Bunny poops on my couch

My little bunny Beatrice is about 3 1/2 months old. She is very curious and fiesty and follows me around the house. She likes to climb the furniture and explore everywhere. So far she hasn't had any accidents anywhere except when she gets on the couch or my lap and poops. It's like she holds it until she hops up on the couch or my lap. I have brown leather couches, so maybe it's the brown color? I also taught her to hop up on my lap so I could give her snuggles when she wanted but now I'm having to train her not to get up on the couch or my lap anymore. Makes me a little sad. I don't know why she's pooping on me and the couch. She even peed on me once. She was on my lap on her own accord and she wasn't scared or anything. I cleaned the couches really well but she keeps on doing it. I put a little litter box also right by the couch, but we just started learning how to use it.

hello,

Welcome to HH.

It takes buns a little while to understand litter training, and it takes soooooooooooooooooo much patience for us poor owners.

Buns select a place where they would like to poop, with my bun it was also the couch. We tried everything - What we did in the end was placed the litter tray on the couch when he was there - not ideal I know.

Then - each time he had an accident is we picked it up, told him no (firmly but gently) and popped him and the poop in the litter tray.

Once he was used to doing his number ones and two in the tray, we moved it slowly a foot at a time, off of the couch and to where we wanted it to be.

We always made sure that he used the same litter tray in his pen that he did out of his pen - so he was never confused about where he should be pooping.

It was long winded, and we had to be so patient - we didnt want to tell him off as we didnt want him to associate the litter tray with punishment, we wanted him to want to go in there.

It took time but worked in the end....he now has a closed in litter box with a door that sits in the dining room which he goes and uses. He even comes in from the garden to use it so it is definately worth persisting.

Good luck x x x x

Welcome to HH, nice to 'see' a new face. Your bun is just lovely.

Fabulous advice from KatieB that I can't improve on because my buns live outside and poo where they want to. Hoping that you manage to reclaim your sofa and that your lap is still just used for cuddles and not as a toilet.

Thanks for the welcome and advice Katyb and NickieM. Well I tried moving the litter box on the couch and I first covered the couch with a shower liner and cloth. Beatrice hopped up there and sniffed around and continued to poop and pee everywhere on the couch. I even tried putting her in her litter box and petted her but that didn't work. She is newly litter box trained and still young so I'm wondering if that has a big part of it. How old was your bunny Katyb when you were able to train it to go in the box on your couch? Beatrice uses her litter box in her housing area in the kitchen. She does still poop outside of the box though Maybe I should just let her get a little older before I try it again?

Daisy was about the 3 months I think - stick with it hun. Keep moving the poos and wees into her the litter box and putting her in there with it straight away she has done it. We used to mop up the wee on a piece of tissue and pop it in the box so the box smelt of wee, not the couch.

It is really hard and daisy tested our patience to the limit. At one stage we had the couch covered in plastic too. She will get there shes just taking a little while to understand or to see who's will will break first! ha ha

Good luck hun - honestly its sooo worth it in the end.