Litterboxes are man-made objects, so he’s probably going next to it because as a rabbit, it’s not intuitive to hop into it and do his business. It’s just a random thingy, so he’ll pee/poo next to it. Lifting him and putting him in the box right before, during, or right after an accident happens will help build his connection that that is where you desire him to go. Many rabbits made an association right away with the litter box, but especially since you took away the one he was used to, he won’t register one that looks different to be another poop/pee vessle— by getting him in the box and praising him with a pet once he’s in there, you’ll help build the association that “yes, I should go in this odd container when I do my business”.

Some rabbits learn associations with the litter box itself (so if the litter box moves, they still know to go in there); some learn based on location (if the litter box isn’t there, they’ll still go there). There are pro’s and con’s to either way a rabbit learns. If you are okay with that being a potty corner, I say leave it there since he likes the location. If not, you’ll need to watch him, and every time he goes there or is about to go there, discourage it with a “hiss” and get him over to the litter box you’d like him to use. Praise with a pet afterwards so he gets a positive association with the box. Overly praise when he does it correctly on his own. Try not to praise with treats though, or he may think he gets a treat each time he goes poop/pee, haha.

In the future, if your rabbit is “holding in” poops/pees, I recommend seeing a vet asap. A rabbit that does not poop/pee for longer than a day could have a serious health condition called GI stasis, which can be fatal within 24-48 hours if not treated. Since he resumed going again, that’s positive, but keep it in mind for the future. If his poops are very small though and infrequent, I recommend going to the vet now, because he could be suffering from something presently which caused him to not poop/pee, which just happened to coincide with when you did the litter box change. This is also a possibility because if he suddenly started chewing the plastic box, it could be because he’s frustrated/in pain and is acting out to express that discomfort. Rabbits can’t hold that stuff in very long, so if it’s for an entire day, there’s something physically preventing them from going in their gut, whether it’s a blockage or something else that needs to be addressed pronto!

Since this is your first rabbit, have you taken a good look at the information in the BUNNY INFO section of this website? It provides very vital information about proper diet and care. Since he’s not a young rabbit anymore, his diet should be 80-90% hay; not veggies or pellets or treats. Poops should be spherical, dry to relatively dry, and more or less consistent in size, but they should not be consistently small.

Let us know if you have any questions, and welcome to the community!

Can you have another litterbox in his pen? It’s definitely not healthy for him to hold in pee and poop all day, and to be honest, most rabbits wouldn’t, they’d just pee wherever. If you could have two of the same litterboxes, one in the pen and one out, and use the same tricks you’ve been using with the outside one, he should get the hang of it pretty quickly.

Since he’ll have two distinct location access, you’re having good thoughts about training in the pen. I’d do both! So spend some time training at the kitchen area, and even at times when you’re at home, spend some time training in the pen. If you have a second box, use that, or you can move the kitchen one into the pen when he’s in there. Ideally, two boxes will make life easier for you. When he has access to the kitchen, I don’t know if you leave the pen open, but if so, two litter boxes would be good, one at each spot, so if he’s closer to the pen, he’ll go there, and if to the kitchen, he’ll go there. More options.

Since he’s estimated 1-2 years old, hay consumption is most important. You can think of a rabbit diet containing hay and non-hay items. For his age, hay can be timothy, orchard, oat, or meadow; not alfalfa. For non-hay items, that would be adult rabbit pellets, fresh veggies, and treats.

To encourage hay eating, since high hay consumption is vital for health and prevents a slew of rabbit sicknesses, you want as much as time possible where he only has access to hay for eating. Rabbits will typically prefer non-hay food always, so if those options are available, they won’t eat hay as much. Hay should always be available. On top of that, most people feed a small portion of fresh veggies in the morning (list on this site; remember carrot is not a veggie. It’s a treat), feed no non-hay items during the rest of the day, and feed a small portion of pellets at night. So the day start and ends with non-hay, while the majority is just hay. Treats should be minimal for fun or training purposes.

Veggie and pellet amount depends on your rabbit’s weight. If you can’t get him still on a scale, grab some items you know the weight of, like soup cans, and compare how they feel in comparison to him. My Wick is two pounds (small breed) and 1yo, so he gets about 1/4cup of adult pellets and about 1.5cup of veggies. With veggies, not many people measure with an actual cup, just do a handful and estimate. A variety in veggies is a bit more fun for rabbits and it will help you learn what he likes and doesn’t like. Rabbit stomachs are very sensitive though and prone to gas, so when introducing a new veggie that he hasn’t eaten before, start small and steady. Look at his poop. If it looks normal, he’s accepting it well. If his poop gets abnormal, best slow down or eliminate that veggie. The veggies on this site’s list are safe, but the transition still needs to be slow. Also, some rabbits will react poorly to safe veggies. Wick can’t eat parsley because it makes him pee too much, and cucumber makes him very gassy.

Always dilemmas. It’s a learning process, but you’re doing well in trouble-shooting in a timely manner and figuring out what needs to be done to help you and your rabbit be happier.

If his pee/poo area in the pen is in his cage, that’s fine. Whatever the place you want to be the pee/poo place in the pen, train him to go there, similar to what I explained in the kitchen. If he poos/pees on the floor of his pen, instead of going in his cage, hiss and move him to the portion of the cage he should go to. Depending on your cage, you may not be able to plop him in it, but try your best. Wick has 3 litter boxes in his free-roam space, and he’ll use whichever based on what’s closest.

Also, eliminate cabbage if possible. It has very little nutritional value (visually noticeable because it’s not as green), so it’s like feeding water. The lettuce is much better on its own.

What a promising update! Getting another box is a good idea so you don’t need to keep moving the same one.

You can check for urine for looking in the litter box, since he’s using it more often. When you go to clean it, it should be obvious if he’s peed in it. If you see he hasn’t and it’s been a while, you should contact a vet for a check up, as well as ensure he’s drinking water and eating wet veggies which will ensure water consumption.

You can try removing the top and observing his reaction. If he’s feels okay with it, that’s fine to do permanently. Not all rabbits necessarily need a safe space of coverage, though it’s preferred.

Great update!

Hm, it’s important to get a confirmation that he’s peeing. Can you lay a paper towel in his litter boxes so it’s more obvious if he is peeing? Not peeing is a bad sign, just like it would be in humans. It could mean it hurts for him to pee, he has a UTI, there’s something wrong with his piping, etc.. A normal rabbit should poop a pretty large amount per day, and have a healthy amount of peeing too, though not creating floods in the litterbox in only 24 hours. It may be worth doing the paper towel so if there is pee on it, you can also assess if it’s a healthy color and viscosity.

Typically when rabbits find something they like to chew, they only chew it, not eat it. That’s why when people post about getting new toys or trying things out, typically we say “give it to them and take it away if they start eating it”. Yes, eating cardboard or anything that’s not easily broken down can lead to blockage, which is very fatal for rabbits, being so tiny! If they’re just chewing and tearing it, that’s not a problem. Be careful of dyed cardboard though; just use normal cardboard pieces or toilet roll tubes.