At my wits end

[MarisaAndToby]

Toby has become a little terror. He pees on my bed constantly.

"So don't let him on your bed, Marisa!"

Easier said than done. I have him out for free time, and leave to get a drink/go to the bathroom/put a dish away/do ANYTHING that requires less than 2 minutes. Come back to a bed FULL of pee. I swear. I was gone for 5 minutes today and came back to two pools.

It's a good thing that my mattress is older than I am (literally), because it's being ruined by rabbit pididdle.

My initial plan was to wait until this spring, have him mate with my mum's friend's rabbit, then sell the babies and have that pay for his neuter. As a background story my mum's friend used to breed mini lops, but her male died about a year and a half ago, so I thought it would be a nice offer so she could have one more litter. She was very appreciative and said her kids would love to see bunnies again, but that it would be my responsibility to find homes for the buns. Well I already have several friends who want one, so that's the easy part. But I wouldn't be able to breed them for several months.

I snapped after finding this, called my mum and told her I was booking an appointment to get him fixed. She mentioned that when she saw him this weekend he seemed a lot more "bull headed" than he used to be. Guess his hormones caught up to him. Since then my temper has cooled somewhat and I want to be sure that this habit of his is likely to break if he is fixed. I would be miserable if I got him neutered only to find I still have a pee filled bed. So that's question 1: Will neutering stop Toby from peeing on my bed? In the mean time I think I'll go get a shower curtain and lay it out on top of my bed whenever Toby is out. Hopefully he stays away from the edges and he won't pee down the side of the bed/the wall.

Opinions please and thank you!!

 

[mistyjr]

Are you putting him on your bed or is he jumping up there?

 

[MarisaAndToby]

He jumps up. He has a lot of clearance too; it isn't a stretch for him.

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

As inconvenient as it is, can out put an x-pen or something around your bed? Hopefully it can keep him off and could help break the habit.

Another option to at least save the mattress is to get some plastic sheets or something or even put some plastic over the sheets and it can them be removed at night. Much easier to clean and won't damage the mattress. It would be good to get it big enough to cover the whole bed plus down the sides.

 

[DelightfulEccentricity]

Playpens are your friend. That or a little dog crate. I have a similar but far more dangerous problem with my Chihuahua...she knows not to jump onto and then off of furniture when I'm in the room, but the naughty little thing will do it with zeal when I'm not there, such as when I'm in the bathroom. This is the cause of her first broken leg...she hopped onto and then off of a chair and SNAP, broken leg. I was horrified...

...so she got tucked in a toy-filled, treat-laden playpen whenever I had to leave the room...

.............this led to her SECOND broken leg, when one day she decided to climb out of the three-foot-tall playpen.

Now she goes in her crate whenever I can't directly supervise her. In I have to pee, she goes in the box while I'm in the loo...if I go mow the law, in the box...if I'm at work and my roommate isn't home, box...and no more broken legs.

Unless your bun is awesome at climbing...a little playpen in a corner might be a good thing.

No idea if neutering will stop the peeing though, I'm so very new to rabbits, sorry!

 

[MarisaAndToby]

An xpen around the bed is a great idea, but I don't have one nor can I afford one right now especially with the possibility of a neuter on the horizon.

... Although I did just see one on kijiji for ten bucks. I'll go look at it.

Edit: And to add, he can jump like a freak of nature. I've seen him clear 25-30 inches from a standstill. I'm not sure an xpen would stop him.

And I do plan on getting a clear shower curtain to put on top the bed while he's out. If it doesn't discourage him from jumping onto it, then at least it might protect the mattress.

 

[MarisaAndToby]

And Kyle, he does have a large NIC cage that he's in when I'm not home, but when I am I like to give him free time. Putting him back in there whenever I have to leave the room just isn't feasible for me, especially since he's sometimes particular about when he wants to go back. Thanks for the thought though!

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

Definitely check Kijiji. I found a $20 36" X-pen the other day, so there are some good deals. You can also use NIC grids, again Kijiji can be good. Post ads if you need to as well as you never know what people may have hanging around. Garage sales can also be good, but they are at the end of the season now.

 

[MarisaAndToby]

I replied to the Kijiji add asking for dimensions... hopefully I get a response! At least this way I can hopefully make it until march/april and get the babies

 

[missyscove]

To actually protect the mattress, you can get a waterproof mattress cover like http://www.target.com/p/Home-Waterproof-Mattress-Cover-White/-/A-11018224
We looked into them this summer after one of our subtenants peed on the couch :\
Of course that won't protect your sheets, but at least they're easier to wash than the mattress.
Bunny proofing a bed room is tricky; Timmy lives in the living room but isn't given access to the couch or anything so there's nothing for him to jump on.

 

[Cheyrul]

Our males were not peeing on beds but spraying and it completely stopped when they were neutered.

I have one female that will not pee in her cage. I cannot wait to have her spayed, actually all 3 spayed. I have 3 females who are all building nests. 2 are in the same cage and seem to take turns with the same litter box nest, which is kind of funny because they will not let the neutered boys use it.

 

[Lucy500]

Aw, sorry to hear the buuners has you stressed out
The bedrooms are off limits for Bonkers, so I can't really advice you, but the shower courtain sounds about right. 30 inches is A LOT :shock:.
Have a hug and a calming tea all the way from Cali Marisa

 

[Lucy500]

BTW, we should really start that teen bunny mom support group :wink

 

[Nancy McClelland]

We use cardboard boxes as barricades. You can block off your bed and when not in use for that, nest them one inside of the other and they don't take up a lot of room.

 

[gmas rabbit]

If you use a shower curtain or for that matter a cheap blue tarp, cover it with an old fitted sheet or quilt that you can tuck in all around the sides. Benjamin was the world's greatest bed peeing brat until he was neutered. He would only pee on my husband's side of the bed, really a territorial thing. lol Len did not find it at all amusing. Could be the mattress or bedding already has a faint scent of bunny pee. Try washing them in vinegar and soap. Put a old quilt and then mattress pad on your mattress. Could also spray it with frebreeze to kill any smell. Lots of luck, maybe spring is just too far away to wait for babies, you could have a rotten mattress by then.

 

[MarisaAndToby]

Wow, Alma. I've just realized that Toby only ever pees on the side of my bed that my boyfriend sleeps on when he stays over. Now I know it's all HIS fault.

I'm going to try the shower curtain on top, I just have to finish cleaning the brats cage and go get one

The bright side is that the mattress is really old, and once I'm done university it would have been tossed anyways. Maybe I can just convince my parents to bring me my bed from their house. It's SOOO much comfier, AND way higher. I don't think Toby could clear the jump. I doubt they'll be okay with that till I fix this bed wetting issue.

 

[golfdiva]

Whenever you have to leave for a minute, could you just pick up your rabbit and bring him with you?

 

[MarisaAndToby]

Bit awkward to bring the bun with me while I go to the washroom/putting in a load of laundry.

Could you imagine?! I'd have all those clothes in my arm, huck em in the washer... I'd probably put Toby in there too!

 

[golfdiva]

I do it all the time! I just set Hershey on the counter by me.