Help with behavior

[lionhead.bun.mom]

I really really need some help.
I have 2 SPAYED female rabbits age 4 and 5. autumn is 5 Luna is 4.I have had Luna since 2019 and autumn since 2017. They are both free roam rabbits and are a bonded pair. I moved to California October 2020. They have always destroyed carpets and I can’t seem to find a solution to that. Since moving to a house out here, they pee constantly outside the litterbox in front of my closet. No matter what, they would use the litterbox and also pee and poop in front of my closet. No matter how many times I deep cleaned the carpet, sprayed vinegar etc they would not stop. It’s not spraying, they would just sit there and pee and poop. I recently have moved (3 months ago) to an apartment where they still free roam. I lived with 3 other roommates. Now they do that same urinating and pooping behavior in between me and my roommates nightstand. I do not know what to do. They are both in great health, just had a checkup from a vet and cleared everything 3 months ago. Please, anything will help.

 

[Preitler]

I would block off that area for a month. Not just the spot, but at least 1m away from it, or the whole room.

I do a lot of stepping over barriers in my house...

 

[Lilsakli]

For carpet pulling, I placed down ceramic tiles. You can buy from Lowe’s or home depot; they are very cheap.

For peeing outside litter box, I placed an extra litter box in each room or where they commonly likes to pee or poo. It could be territorial behavior given new environment.

You could also put down toys or blankets that smell like them and that might fix bad toileting habits, but I personally have not tried that.

A spare litter box seemed to do the trick for me.

hope that helps!

 

[dianedriver]

Our rabbit, Bernie, we think, is about 3 years. He's neutered and our
only bun. He's also free roaming.
We've had him since March, 2021, so about 8 months.
We set up a typical litter box for him (see photo) which he's used just fine up until about a month
ago when he began tearing the liner to shreds (not shown in photo), and peeing outside the box. The only change I
can think of in environment is that I now sit on the sofa next to my husband in the evening to
watch TV. I didn't do this before. Bernie and my husband had an interaction going for all those
months without me so close, and now he rarely tries to interact with my husband when I'm there, and
even when I'm not. He also thumps at me in mornings when I'm alone with him.
Could my presence with my husband on the sofa be the reason for Bernie's behavior; jealousy?
My husband thinks I'm nuts to think this...........

 

[JBun]

Our rabbit, Bernie, we think, is about 3 years. He's neutered and our
only bun. He's also free roaming.
We've had him since March, 2021, so about 8 months.
We set up a typical litter box for him (see photo) which he's used just fine up until about a month
ago when he began tearing the liner to shreds (not shown in photo), and peeing outside the box. The only change I
can think of in environment is that I now sit on the sofa next to my husband in the evening to
watch TV. I didn't do this before. Bernie and my husband had an interaction going for all those
months without me so close, and now he rarely tries to interact with my husband when I'm there, and
even when I'm not. He also thumps at me in mornings when I'm alone with him.
Could my presence with my husband on the sofa be the reason for Bernie's behavior; jealousy?
My husband thinks I'm nuts to think this...........View attachment 58290

It actually isn't that far fetched. Any change can upset the balance. If your rabbit isn't as comfortable or bonded with you, as with your husband, then that could be causing your rabbit to feel uncomfortable. And the change of behavior and shredding the litter box liner could be a expression of stress of being upset from this(though also could be due to any changes to your rabbits litter box or environment).

My suggestion would be to sit and spend time with your rabbit to give him time to build trust and bond with you as well. This is best accomplished in a pen or smaller area like a bathroom, where he won't be able to hop off and avoid you. This is essentially the same thing that would be done to bond rabbits together. They need time and proximity to get to know one another and form that bond.

https://rabbitsindoors.weebly.com/bonding-with-your-bunny.html
Other possibilities for sudden changes of behavior can be any change to your rabbits environment(things moved to a different spot, changes of products like a different litter, new smells, loud sounds, predator lurking around outdoors, season or weather changes, food changes, new pets or people around, etc) or something that could be stressing your rabbit. Also, underlying health issue can be a cause for unusual changes of behavior. Though usually there will be other signs like reduced appetite, lethargy, etc.

For future posting, I would suggest starting your own thread when you have your own in depth questions that need answers or suggestions. Especially when it's unrelated to or different from the original thread topic.

https://www.rabbitsonline.net/threads/how-to-post-on-the-forum.92892/

 

[JBun]

I really really need some help.
I have 2 SPAYED female rabbits age 4 and 5. autumn is 5 Luna is 4.I have had Luna since 2019 and autumn since 2017. They are both free roam rabbits and are a bonded pair. I moved to California October 2020. They have always destroyed carpets and I can’t seem to find a solution to that. Since moving to a house out here, they pee constantly outside the litterbox in front of my closet. No matter what, they would use the litterbox and also pee and poop in front of my closet. No matter how many times I deep cleaned the carpet, sprayed vinegar etc they would not stop. It’s not spraying, they would just sit there and pee and poop. I recently have moved (3 months ago) to an apartment where they still free roam. I lived with 3 other roommates. Now they do that same urinating and pooping behavior in between me and my roommates nightstand. I do not know what to do. They are both in great health, just had a checkup from a vet and cleared everything 3 months ago. Please, anything will help.

if they're continuing to pee on carpet, you may need to cover it with something like a cut of linoleum. Some rabbits will always try to pee on soft things like carpet, and there's not much that can be done except prevent access(covering).