Ok, a few days of reading, I’ve decided to go ahead and ask the questions that I’m not entirely sure about.  Even though other threads and links have been very informative, I’m going nuts trying to find my -exact- answer.  I apologize in advance for the length.  I have refrained from using smilies to help curb the desire to play connect-the-dots.  You may need to refresh your drink and maybe go potty first…

I had rabbits when I was a child (I hate to even think about what a miserable life that must have been for them).  I had a dwarf rabbit I adopted in the early ’90s. After reading all kinds of info here, I can see what I did wrong and what I could have done to make her life (and mine) better, with only a bit more knowledge.  However, since I do not have a time machine, I can only go forward from here.

I recently bought a Holland Lop bunny from a breeder.  Later this afternoon, he will have been with us a week.  I know that is barely enough time for a new bun to get used to it’s new environment but he seems to be adjusting amazingly fast.  And since I am home almost all the time (and incredibly absorbed with him right now), I am able to observe even the slightest of differences and have some questions.

I hate to beat a dead horse… but let’s start with litterbox training. lol   The first thing I did “wrong” was put bedding in the bottom of the cage (a 3x2x2 dog crate).  I put the box in the corner where he had peed the first time.  The next time he peed, was right between the food dish and the litterpan.  Honestly, I have no idea how he was managing to do it, they were nearly touching.  So after moving things around, placing the urine soaked paper towel into the box, removing all bedding from the cage itself, several more misses, more redecorating and finally understanding he just preferred not to pee in any of the 4 corners… we have finally achieved pee-trained. YAY.

The hayfeeder was a complete waste of money.  Since he will NOT eat hay from it, even though it is hanging right over the litterpan!  He will only eat hay if it is on the floor or in the litterpan.  So in the litterpan it goes, while the hayfeeder remains decorative art and possible jungle gym…

My question now is about the poop.  Yes, he poops in a pile in the litterbox when he’s munching away happily at his hay.  He’s new to us, his new home, the concept of a litterbox is new for him also, I don’t expect miracles.  I accept there will always be the random pellets scattered about, even from a rabbit who is more seasoned with litterbox usage.  I’m wondering if even though he’s showing all the signs of being relaxed and happy (ie. binkying about inside the cage, laying with his back legs stretched out, even a split second flop) if maybe he’s annoyed with my OCD of sweeping up the random poop that magically appears when I turn my back.  He spends so much time laying about in the corner area closest to my chair here at the computer (where I spend a great deal of time), I just hated seeing him laying there surrounded by poop.  So… the dustpan has a new home, on top of the crate.

He doesn’t -seem- to mind me sweeping up, he doesn’t run away from the little brush, he seems quite curious about it all.  Sweep, sweep, sweep, dump into litterpan, go sit back down, turn around 2 min later, the bottom is scattered with poop again. Wash, rinse, repeat.  I was trying to help reinforce the litterbox idea, but now I’m wondering… could he be mad that I keep cleaning it up?  Maybe he feels that I am invading his space and re-marking his territory to show me it’s his?  Should I just leave the mess there surrounding him?  I don’t want him laying in filth, but I swear it’s almost like that’s what he wants.  (You’re still reading??)

The reason I’m so OCD about it (aside from just being a nut) is related to the second part of my extremely long post. (I’m sorry)  He binkies.  A LOT.  I know that’s good, it makes me happy to see him so happy and comfortable.  BUT the cage binkying gets the poop balls flying!  And he won’t come out of his cage.  So short of removing him from the cage against his will to clean up when he isn’t in it, I end up sweeping up the poop balls everytime I see them.  I’m also considering having the dustpan and broom surgically attached to my arms.

He’s only been outside his cage 2 times this past week.  The first time I was on the floor with a pile of willow limbs that I was stripping leaves from, so I could use the branches for lashing together a hay nest I was making him.  He hopped around, sniffing and tasting the branches and rooting through the pile.  He seemed pretty happy about it.  He’d come up to me and put his front paws on my leg while investigating what my hands were doing.  Before I stood up, I placed him back in his cage, because I didn’t want to startle him when I moved.  The next time I took him out, he didn’t really want me to pick him up, but I did anyway… I didn’t want him to feel like he was forced to be in the cage.  He didn’t freak out, but when I placed him on the floor in front of me, he immediately turned around, climbing over my leg to hop, a little clumbsily, back in his cage.  He hasn’t left it since and I haven’t forced him.  Yesterday he actually sat in his relaxing corner and let me pet his forehead and ear through the bars!

His cage door is open ALL day (and all night when I’m awake, which is nearly all the time), he will come to the doorway, peek around, but he will not leave it.  I HAVE been making additions to the crate (building a shelf for it now), and added a ramp at the door so he can easily come and go.  He just refuses to explore outside of it.  I am only concerned about it so much because as I said, he binkies a lot in the cage… and I am terrified he’s going to hurt himself bouncing off the walls and such.  I know he needs more exercise than his short binky bursts inside the crate, but I don’t know how he’s going to get it if he won’t leave it.

Am I being impatient?  Will the cage binkying be enough exercise for him since the crate is quite large for his size right now?  Should I leave his scattered poop balls laying about and only concentrate on sweeping the ones that fly out of the cage?  How long should I leave these scattered balls surrounding him alone, before something really needs to be done about them?

As I said, he isn’t afraid (at all) of me using the dustpan and brush inside.  I can take the brush and sweep all around him and even brush him to the side to get the ones behind him.  Sometimes he moves out of the way, sometimes he hops into his little hidey-hole tube and gives me full access and hops back out as I finish that area up, sometimes he just curiously follows the pan and brush as I sweep.  I just don’t know if I -should- be encroaching his territory at this point.

I apologize for my extremely long-winded post and thank you for putting up with it, seeing as you’ve gotten to the end.  I appreciate any and all helpful suggestions and comments!