Sorry in advanced for the novel. I am just desperate for help and figure more information is better. Feel free to read as much as you would like and leave any possible questions or suggestions. I am so desperate I will try anything!
I have 2 Holland Lops, a 1 year old boy (Buddy) and a 2 ½ year old girl (Sadie) (both fixed, and fully bonded). They free roam in my fully carpeted bedroom. The problem is Sadie (who I know can and has used the littler box) has randomly started peeing right next to both of the litter boxes on the carpet or anything that is in that area including cardboard boxes and plastic mats! It is mostly in the same spot. She has also started leaving poo pellets all over my room. I am 27 and currently living with my parents due to unforeseen circumstances and if my dad finds out about all of the peeing on his fairly new carpet he will flip! I have added pictures to show the issue. The yellow circles are everywhere that she has peed.
Background story in case it helps:
Sadie came to me last December from a breeder who was needing to rehome her because the previous owner could not take care of her anymore. This would be the 3rd time she changed homes in her short 2 ½ years. Also, she has an issue where her bottom incisor teeth over grew and now she is missing her top 2 incisor teeth (bottom teeth have been clipped). I am not sure if either of these could be the cause of the behavior issue.
Both Buddy and Sadie are fully litter box trained (well I thought). I have seen Sadie use the litter box without any issues (even just barely today). And she was doing just fine when I first brought them up from the unfinished basement. Before bringing them to my room I had seen a pattern that anything soft would end up peed on (blankets, cushioned teepee, my bed, pet beds, towels, clothes). So I stopped giving them anything soft and hoped that wouldn’t translate to the carpet. Then after a month or so I was seeing random pee in 2-3 specific spots but I cleaned it up with a pet cleaner and covered it and everything was fine. 4 weeks later Sadie is peeing on the coverings and right next to the litter box (see pic). The last 3 weeks I have been doing everything I can to correct the behavior but nothing seems to be working so that is why I am here for more advice. I AM AT A LOSS!
Things I have tried that are not working:
- I have 2 litter boxes in my room and change them every 2-3 days and I have watched Sadie pee outside the litter box soon after I place the fresh one down. Also, I have seen her pee outside it after just a little while before seeing her pee in the box.
- When I catch her I try to scoop her up and put her in the litter box to finish but she just jumps right out and then just a bit later I see her do it again outside the box.
- Every time I see her in the litter box no matter what I try to tell her good job and give her a little treat. The problem is it seems to distract her from finishing.
- I have tried cleaning up all of the pee spots very quickly, first dabbing it into a paper towel and putting that in the litter box then I clean it with vinegar water. It doesn’t seem to help. So then I wondered if it was a territory problem so I slowed down a bit and tried just using water to clean so her scent is still there. Neither seems to make any effect on her behavior and I really need to be able to get the pee out of the carpet with the vinegar.
- I have thought about increasing the amount of vinegar to water so it was stronger to remove the smell. I don’t know if that will work.
- I have thought about using the X-pen to limit her space but I would feel really bad about that since Buddy wouldn’t be limited. Also that is a little difficult in my bedroom.