Litter box woes

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This topic has 7sd replies, 6 voices, and was last updated 6 years, 3 months ago by Theared.

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- 07/24/2018 at 1:11 PM
  Harveybunny
  Participant
  47 posts
  Hey everyone,
  
  so I recently moved my rabbit into a large dog kennel. He is litter trained, so I folded a blanket for traction in his cage, and placed a litter box, (a newer, bigger one than he was used to) and the rest of his stuff.
  
  But he keeps peeing everywhere BUT the litter box. I placed some poops in the litter box but he doesn’t seem to be getting the message. I have had to wash the blanket a few times and realized I needed a new plan. This is driving me crazy!
  
  I was thinking of bringing back his old litter box, the one he was used to going in. It has a crack in it, but at least he’;d be avoiding the carpet! What do you guys think? Do you have any tips?
  
  Thanks
- 07/24/2018 at 1:31 PM
  bear_the_bunny
  Participant
  67 posts
  Hi! How old is he? If your profile picture is him, he looks pretty young. It could be hormones. Neutering reinforces litter training habits, so talk to your vet about that. If he is already neutered, it’s possible he is getting used to the new space. Hope this helped!
- 07/24/2018 at 2:04 PM
  bumpkin93
  Participant
  76 posts
  Like bear_the_bunny mentioned, is your rabbit neutered? It could be the change in space as well. Just make sure that when he urinates outside of the litter box you are soaking up the urine with a paper towel and placing it into a the new litter box so he will associate the scent with the litter box.
- 07/24/2018 at 3:48 PM
  Harveybunny
  Participant
  47 posts
  Harvey is not neutered but he is 6 years old and has almost NEVER urinated outside the litter box until now. I was considering getting him neutered but I am having a hard time finding a good vet with good reviews, plus, my family is not supportive, and since I have not moved out yet, it’s kinda hard to get help. They’re all like, “Why do you give him toys? Rabbits don’t have the brain capacity to get bored!”
  
  That actually wasn’t very relevant to this conversation. Sorry, I’m just venting. I’m a little stressed right now, because I can’t find a place to neuter him. (And I know that would totally help with litter box training.)
- 07/24/2018 at 4:47 PM
  bear_the_bunny
  Participant
  67 posts
  After what you said, my guess is that he is not used to the new place. As for the vet, here’s a Vet List. (Sorry if the link doesn’t work, here’s the address: https://rabbit.org/vet-listings/) The house rabbit society has a lot of good info, so maybe if you showed your parents some websites, they might understand more. My parents were a little hesitant about the toys as well. However, I showed them how smart bunnies are, and how a bored bunny can have quite a few consequences. It helped that majority of the toys for Bear are DIY. Good luck with Harvey, his litter training, and convincing your parents!
- 07/24/2018 at 5:35 PM
  Rain
  Participant
  547 posts
  I had a very similar issue with my parents. It can be difficult being a younger bunny owner or someone who has to live by your parents rules when it comes to pets. What I would do (I bet it got irritating) was drop rabbit facts on them every chance I got. Your parents won’t ever learn the care of rabbits unless you tell them. If you tell them, and probably show them an article about neutering, they’ll understand more. I’m sure there was a time when all of us were startled by the fact that rabbits needs are more than carrots, haha!
- 07/25/2018 at 3:10 AM
  kurottabun
  Participant
  908 posts
  The changing of his environment AND litter box is probably what triggered the loss of litter habits. How long exactly have you been retraining him? If he used to have good litter habits, then the fact that he’s unneutered may be irrelevant now (although it is possible for hormones to suddenly go out of whack). It’s more difficult for unneutered bunnies to be litter trained, but it’s definitely possible.
  
  Maybe you could swap out the blanket for flooring that’s not absorbent, like water resistant puzzle foam mats or linoleum, so you don’t have to wash the blankets so often. It’ll also be easier to clean (just wipe up the pee and spray some water + vinegar solution to rid of the smell). Meanwhile just keep training him. Wipe up his pee with a paper towel and toss it into the box, along with his poops.
- 07/25/2018 at 12:25 PM
  Theared
  Participant
  1 posts
  Posted By kurottabun on 7/25/2018 3:10 AM
  
  The changing of his environment AND litter box is probably what triggered the loss of litter habits. How long exactly have you been retraining him? If he used to have good litter habits, then the fact that he’s unneutered may be irrelevant now (although it is possible for hormones to suddenly go out of whack). It’s more difficult for unneutered bunnies to be litter trained, but it’s definitely possible.
  
  I completely agree with this as that’s exactly what happened to my bunny. However better safe and sorry and check it carefully.
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