Too Good For the Litter Tray

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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

This topic has 8sd replies, 5 voices, and was last updated 9 years, 6 months ago by LittlePuffyTail.

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- 10/10/2016 at 4:23 PM
  Dface
  Participant
  1084 posts
  So Sampras and Yumi have decided that using the litter tray is no longer working for them.
  
  I did expect to have litter problems after moving house, I figured they’d want to bunny up the place, make it homey. But we got by three and a half weeks and bar some confusion in the first few days, they seemed happy to use the tray.
  
  Since Thursday I’ve been having issues. They decided the room had to be marked out with poop. I cleaned it up, returned them to their cage and left them in there until I thought litter habits had calmed, and were normalising. Then I let them out again yesterday-Sunday and unfortunately it resulted in my rabbits attempting to wall my housemate in with a fortress of poop(Seriously, piles of poop at her feet in rapid time!)
  
  I again returned them to their cage. (Btw their cage is attached to a large pen which they are allowed access to all the time except nighttime.)
  Now they are pooping AND peeing all over their pen in hat appears to be protest at being locked in
  
  I mean I know its territory related, Im just wondering am I doing something wrong and thats why the problem is escalating instead of getting remedied.
  
  …I like to think it’s a sign that Sampras is finally feeling better, and is now asserting his presence on the household…
- 10/10/2016 at 5:53 PM
  Azerane
  Moderator
  4691 posts
  That is a tough one, especially if keeping them confined only makes it worse, because that’s the normal suggestion is to reduce their space and keep them confined more. Maybe add an extra litter tray out in the play pen? I’m really not sure on this one, it’s strange that they would start marking behaviours so long after moving. What naughty bunnies Sorry I couldn’t be more help.
- 10/10/2016 at 10:05 PM
  Q8bunny
  Participant
  6345 posts
  Sometimes keeping them confined and NOT cleaning up after them does the trick. Buns are usually very clean animals and hate to not have a clean spot to lounge. Leave them with their markings for as long as you can stand it, and see if they designate only one spot as potty eventually. Then pop their box there and clean. Repeat if necessary.
- 10/11/2016 at 6:09 AM
  Dface
  Participant
  1084 posts
  Thanks guys! I’ll try, but my need for clean might overwhelm me. I dont mind mess, but dirt gets to me. Bleh.
  
  Doesnt help that Sampras is determined to use his charm to guilt me into letting him out. Binkying when he sees me, rounding it off with a delicate little sneeze. “Please let me out…Im sick ”
- 10/11/2016 at 6:12 AM
  Q8bunny
  Participant
  6345 posts
  Lionheads….
- 10/11/2016 at 7:15 AM
  Dface
  Participant
  1084 posts
  Lionheads….
  
  I know. They are the worst. I have yet to meet a lionhead anywhere that cannot convince me to go get it treats…(Yes I have bought and brought treats to houses of other peoples lionheads)
  
  It was probably the worst idea to get one because the level of spoiled is getting out of hand!
- 10/11/2016 at 8:59 AM
  MrBun&Daisy
  Participant
  166 posts
  When we were reinforcing Bun’s potty manners after his neuter adding an extra litter box really helped. But I also agree with Q8- my 2 have the strangest habit. They have 2 levels and on the first floor there is one corner where they like to scatter pellets. Not really piles just “I didn’t feel like making it to the potty” but one day we noticed that when we put their cardboard box in that spot instead of upstairs they didn’t pellet there. So we tested that theory and kept moving it back and forth. Sure enough whenever we leave it downstairs they won’t pellet around it. I have come to the conclusion that since they love their box and love to be in and around it, they don’t want it to be messy there. So if you can stand it- leave the mess a little while longer or try putting one of their favorite toys or boxes in the area that is most marked. hopefully they will decide they don’t want to hang out in their own mess.
  
  Also- for the peeing: I found a spray that “captures” urine odor. it says its for their litter box but one day I got annoyed that they had started peeing in a new corner for a few days and decided to spray that spot on the blanket. and it worked! I wasn’t sure if it really took the urine odor away (so they forgot that was a potty spot) or if they just didn’t like the spray but they still lay there so I know the spray isn’t bothering them. Maybe give something like that a shot? even if it is just to help your sanity and take the smell away
- 10/11/2016 at 11:22 AM
  Dface
  Participant
  1084 posts
  I set up my laptop to record them so I could watch back what’s going on when I’m not here(ie noises that were threatening and that would explain their need to mark out their cage, or people in my house being weird or coming into my room or something.) So from that footage and from what I can see watching them now I am here, it looks like they are having issues with dominance with one another.
  
  Yumi has started to become territorial over what she believes is “her spot” in the pen. I had noticed her being a bit testy with him the last while, but he can do things that are just very annoying(he frequently just stands on her, like if he thinks I have a treat she becomes a step ladder to me, or he goes ahead and takes her food out of her mouth) and the occasional nip is generally required to reestablish boundaries. -There’s never any grudge held and they are back being cuties in no time, he’ll even walk over after place his head down and she’ll go right ahead and give him a full groom.
  
  I think (cant be sure) that it’s down to Sampras’ medicine making him smell different(For 8 weeks he smelled badly of illness) and now that’s gone, but the medicine seems to be making him smell different to even my nose.
  
  He is getting better so I wont be changing the medicine, they are just going to no longer be allowed in the pen or have free run anywhere that Yumi might perceive as “claimable” territory until they’ve settled back down.
  
  To be clear, there are no actual fights. She lunges and he runs away. She might follow for a bounce or two, but once he’s in the cage it’s fine. Back in the ‘common’ area she’ll happily groom him. And both are currently flopped side by side, so I feel like separating them would be overreacting.
  
  Any thoughts? Any glaringly erroneous decisions I’ve made here?
- 10/11/2016 at 7:04 PM
  LittlePuffyTail
  Moderator
  18092 posts
  I don’t have anything helpful, unfortunately, but the title of this thread just made me laugh….
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