Sudden Litter Box Shyness

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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

This topic has 7sd replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 15 years, 10 months ago by RabbitPam.

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- 05/05/2010 at 9:14 PM
  QueenThumper
  Participant
  73 posts
  Thumper goes outside during the day and inside at night. She has never had a problem before with using the restroom in the litter box inside her cage, but for the past couple of days I’ve noticed very little droppings – somewhere around 5-10 droppings during the evening – and hardly any urine. She leaves half of the droppings in her little box, and half on the other side of the cage. The droppings outside of the litter box don’t look like territorial droppings because they’re concentrated in an area.
  
  This happened a few days after a room furniture change and changing the location of her cage. In the past, if she had disapproved which corner the litter box was in she would show it by wetting the corner she wanted the litter box in. She has never had this few droppings in her cage before.
  
  Fortunately, she is producing a normal amount of droppings in her corner outside. Last night I moved her cage back to where it used to be, but we’ll see how it goes…
  
  Has this ever happened to anyone else before? Any ideas about why she might be surpressing it overnight other than perhaps being uncomfortable with the furniture change?
- 05/06/2010 at 4:03 AM
  RabbitPam
  Moderator
  11002 posts
  Bunnies are creatures of habit and don’t like change. I’d check to see if her new placement puts her under a vent blowing on her, in the path of sunlight, or is more visible and less protected feeling than before. Does the new furniture block her view, or expose her more? These can all be factors.
  
  I agree that she probably would pee if she wanted the other corner, but I’m a bit concerned about the size of her poos being smaller. Watch her eating and poos for today and see if they continue to not be normal. She may have chewed something she shouldn’t have when exploring the new arrangement and have some tummy distress. Give her a lot of hay and water today so her gut will get moving.
- 05/06/2010 at 11:11 AM
  QueenThumper
  Participant
  73 posts
  The size of her poos is normal, she just makes a lot less at night than she ever has before. During the day when she is outside, her bowel movements are normal. It just seems like she is holding it in at night.
  
  The new space is more exposed than before. It is a space her cage has been in before, but we had rotated the cage. I moved her back into a spot under a table that was less exposed, but it still seems like she is producing less.
- 05/06/2010 at 11:17 AM
  Deleted User
  Participant
  22064 posts
  We have a rabbit at the rescue who will try her hardest not to potty in her cage, but she eliminates fine as soon as she is put into her exercise pen. It is possible that your bunny does not approve of the changed surroundings. Try to make it cozy for her again.
- 05/07/2010 at 6:31 PM
  BinkyBunny
  Moderator
  8776 posts
  Have her eating habits changed? Like when she eats and how much she eats?
- 05/15/2010 at 11:44 AM
  QueenThumper
  Participant
  73 posts
  I moved the cage back to one of her old places under a table and she’s back to normal again. Thanks for the tips! =)
- 05/15/2010 at 10:24 PM
  BinkyBunny
  Moderator
  8776 posts
  Easy fix! Yeah!
- 05/16/2010 at 7:25 AM
  RabbitPam
  Moderator
  11002 posts
  That’s great!
  It always amazes me how well bunnies communicate their disapproval. (I don’t like the decor, so I will pee until you learn I have better taste than you.)
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