Baby Blue Bee Bunnies

Help, my rabbit won't stop peeing on the bed!

3/17/2025

Rabbits will urinate in litter trays if they have access to large, deep litter boxes with hay in convenient places. Once neutered, they are very clean animals and like to keep their urine in designated areas. However there are many reasons why a healthy rabbit will urinate in other places.

Soft surfaces - Rabbits love to pee on soft surfaces! The hind leg reflex when sitting on soft areas can stimulate the need to urinate. Plush shaggy rugs, cushions and Vetbeds can be hot spots for urination.
Pheromone masking - rabbits will pee on areas where pheromones are excreted, ie sofas/beds. When you sit down you release pheromones that they can smell, this causes them to want to mark their scent over the top of yours. If a rabbit doesn't urinate on your sofa or bed, that's much more unusual! Likely that rabbit is not very scent reactive.
Territory marking - rabbits will mark their territory if they smell another rabbit and if they are hormonal (not neutered). Scent marking is a way to communicate with other rabbits and can be done by spotting urine or spraying urine.

What can you do

Neuter your rabbits to stop hormonal scent marking
Provide them with multiple large, deep litter boxes which are filled with good quality litter and topped with soft hay
Restrict access to beds/sofas or use waterproof pee mats/covers to protect these areas
Remove all soft surfaces until your rabbits are reliably using their litter boxes

0 Comments

Help, my rabbit is nipping me!

3/13/2025

0 Comments

Nipping is a common and normal behaviour for rabbits, but it can be a worry for many new bun carers.

Rabbits nip for many reasons, but primarily as a way to directly communicate. They also use their mouth to move items, test new things, and wear down their incisors. A nip should not be confused for a bite, these are very different!

Your rabbit may nip you for many reasons:

Hormonal and nipping - being hormonally frustrated can lead to excessive nipping (also common with pregnancy)
Referred scent - smelling another rabbit on will will result in nipping and digging at the scent on your clothing
Asking you to move - if you are in their way you may get a nip or tug at your trouser leg telling you to move out their way
Protective guarding - their space or companion if they feel under threat. A leader may nip you while you are fussing over their follower companion. They may also nip you while you are cleaning their territory as a way to ask you to stop touching their belongings.

Ask yourself, what is your rabbit trying to communicate with you? How is their overall body language when nipping you? Are they annoyed, with ears pinned back or grunting and lunging forward? Are they curious and excited? Understanding what your rabbit is saying to you will tell you whether the nipping is a concern or not.

What should you do?

Stay calm and don't react. If your rabbit is charging at you and nipping, don't move and stay quiet until they hop away. If it has become a habit, make sure to wear clothing that will allow you to stay calm and still even if you get a hard nip.

If your rabbit is being playful and is nipping your bum and hasn't learned that you don't have a fur coat to protect your skin like their companion does, gently but firmly push them away and redirect them.

Don't reward! Rabbits are excellent learners and love to problem solve. This includes finding the easiest and quickest way to access resources. Nipping = treat is a great training tool your rabbit will use to teach you to give them attention. Never give your rabbit affection or treats while they are nipping you or directly after. Wait until they retreat and are calm. If your rabbit is struggling with you cleaning their space and finds this frustrating, remove them from the space before you clean.

If your rabbit has not been spayed or neutered, have this done as soon as you can to prevent this behaviour leading to hormonal aggression.

0 Comments

Understand rabbits better

Help, my rabbit won't stop peeing on the bed!

Help, my rabbit is nipping me!

Welfare advice

Archives

Categories