hi K,

could be several things.  

1. She could be sending you a message.  Possibly something in your routine changed lately that she's unhappy about?  Spending less time with her, work shift change, school hours, or something?

2. She's just being naughty - you have to be the alpha bunny.  

3.  Sometimes changes of season bring out weird behaviors.  For example, our guys never chew up their bedding (it's nice soft medical pet bedding).  About two weeks ago two of our guys started going after their bedding.  Totally uncharacteristic, but these guys know the season changes and sometimes that triggers odd behavior.

4. She may need bigger litterpans.  the litterpans may need changing more often.  Sometimes they will go outside the box if they think it's too dirty.

5.  Place a litterpan on the cushion and in the kitchen where she goes.  It could be a passing thing.

6.  She could be trying to overmark an existing scent.  Trying to say "this is mine".

You may wnat ot check the House Rabbit Society web site (www.rabbit.org) and do a search on their site for "litter training" or "behavior" or just check out their article archives on behavior.

Lee