Post Neuter bathroom issues!

[CheryllovesNeo]

To preface this quetion you need some background. 

I got Loki around 6 to 7 weeks (they never seem to give you an actual date just a ballpark at the petstores).  So I figure March 14th bday.  so I took him to get neutered once he was marketing territory and his testicles had dropped (or at least the doc and I thought).  He went in for surgery and only one was there, he went ahead and did the one and 2 weeks later the other one dropped. 

When I got him he was doing abotu 80% litter training, then he got hormonal and started marketing territory outside his cage/house (I hate calling it a cage) specific places, the couch, outside on the footrest for the patio chair and my leather chair in the house.  Had the first surgery and 2 weeks later (this last week July 14th) he had the final surgery and both of them went really well.   After the first surgery he would go in the cage in his liter box for the first week then started marketing territory again (last testicle dropped).  He was full in marketing terrritory mode and also in liter box before he went in. 

I was using vinegar to get rid of the smell and saying NO and putting him in his cage (with door open, I read to not lock him in).  He immediately comes back out.  

So now all surgeries are done and now he won’t go in this cage AT ALL.   He waits until I let him out and goes to the places he was marketing before…couch, chair and patio footrest.    I am trying everything.  I put the papertowel (from clean up) in the litter box, I put the droppings in there and him at the same time.  He will hold it all night and day.   I am gone all day for at least 8 hours at a time and night sometime he is locked up for more than 10 hours.   It is a big cage, and he is a dwarf so he has plenty of room. 

At first he had 2 corners he was choosing between so I actually had 2 corner litter boxes.  Then I pulled one out and just put hay in the other pile to see what he liked best.  Now he just wont go in either place. 

Should I worry about him getting sick? 

Also, his poo has an odor, I’ve never noticed before its gross, and it is kinda wet…still fiberous but moist which I read could be from too much vegatables so I pulled those back and he gets more pellets but mostly trying to get him eating his hay more…he went through a period he wouldn’t eat hay.   Now I cut up tiny pieces of lettuces and mix it in the hay and he eats both.  

So how can i get him to pee in his cage? 

What does his slighly wet poo mean?  Its probably been a week and I was probably giving him 2 cups veggies a day , he is 3lbs.   So i pulled back to 1 cup a day and a carrot sliver or 2. 

PLEASE HELP!!

 

[Sarita]

Moving this to behavior as it concerns litter training.

[CheryllovesNeo]

All these reviews and no replies.

Please help!  Has anyone experienced this issue or know anything about it?  Should I even be worried?  I don’t want GI problems or anything else so I didn’t know if someone knew of some tricks to get him to go while he is in his cage during the day.

The damp poo has me a bit concerned too and the odor, I never smelled an odor before.

I’d rather get ahead of this stuff before it becomes medical issues.  Any help is greatly appreciated!!

THANK YOU!!

Cheryl Costello & Loki

 

[Sarita]

It does not sound like a medical issue to me.

When exactly was he neutered?

[CheryllovesNeo]

This is under the Behavior category.

Should be medical as far as the damp poo goes.  Sorry I am new to this site still learning the design and user interface.  

He was neutered mon July 14th (his final testicle)  The first one was 2 weeks prior.

[Sarita]

So he was neutered on Monday? Many times they will have “damp poo” after the surgery because of the anesthesia and pain meds used, that’s very common.

I guess your post is a bit of many things and seemed mainly to me to be about litter training.

It can take about a month for the hormones to “die” down after a neuter as well and during that time they can lose litter habits as well.

[manic_muncher]

When you say he had 2 corner litter boxes, did you mean those tiny triangular ones that actually sit in the corner, or you are placing cat boxes in corners? If they are they small corner boxes, you might want to get one or two regular size cat boxes.

Something that also might help while you are waiting for those hormones to die down, is re-arranging his area (like maybe shifting everything over x amount of feet to encompass where he’s going now), so you can place the litter boxes in those spots. I had to do that with Bumpy because he was doing the same thing, holding his pee for 8 hours, coming outside his penned area and peeing just on the other side of his pen beside where the litterbox was sitting inside the pen. About a week after his neuter, the area he was using began shrinking closer and closer to the box… about 3 weeks after he started going wild again, about 2 months he was using only his box. It helped greatly being able to move his box to where he was going. Also I did end up upsizing his litterbox to one of those totes with a top, it’s about 1 1/2 times the size of a normal cat box, but has 6 inch sides.

[CheryllovesNeo]

Thank You for all your help, that makes sense about the damp poo b/c it started only after his neuter surgeries.  I feel much better about that, maybe that is the reason for the strong odor too

Hi manic_muncher.   I did use the corner litter boxes but he is a dwarf and only 3lbs so it seemed big enough for him.   I think your right tho I will just get a small cat liter box.   However, the point about moving the box to where he goes…he goes outside the cage on the couch (like on the top of the back cushions and he goes down the back of them in the corner)  and where we hang when we are outside on a chair (which its waterproof and not to much of an issue for me).  So not really an easy place to set a liter box. 

He also doesn’t even go right away…i almost never see him pee inside or outside…but when he does go its only on the furniture per above.   For example this morning I noticed he didn’t go poop or pee all night…I let him out and he still didn’t go…so i brought him outside on the porch which he then went poo a bunch….but no pee.   I had to leave for work and put him in his pen again and he still hadn’t peed.   I went ahead and put a towel that he always pees on in his carrier in his pen so I hope he goes there and doesn’t hold it.  

I know they can get  bladder infections so I want to avoid running into these issues.

[Sarita]

Rabbits are notorious for wanting to use beds, couches, pillows to pee on – usually it’s just best to totally restrict them from these places if they have this behavior.

I don’t think that holding pee in will cause a bladder infection – I’ve never had a rabbit hold their pee in either so I don’t know why they would.

I’m wondering if you should try a different litter as well as changing the litter boxes. I have a Netherland Dwarf as well and I use a litter pan that is similar to this:

http://www.petco.com/product/120543/Marshall-Pet-Products-Small-Animal-High-Back-Litter-Pan.aspx

It’s what he came with – not what I would have chosen but he uses it well otherwise I would have used a regular cat litter tray. Are you putting hay in the litter box?

[CheryllovesNeo]

Great call, I like that liter box, I think that will work really great.   Now that I think about it that corner one probably doesn’t seem like much to him.., he lays in it a lot.   I could probably use the corner ones around the house as extras.   I had one in and outside the pen and he didn’t use the one outside at all, he would just go back to his pen intially until the hormones kicked in.

Also, curious about recommendations around using the grate that comes with the liter box…to cover the bedding/hay in the liter?   I am using it now bc he just had his neuter and to protect from infection…but is that necessary for the rabbit otherwise?  

I clean the liter box once a week…and his who pen too…maybe every other week since he doesn’t go in the bedding really. 

I do put hay and the bedding in the liter box.  I also have a hay bin that hangs next to it he can grab from so it doesn’t get pee’d or poo’d on.

 

 

 

 

[Sarita]

I’ve only used screens if the rabbit is a digger otherwise I never do. I don’t think this particular box comes with a litter screen.

[CheryllovesNeo]

Great.   Thank you all VERY MUCH.

Basically, I got the damp poo is likley from surgery and if it lasts longer than a couple weeks Ill take him to doc.

He will have hormones still potentially for another couple weeks to month and could cause the bathroom issues.   Ill try to put the liter out on the outside patio chair he chills on and see if he goes in it and then move it to his cage with him in it. 

So as long as he is going to the bathroom at all I won’t worry….my concern is more around him not going at all if he can’t get out of his pen for awhile.   I want him to know how to hold it for trainind but not at his detriment…Ill even let him pee on my couch if it makes him go.  LOL!!  that is seriously how much I love this little guy.  Ill post pics asap!

 

 

 

[Author]

Messages