Pees and poops all over the place – at nighttime

[Karla]

I have only had Marvin for 2 weeks and he has only been neutered so long, so maybe I am expecting miracles too soon. However, I don’t understand why he is perfectly fine pooping and peeing in the litterbox during the day, but come evening and he just makes a real mess. 

He is 6 years old and was rescued from an outside hutch. His teeth – and his overall health – were in very bad condition, so many of his teeth has been pulled out. Right now, the important thing is for him to begin eating again and to put on a lot of weight, so his diet reflects this: he refuses to eat anything else than banana, mashed carrots and soaked pellets. This I give him in a bowl inside his pen next to the toilet. He doesn’t eat hay or grass (he doesn’t seem to acknowledge that it is something that can actually be eaten), so I have nothing to put inside his toilet to entice him with. 

I have tried different things. I have tried to see if he is afraid of the night, so I have kept the lights on. Same result. I’ve tried removing the towel on the floor at night. Same result. I have tried keeping him in his “cage” at night. Same result. 

Anyone else with rabbits who were litter trained during the day but messyheads during the night?

[jerseygirl]

Hello ! Really nice to see you posting here.
Congratulations on the new family member.

What time do you give him his food? Could it be night is just when he needs toilet the most?
Is he in vicinity of other rabbits more at night time? One pair of mine do tend to make mess more overnight but I think mainly because they sleep most of the day.
He’s not digging out contents of his litter box is he?

[Karla]

Hey you! Always good to “see” you During the day he spends most of his time in the toilet actually, maybe that’s why we don’t have as many accidents. But I have been out most of today and have just come home, and actually there is a big mess now as well.

Because he needs to put on a lot of weight, I make sure he has plenty of food all the time, so there is no particular routine to this. But yeah, maybe he does just do his toilet thing during night time. I know for cats you can get some powder that attracts them to the litterbox, which cat owners use with cats that have accidents. I wonder if there is something like that for rabbits as well, now that I can’t put any food in his litterbox? He digs a lot in his litterbox, so I can put the bowls in it. I’ve tried.

The others are outside now. All day, all night. So that’s not the reason.

[Reeem]

What litter do you use and do you put hay in the litterbox?

[cynthia]

Hi
I dont have any professional answers for you as I am also a new owner, but I can cheer you on. Thank you for adopting and taking good care of him. Congrats on your bunny.

My advice would be to have a lot of patience with him. If you are constant and keep trying I am sure he will like to try something new. Keep in mind that this is how he has been living and it has been for a long time so changing things will take some time.
Keep offering different foods. Sneak it in his favorite foods. He has to eat something rather than just sugar. Try different brands and kinds of hay not just your regular timothy hay.

Good luck and keep us posted.
Again congratulations on your bunny

[Karla]

I rather not jinx it and say “problem solved”…BUT, last night I put an extra toilet outside his area, and this morning everything was as tidy and clean as the night before. Fingers crossed!

[jerseygirl]

Ok, I’ll quietly celebrate with you.
I’m only just realising you said he is 6yrs old. Do you know what his litter habits were like before?

[Author]

Messages