# Bunny pooping on couch!



## Kim1218 (May 3, 2010)

Oh, where to start....We recently got a new couch. The old one belonged to my mother-in-law, who had a dog and two cats. Shadow used to poop all over it. We tried putting an extra litter box on it to teach her to go in the litter box instead of on the couch. We tried putting her in the litter box every time she looked ready to poop on the couch, but she would just wait and do it again. Then we got her fixed and she got much better, but still tried to sneak in a few poos whenever she wasn't being watched. Not that big a deal, as it was an old couch. Well, on Friday we got a new couch. She avoided it until yesterday, when she started jumping onto my lap and eventually she was just all over this new couch. I had high hopes because this one couldn't possibly smell like any other animals. I know it has other unusual smells, but in time it will "blend in" with the smells in our home. Anyway, she decided to poop on it last night. She was sitting on my lap when I notice her backing her rear end up against the back of the couch. I nudged her back onto my lap and she jumped to the floor. Then she jumped right back up and did it again, but this time she stayed in my lap and poopedthere when I nudged her away from the couch. I really don't want to keep a litter box on there because it's brand new. Would itwork to havea litter box on the floor by it, or does it need to be on it forthe messageto be effective? Do I just try to keep her off until it doesn't smell so foreign to her anymore?Maybe she'sjealous that I wasn't on the floor with her as much the last couple days? Any ideas/suggetions are greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!


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## OakRidgeRabbits (May 3, 2010)

I would simply not allow the rabbit on the couch. Unlike dogs or cats, rabbits aren't highly trainable. They can be trained to some degree if they are willing, but if a rabbit's not willing and sets their mind to something, we just don't really have the communication to break that.

There is plenty of floor space for your bunny to play, so if pooping on the couch, chairs, bed, etc., are an issue, I just would not allow her up.


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## elrohwen (May 3, 2010)

All of the smells on the couch are just too tempting for many bunnies and they never stop marking. I would just not let her up on the couch.


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## tonyshuman (May 3, 2010)

If it's not possible to watch her all the time, you can put a shower curtain on the couch to keep it clean when you're not sitting on it. Shooing her off can also help. One of my bunnies pees on the couch and so she is not allowed up there. Many bunnies do this kind of territorial pooping to get their smell spread on everything, so eventually it should go away if she deems she has scented the couch enough.


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## Kim1218 (May 3, 2010)

Fortunately she hasn't tried peeing on it yet (knock on wood), and she never peed on the old one, so I just threw a blanket over it. We went about 3 weeks without a couch because we threw out the old one before getting the new one. The first new one didn't fit through our doorway, so we had to order another & wait. During that time she really grew used to us being on the floor with her a lot. I think she was a bit upset with us for "ignoring" her by sitting up high away fom her. She's never completely unsupervised, and she goes back in her cage when no one's home and at night. I spent an hour or so on the floor with her today and she never even tried to jump on the couch. Now that I am sitting on it, though, she's right up with me. I'm hoping that it will pass. Until then I will keep her off as much as I can. Thank you all!

ETA: She has never pottied on either bed or the armchairs, just the couches (old & new).


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## Kitty88 (May 3, 2010)

Maybe you should try moving the couch. Is the new one in the same spot as the old one? Putting a new couch right where the old one was might be encouraging her to continue pooping there.


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## Kim1218 (May 3, 2010)

Unfortunately it's the only place it really fits in the living room. It's kind of oddly shaped and has 2 doorways.


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## funnybunnymummy (May 3, 2010)

I disagree that rabbits aren't highly trainable. They're just as trainable as any other animal. But because they can be stubborn and aren't motivated the same way dogs are to please us, it can just take a LONG time to train them. :rollseyes

I think thesimplest course of action would be to keep a blanket on the couch. If she stops pooping, then you can try removing the blanket.

Be grateful she doesn't pee on the couch. Poops are easy enough to clean up. Pee . . . :yuck

Hope that helps!

Rue


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## Kim1218 (May 3, 2010)

I believe that all animals can be trained, to an extent. We just need to be consistent and use the right methods & motivation for that particular animal. If need be, I'll train her to stay off the couch. I DID make sure to get the 5 year warranty, lol! As long as she doesn't chew or scratch it up (which she has never done yet) it's covered.


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## OakRidgeRabbits (May 3, 2010)

*funnybunnymummy wrote: *


> I disagree that rabbits aren't highly trainable. They're just as trainable as any other animal. But because they can be stubborn and aren't motivated the same way dogs are to please us, it can just take a LONG time to train them. :rollseyes


Maybe I should clairfy... I do realize that most rabbits can be relatively easily trained to do things like use a litterbox or walk on a harness, etc. like other animals. They're certainly very intelligent animals.

But just like you said, the vast majority of rabbits don't have any desire to please us. This makes them less trainable in other areas than many other animals. In order to be trained, an animal must have a desire to learn and generally speaking, rabbits are not very productive. Most people don't have a LONG time and the patience to try to communicate something like "Don't poop on the couch!"

Don't get me wrong, I know people who have trained their rabbits for rabbit hopping or other things like that, more power to them! But the rabbits who participate in things like this are often very selectively chosen for particular personalities that make them trainable. On the whole, rabbits are an animal which we have to learn to live with and figure out ways to live with them. They may not be maliciously pooping on the couch, but they only do it because we continue to allow them. If correction doesn't work, it may be time to just make the couch inaccessible to reduce stress and tension between owner and bunny.


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## funnybunnymummy (May 3, 2010)

Yes, rabbits seem much easier to train to DO something vs. NOT TO DO something.

Training a rabbit to hop up on the couch, no prob. Most will figure that out in a couple sessions. Try teaching them not to poop there, however, and you'll probably pull your hair out and give upbefore the rabbit even hints it knows what you want it to do. ullhair:

Not to say they CAN'T be trained not to poop on the couch. It's just not as easy as covering the couch with a blanket or not allowing bunny on the couch altogether. 

Rue


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## Kim1218 (May 3, 2010)

You've hit the nail on the head, Rue! I think, no matter what kind of animal you're training, it's easier to train TO do something than NOT to do something. Positive reinforcement is the fastest learning method, but you can't positively reinforce the absence of a non-desired behavior. 

When I left the room for a few minutes today, Shadow left me a pile of poo on the blanket  Let the hair pulling begin...


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## lionheadhope (May 4, 2010)

you could give shadow a treat evry time she/he does'nt poo or dont put him/her on the sofaarty0002:


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