Bunny piddling on new rug

[BlueBelle81]

I'd be very grateful for some advice as I'm at my wits' end. I have had nice shaggy rug for less than two weeks and one of my house rabbits has pissed on it almost every day.

She's usually well house trained; she sometimes just misses the litter tray but if she's out and about she'll hop back into the pen to use it. She had a little spate of weeing on the sofa last year which turned out to be cystitis; this seems more deliberate (she sits for a while then hops away to reveal a wet patch).

She's between 18 months and 2 years old and she's been spayed. She lives with her husbun who has also been neutered (and uses the rug for its proper purpose: binkies). They are both exclusively house rabbits. They have a large pen and are let out to have access to the living room when we are in it.

I have tried to clean every wet patch really thoroughly and have used anti-pet odour foams etc in the hope of breaking the cycle. I've also put old throws over the rug which she's sat and played on before without incident; she just gets the rug through the blanket. I've done the usual house training things of mopping up the wee and putting it in the litter tray etc.

I had a baby 8 months ago and while the bunnies no doubt get a bit less fuss than before they don't seem to have been too bothered by his arrival. So I hope it's not a (delayed) stress reaction. Both rabbits have happily gone over to investigate DS and haven't been alarmed when he reached out towards them (he's not crawling yet). There really hasn't been any other unusual behaviour until now.

I don't want to get to the point where the rug is gross and I certainly don't want to be reluctant to let the rabbits out of their pen. I really don't know what to do.
Thanks in advance!

[FernieB]

Don't think she likes your rug! It doesn't sound like stress - the buns have been used to your baby for a while now. It's more likely a reaction to the rug invading her territory. It's new and she's either marking her territory or objecting to it. What happens if you take the rug away?

[brownmouse]

Is the rug a bit like grass? It might be that shagginess. It a new smell that she wants to mask.

Bad luck! Can you put the rug elsewhere?

[BlueBelle81]

Oh no that's not what I wanted to hear! The rug was mainly so DS would have somewhere comfy to play and learn to crawl but I'd hoped both bunnies would like it. Especially as girl bunny doesn't like walking on the wood floor and usually settles down on any different surface she can find (which is why we have old throws that she's used to sitting on.
Is there any way of introducing the rug so they make friends? Or am I going to have to accept that my bunny is the boss when it comes to interior design (as well as everything else!)

Thanks for your responses!n

[BlackInk]

Have you tried airing it outside in the strong sun for a couple of days? There could be some kind of new rug smell on it that your bun is trying to mask with her only lovely scent?

Pop her litter tray over the area where she wees?

(You might find that fluffy rugs aren't that practical for sticky, slobbery babies - mine would emerge covered with carpet fluff and would probably chomp on the shag pile too...)

[FernieB]

Sorry, bunny's are the bosses in all decisions. You could try putting her throws on/overlapping the new rug and see if she accepts it. But they're stubborn things. A previous bun would attack the feet of anyone who had the audacity to wear brown shoes. We never worked that out but got used to running past her quickly if our footwear was brown. (She also untied shoelaces!).

I also wouldn't have a fluffy rug with a baby. Mine were mucky things and everything had to be easy clean and washable. Having said that I had a friend with a very clean and tidy baby. I was so jealous.

[BlueBelle81]

Thanks everyone! The rug is outside airing but if that doesn't work we might have to think about rehoming it...

DS isn't too sticky (yet) but he has an impressive talent for smuggling weetabix in his neck folds