Litter box train and new surroundings

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This topic has 6sd replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 4 years, 5 months ago by DanaNM.

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- 06/03/2020 at 12:28 PM
  Zoey
  Participant
  2 posts
  Hello,
  
  We just got a bunny about a month ago. She was a year and a half old when coming to our house. She went from having a lot of room to run around and go to the bathroom wherever she wants 24/7 to her cage and a littler box (besides when we have her out of course). Right now she has peed in her littler box once we put it in an area where she goes alot and now she is peeing on the side of it. What can i do to get her in the littler box?
  
  Also, because she came from a much different surrounding and is a year and a half old i feel like she isn’t liking it with us so much. Is there a way i can tell that she dislikes her place of living or should i try something new? We are first time bunny owners and was advised a bigger bunny would be better but now i am unsure. I don’t want her to be miserable in her new surroundings/new family.
  
  Thanks!
- 06/03/2020 at 12:45 PM
  Louiethebunny
  Participant
  604 posts
  I got my rabbit about a month ago too! Several questions for you. Is your rabbit spayed? Spaying your rabbit will help with behavior, litter training, and prevents cancer. Second, is your rabbit in a cage, or in a pen? Keeping a rabbit in a cage is definitely not enough space and can make them unhappy. If your rabbit is spayed, litter training her will be pretty easy, they can learn very fast. Make sure the litter box is spacious, your bun should be able to turn around in it, ones made for cats work great. Next, set up the litter box with a liner, some sort of bedding, and hay. Now when your rabbit begins lifting their tail, it means they have to go, so if you notice this behavior, pick her up and place her in the litter box. Rewarding her with treats always helps! Some rabbits don’t even acknowledge what litter boxes are for, I had to place my rabbit inside before he realized he should sit in there. Because your rabbit seems unhappy in her environment, I would surround her with things she seems to like, like fun toys. One month isn’t too long, rabbits usually take a bit to warm up to a new family.
- 06/03/2020 at 4:31 PM
  DanaNM
  Moderator
  9054 posts
  I too am a little confused about your set up. If she is in her cage all the time she will be very unhappy, and will likely see no need to have good litter box habits since she will think of her whole cage as her box. Rabbits need a minimum of 12 sq feet as their cage/hutch/home base, plus at least 4 hours of exercise daily in a space of 50 sq feet. Often when buns pee right outside the box it’s because their box is too small.
  
  . . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.
- 06/03/2020 at 5:24 PM
  Louiethebunny
  Participant
  604 posts
  Yes for sure @dananm! My bun’s previous foster mom complained he was wasn’t litter trained and kept peeing out of the box, and when I saw it it was SO small. When I gave him a new big box, he uses it without fail.
- 06/03/2020 at 6:15 PM
  Zoey
  Participant
  2 posts
  I will look into getting her spayed tomorrow! Thanks for that info. She is in a big cage, and will put adding a pen shortly we just had to move a few things around before we could get her the space but the owner needed us to take her before we were 100% ready. She also is out of her cage in a big area outside for multiple hours of the day, I will get a cat sized litter box for her, do they care if they have to jump in a little bit?
  
  Thanks!
- 06/03/2020 at 7:35 PM
  Louiethebunny
  Participant
  604 posts
  Jumping in the litter box is not a problem for most buns, if the box has a swingy door, just remove it and your bun should be hopping in and out.
- 06/03/2020 at 8:47 PM
  DanaNM
  Moderator
  9054 posts
  Gotcha! Sounds like a good plan! Yeah plain basic cat boxes are great, or I use just a plastic storage tub, like the kind that are meant to fit under the bed. Got it at a hardware store for i think $8? Most don’t mind a bit of a hop in. 🙂
  
  . . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.
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