Litter Training gone wrong!

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This topic has 10sd replies, 7 voices, and was last updated 12 years, 6 months ago by stella'smom.

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- 09/27/2011 at 6:27 AM
  Helenbeth
  Participant
  4 posts
  Hello! I am new to Binky Bunny but i have looked on the website many times before!
  
  I have a 6 months old male mini lop. I’ve had him since he was 9 weeks old and his name is HipHop
  
  I have been trying to litter train him. From his 9 weeks to 18 weeks I did try to litter train him but I had no luck. I then got him neutered. (I thought this might help with the litter training.) Sadly it heasn’t! I will try and exlplain his behaviour to see if you anyone has any ideas I could try! (I let him come out of his cage on his own and i let him get back in his cage by himself.) Also I have 4 litter trays in my living room which i have put his food in and a urine soaked tissue.
  
  When he first comes into the living room he will go straight to where I am sitting and pee a little bit. Everytime from then on he will find me (I live with a friend and my partner is always in the room too) but he will only pee on me, where i normally sit or where i am currently sitting. I do not mind about the poo at the moment. I first would like to get him urinating in his litter tray!! haha
  
  In his cage he hasnt really picked just one corner. He poos everywhere and he pees in about 3 different places in his cage. I don’t know if this has anything to do with the problem? He only started slightly choosing spots in which to pee after his castration.
  
  Me, my friend and my partner watch him like a hawk when he is out so that we can usher him to his litter tray whenever his tail lifts! He does spend time in his litter trays but then will come out to go to the toilet.
  
  He loves people and cuddles! He likes to always be centre of attention and if I am busy and unable to give him my full attention he will start doing tricks or constantly jumping on my lap until i fuss over him. He does still quite often run around my legs. (He does not do this to anyone else in the house.) I thought this behavious would stop when he got neutered but it has only lessoned. I have also taken him to the vets to check he is healthy and he is all good!
  
  Please could someone give me a few more ticks to try or if anyone slightly understands what he is doing please let me know!! I am starting to think i will just have to give up on my carpet!! haha I think there must be a communication issue!
- 09/27/2011 at 7:48 AM
  Deleted User
  Participant
  22064 posts
  Try to put food in one side, water in one side, bedding in the other, and a litter box in the last. Rabbit wont pee or poo in where they drink/eat and sleep. Don’t let him run around, keep him in one place until he is completely potty trained in that small area then more on to the next space(the cage is the best place to start. Good Luck
- 09/27/2011 at 7:59 AM
  Beka27
  Participant
  16016 posts
  Posted By Lizzy6789_Bunny~Lover on 09/27/2011 07:48 AM
  
  Try to put food in one side, water in one side, bedding in the other, and a litter box in the last. Rabbit wont pee or poo in where they drink/eat and sleep.
  
  This isn’t correct. Rabbits DO pee and poop where they eat, and if you have soft bedding, some rabbits will pee/poop there as well. This is why all sources on littertraining recommend that you put hay in the litterbox.
  
  How much space does your rabbit have for his habitat? If the area is too small, litterbox training can be more difficult. How big is the litterbox you have?
- 09/27/2011 at 9:21 AM
  Helenbeth
  Participant
  4 posts
  Thank you for your replies!
  
  His cage is 2m by 1m but i guess his actual litter trays in my living room are quite small. There is only a few inches either side of him when he is in it.
  
  I think perhaps I am giving him too much space to run around in my living room. It will be easier to keep an eye on him in a smaller room. But at the same time he will come and find me so that he can pee on me!!! Ha ha
- 09/27/2011 at 9:29 AM
  jerseygirl
  Moderator
  22342 posts
  It does sound like some hormonal or teen bun behaviour still. Circling and marking you. How long since his neuter?
  
  In his cage, do you put anything down on the cage floor? Leaving the floor bare can help. Then putting the box in his favoured place and putting hay in there also.
- 09/27/2011 at 10:29 AM
  Monkeybun
  Participant
  10479 posts
  I would suggest larger litter boxes too. Full on cat sized ones work great for my little buns. Lots of room! Put hay in the boxes, so he goes in there to eat.
- 09/27/2011 at 11:18 AM
  Deleted User
  Participant
  22064 posts
  OH, sorry, thats how I littertrained my bunny, I guess every bunny is different.
- 09/27/2011 at 6:20 PM
  Monkeybun
  Participant
  10479 posts
  Agreed with Beka, most buns are HARDER to litter train if their food is elsewhere, and they have bedding My bunny Smudge even naps in her litter box she is so comfy there now
- 09/28/2011 at 12:54 AM
  Helenbeth
  Participant
  4 posts
  Thank you for your ideas!
  
  I will definitely be buying some larger litter trays for him. Hopefully that will make him like being in them more. He does still choose to lay down in the current litter boxes but they are quite small so i would prefer he has more space.
  
  I will also try keeping areas of his cage bare. At the moment his cage floor is covered. I think once he has chosen a spot in his cage it might be easier to teach him outside of his cage. I really want him to be a proper house rabbit so his cage door is always open for him but I will just have to wait a bit longer!
  
  He only got neutered about 3 weeks ago. Perhaps his hormones are still a bit all over the place?
- 09/28/2011 at 12:17 PM
  LoveChaCha
  Participant
  6634 posts
  Yes! The hormones are still going crazy, it may take a few more weeks to settle down
  
  I keep my rabbit’s food dishes together.
  
  I’ve seen my Chacha bun flop in her litter box once. It was quite hilarous.. xD It is normal and not dirty at all – rabbits are excessive cleaners
- 10/02/2011 at 4:20 PM
  stella'smom
  Participant
  81 posts
  i agree that he has too much room to roam in. i put mine in a cage, then let him out for minutes at a time (n a fenced in kitchen). when he wasn’t peeing out in the kitchen, i increased his time out. now he can run all over the house and not pee at all. (now poops is another story! LOL!!!)
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