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Negotiating Territory with Your House Bunny
By Lee Barber
Bunnies are wonderful house pets. However, bunnies are territorial creatures and living with them entails negotiating territory. This process of negotiating can be lengthy, but once achieved means that your bunny can freely roam your home while respecting your space and belongings.
As silly as it may sound, I think it helps to actually consider bunnies as having a concept of personal property and it is important to respect it. You bunny needs a space of his own. This does not have to be a large space. I recommend establishing your bunny’s territory with a folding exercise pen. Everything within that pen belongs to your bunny. Let your bunny rearrange his toys, food bowl, and hay box however he likes. If you notice your bunny peeing in a particular spot outside the hay box, move the hay box to that spot or even add a second hay box. Otherwise, let him do what he wants in that space and relocate him when it is time to clean his pen, so he does not see your intrusion.
Now that your bunny has his own territory established, you can let your bunny explore other parts of home under supervision. It is important that during this supervised exploration your bunny is able to return his pen on his own both for his sense of safety and of course for when he needs to pee.
While exploring, your bunny will try to claim new territory and when he does you must counteract his territorial behaviors. Bunnies claim territory by leaving their scent. When your bunny leaves droppings, quickly pick them up and put them in his hay box. When he pees, pick him up, place him in his hay box and close the pen; then clean the pee spot with white vinegar to remove the smell. You will also notice your bunny rubbing his chin on various things, this is another territorial behavior, and you will need to wipe down all those surfaces. Your bunny will also shed, leaving his scent, so its important to regularly vacuum your home.
Besides cleaning, there are a couple of other ways to address territorial behavior. During exploration time, if your bunny returns to his pen, reward him with a treat or pets; and when he returns to his pen to pee in his hay box, give him an extra good treat! You can also let him know other spaces belong to you by leaving out clothing that carries your scent—shoes, socks, sweaters, hats—and let him smell and examine these things.
As your bunny gains a reinforced understanding of what space belongs to you, you can extend these exploration times, reduce supervision, and eventually remove the pen or leave it open. It takes time and consistency, but a free range house bunny is truly a joy to live with!
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