I have had my rabbit, Luna, for 5 years now (she is a rescue and is estimated to be about 7 years old). She was pretty good about using her litterbox until about 8-9 months ago, when she started peeing outside of the litterbox (not just once in a while)–including on the floor and on the couch. We had her checked for UTIs and bladder sludge–nothing came back abnormal. She does have arthritis, but the vet says it is mild, and it is managed by medication (e.g., she still hops on the couch without issue, so we don’t think she has trouble accessing the litterbox). The vet thinks she is just misbehaving and suggested re-litterbox training her like a baby. She has had some dental issues lately, but her litterbox habits were getting bad even before those issues started, and she is getting her teeth taken care of every 4-6 weeks now.
The peeing and pooping outside of the litterbox is getting very out of hand lately. I am cleaning up pee spots multiple times per day, and we have poops everywhere. Charlie, our other rabbit, is better with the litterbox than she is, though I have caught him in the act too. I have been picking Luna up and placing her in the litterbox when I catch her peeing, wiping up the pee with paper towels and putting them in the litterbox, and spraying the affected areas with vinegar. We did briefly try restricting their space, but it did not seem to work–though perhaps I didn’t give it enough time because I always feel bad for them when they have less space.
I love them dearly, but honestly I am at my wits’ end right now–would appreciate any advice! Other techniques for getting them (mostly Luna) to adhere to her litterbox? Should I get a second opinion from another vet to double check? Any cleaning techniques that may be better for neutralizing the odor?
For context, she and Charlie (our other bunny, who we adopted 8 months ago and is bonded with Luna) live in an ex-pen and are allowed to free-roam in our living room when we are home to supervise (which is most of the time, since I usually work from home). They have a large litterbox with a hayfeeder in their pen, as well as a litterbox on the other side of the living room for when they are out. Her litterbox habits were getting bad even before we adopted Charlie.
Thanks in advance!
PS: She peed on the floor as I was typing this 🙁
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