Welcome here! Quite a few questions ;o) Just off the top of my head, a few more questions for you…

First off, it’s not normal for him to have poopy butt. That indicates a problem, either healthwise or with his diet. Has he been to the vet since his neuter for a general health-check? He should go for yearly exams just like a dog or cat. The fact that you have to give butt baths once a week is not good. What does his diet consist of every day: type of hay, type of pellets and what amount, type of veggies and in what amounts, also, does he get any treats?

Before when he was not using the box, was he neutered at that point? Also, have you always had bedding in the cage. Generally you do not want to have bedding in the cage b/c that will confuse litter habits. I’d recommend you put the litterbox back, remove bedding from the rest of the cage and try to littertrain again. He should get it quickly if given the chance.

You said he was developing sores on his feet? That can be remedied with soft bedding (towels, rugs, pet beds, fleece blankets or grass mats). Some rabbits are prone to what is called “sore hocks”: Rex breeds, overweight bunnies, buns on wire bottom cages, buns with their nails too long, buns without enough exercise out of cage are at risk. What kind of bedding and litter have you been using? Some litters are softer than others.

Adequate outside of cage playtime is very important. It is recommended that rabbits get out of their cage 3 hours a day, or 30 hours spread thru out the week. What have you done to bunny-proof a safe area for him? All cords should be tucked away so he cannot get access to them. Furniture can be blocked off with NIC grids or an xpen. Even if you can bunny-proof just the one room where his cage is, that would be great for him to come out and play.

Hi pepperdoo and welcome!

I have a rex girl who had poopy butt for awhile. She was a chunky monkey and couldn’t reach around to clean herself or get the cecals so she would wind up with a big wad squashed on her bum. I would draw an inch or 2 of warm water in the tub, put a thick towel in and plop her in for a soak. She’s a pretty calm bunny so she’d just sit and glare at me while I worked the mess loose with my fingers and it eventually came out.

I’m pretty much trained to let her out of the condo when I get home and she’s on the go all evening so she’s lost quite of bit of that. She’s still quite curvy but she can keep herself much cleaner now and hasn’t had a bum bath in 7-8 months.

Sounds like he picked a corner of his cage for going to the bathroom – that would be where to move the litter box to! You can further encourage him to use the litter box by putting some timothy hay in there – many buns like to munch on hay and “go” at the same time.

Also, it is not necessary to have bedding throughout the whole cage. It is only necessary in the litter box and should be a paper-based or pelleted type of litter – cedar chips are harmful to bun buns so if you’re using that, it’s time for a change. I would recommend laying a short-thread rug or carpet scrap to line the bottom of his cage so he doesn’t get sore hocks.

I use towels in Remy’s cage, and it has worked perfectly. I had “bedding” for about a day, but the poor little guy hated it and it made him sneeze. You should definitely try towels! Plus, they’re easy to wash and you can save money not buying replacement bedding all the time.

I’ve read that rabbits can be funny about where they pee… just because you put a litterbox in one corner doesn’t mean he’ll use it! If he pees in the other corner, that’s the place to put the box. Also, if he’s turning it over, you might want to just get a bigger one. Chances are he likes peeing that corner and will just use the litterbox because it’s already there. Also, if you let him out, you might want to get a few extra litterboxes until he’s totally trained. It’s really helps reinforce the idea that that’s where they’re suppose to go. You can gradually take away litterboxes as he gets better.

Apparently wild rabbits are the same way… they have designated areas in their burrows for sleeping, babies, and waste. Such clean little animals!

That’s strange he has poopybutt problems. It sounds as though his diet is okay. Depending upon his size, you might actually be feeding him too many greens. Maybe reduce the greens you are feeding him by half and see if that helps with the problem. Felony is about 5 pounds and he gets about 2 cups of greens a day.

Hooty:  I was thinking of decreasing he pellets & increasing hay and veggies (green leafy)??? 

first off, that crazy running/jumpy thing is a binky & that means he’s super happy.  I too think his poopy butt is a cecal issue.  My Jess has gotten a bit “curvey” aka “chunky” post spay and she occassionally gets cecals stuck to her butt.  I usually just pluck them out.  I ditto putting the litterbox in the corner he potties, that’s his potty spot.  I also agree w/ the removing the carefresh from use of the whole cage bottom and putting in towels or rag rugs.  I like rag rugs b/c they pull apart in large pieces, so none are mistaken for spaghetti.  My Leo came from a home that covered the bottom of his cage in carefresh or shavings….that beast was difficult to get him to always use the litterbox.  He too always flipped over his litterbox.  Now I have a small one attached to their condo wall and a big cat size one that is too big to tip.  His hay basket & food bowl are all attached to the sides of the condo.

Since he doesn’t seem to get much outside time….is his cage big enough?  Is it multilevels or attached to an xpen?

Yes, I am also thinking he may be getting too many pellets. He sounds like he may be a dwarf breed (small ears, only a couple pounds) so he should be alright with about 1/8th cup timothy pellets, the unlimited timothy hay, and the veggies. Especially since you say he does not always finish his pellets, I think that would be a good place to start. His care sounds great, hopefully you can get the poopy butt issue under control.

Hi pepperdoo! I’m really pleased to read how much you enjoy Pepper despite some of his unwanted behaviours. I may repeat some of what the others have said, my suggestions are:

1) put litter box where he has designated, scoop up the soiled bedding off the floor and put it in the back of the box. Maybe some hay in the front as digx suggested. You may need to try to tie down his box so he can’t move it. Remove the bedding and provide an alternative soft area for him to rest on – but don’t cover the entire floor with it. I don’t know about his sensitivity to plastic but if you do have concerns, perhaps line his cage with some vinyl or something else non absorbant. He actually does sound litter trained – especially as he returns to the cage to go during his out time. He may just view the entire cage as a litter box. maybe try cutting the front of the box lower so he doesn’t view it as a barrier that need to be moved.

2) with diet, I would think reducing his pellets and veggies would help. Being only small, he really doesn’t need that much. The veg and pellets just ensure he gets vitamins. With buns having poopy butt probs, it’s wise to reduce other food and increase hay anyway to help clear things up. You can give a small amount (1 tsp max) of whole rolled oats too, but not to much, too many carbs. I test on his poop might be needed as Beka mentioned, it could be health related also.

Some of the Tim based pellets can cause probs in sensitive buns, so can certain veggies. Your guy might be one of these sensitive types that needs an elimination diet to assess what the culprit is. Do you mind saying what brand/type of pellets you use?

3) you may be able to increase his exercise time but at the moment while you are sorting his litter box habits, confinement is not a bad thing. Though he seems good about it while he’s out! Do you put another litter box out while he’s out? This may help him catch on.

He really does sound like a lovely fellow. So cute about the dog! For a small one, he’s pretty gutsy! Hope we have helped some.

Sorry if my post sounded overly instructional…I had a bit to say and thought that was was a bit clearer…I tend to waffle *roll eyes*

Hi and welcome Pepperdoo!   The majority of us here on the board use Oxbow Bunny Basics T pellets.  They are readily available at PetSmart, otherwise they can be hard to find.  Amercian Pet Diner makes some decent pellets as well (but you pretty much have to order them).  I know a few others have used Zupreem, but my two have always been and always will be on the Oxbow, so I haven’t tried any others. 

Here is some info on finding a good-quality pellet:

https://binkybunny.com/BUNNYINFO…fault.aspx

This has a few comparisons:

http://www.rabbit.org/journal/3-4/pellet-info.html

HI welcome.  Glad you found us.  Your pepper sounds adorable.

Pellets  Kaytee complete does that have things in it besides pellets.  If so not good.  Too fattening.  kaytee Timothy is good.  Zupreem timothy is good.  Oxbow timothy is good and expensive.  supposed to be the best.  Mine love Kaytee Timothy.  Since Zupreem is kind of scarce at the petstore nearby I go across the river for the Kaytee Timothy. 

Yes I know what you mean when the proper pelletts are scarce.  They were on Zupreem for a while but the store never ordered enuf.

The chewing.  Normal.  What we do is go to hardware store and look for t sling tubing I found it at radio shack.  It is flexible and has a slit already made to tuck the wires into.  That should prevent chewing of the wires.   The wires to a rabbit looks like roots.  The dig tunnels and chew the roots out of the way to escape predators faster in the wild.  As they mature some the chewing may subside a bit.  Then maybe not.

Also NIC cubes.  They can go around the bottom of your couch or what not to prevent hiding and chewing under there if that is an issue.

I have 2 xpens from pet store  to keep my computer and tv wires safe. I use the other to block the side of the couch from HIS Majesty Cotton.

The other issues seem to have been taken care of already so I won’t go there.  He sounds so cute.  Very intelligent too.  Checking on the kids and such.  HOw cute.

We need pics of your little adorable furred friend.  We love pics here.  So PLEASE let us see pepper.

Hi, hi, hi!

So glad you found us! How funny that you Golden is scared of the bunny! And he is looking for his playmates – How sweet!

I just wanted to add my 2 cents!
I have punched holes in my litter boxes and attached them to the side of the pen with twist ties so my buns cant throw the box around. It works like a charm. I also have cotton rag rugs on the bottom of my pen that I got at target for $3 – they often have cotton rugs about 2 X3 feet in that price range. While my buns do dig at them – they have not destroyed them in the year I have had them.
I also have cotton towels & fleece blankets for them. Since Pepperdoo is a chewer fleece might be a better option than towels because he will not be able to pull the strings out of fleece (there are not any) like with towels – Someone here had a bunny choke on those strings.
My two buns are 4 & 5 pounds – they share 1/2 a cup of pellets and 2 cups of veggies a day. Of course, all the hay their little bunny hearts desire.
PetsMart now carries Oxbow Bunny Basics T Pellets – they are great!

Has anyone mentioned that those”store stick treats” have lots of seeds and nuts in them – which might make poopy butt worse – and Pepperdoo fat.

I included a photo of my set up -  So you can see the rugs and stuff.

Sounds like you have lots of ideas to try out! It can be diet related as stated, and sometimes bunny’s need no pellets and just lots of hay and veggies-or vice versa-some get poopy from any veggie and need mostly hay and some pellets. Give what you try a few days -I’d say a week at least to let the system adjust and see what’s working and what’s not.

Welcome here!! Can’t wait to see pictures if you can manage!

You know something.  …   I just discoverd a new website it has those wire covers for less $ and more feet..    The website is

http://www.foyspigeonsupplies.com                Yes it says pigeons but they have lots of bunny stuff too…

You go to their catalog and somewhere down the page is bunnies so hit that and it takes you to the bunny stuff….They have lots n lots of stuff…

You can eventually find the wire covers there.  Like I said they have lots of things to select and look at.