Ok so this is a two-fold post.
1. Every time I have changed Smudge’s litter pans I have changed types of litter. I didn’t do this on purpose, but I can only go where people take me or I can walk to. He was not bothered at all with the first two kinds but this time I finally was able to get a big bag of yesterdays news thinking it would be just like the pellets he originally had in there.
Now he’s not using any of his litter boxes (one in each of the three rooms in my apartment. He peed and pooped in his bedding instead (just a little bit of carefresh on the floor of his cage). And this morning, after he did his usual ridiculous antics across my bed and me, I got up, gave him his breakfast salad and crawled back into bed, sick. He came in here and was playing around and then he pooped on my bed. Not just a couple, but a whole little poop pile. I caught him, said no and dumped the poop in his litter pan. 5 mins later he did it again, so he got a bigger “no” and a time-out in his cage.
I’m guessing maybe that’s territorial pooping? Is he just un-amused at the litter change? I even got him a super big litter box for the main room so i could put a lot in there and he could dig. What has gone wrong here?
2. He won’t eat his hay. He DOES NOT like it to be in or near his litter pans. I have to try to make a DIY hay rack today and see if that helps, but it’s driving me bananas. I give him timothy hay with occasional alfalfa mixed in. It smells like fine hay to me, not moldy or anything.
He eats fine, just only his fresh greens/veggies and his food pellets. So much wasted hay. So much.