An observation in litter habits

[jerseygirl]

Yes, ANOTHER thread on poo&pee topic.

I’ve been meaning to post about this and some other threads have prompted my memory.  It’s just an observation really.

For about a month now I’ve been putting the buns in a large double pen for their outside time. Before, they had the entire yard but my father visited and sprayed a herbicide around so I’ve been wary.

Within 1 day of them being it the pen, they began to litter the ground. So I popped a litter box in there which they used but kept up the littering on the grass.   It was weird because they never seemed to go outside before.  When they had the entire yard, I never noticed a rabbit dropping and would see them go inside the house, use the litterbox to pee, then go back outside.   The only thing I could think that was different was that I had defined the space for them. They could see the larger space around them, but this smaller area was theirs. So territorial marking?…

I remember reading about rabbit behaviour and zones. In warrens where they have burrows, their home base around the burrows, communal grazing grounds where they may eat with other groups (even other grazing animals). Then the wider range or landscape.  It explained about their behaviour in these zones and where they’d mark territory (homebase, around the burrows and in  latrines and scrapes). Also poop where they eat  to fertilise the ground and encourage new growth. All this was observations made of rabbits in the wild I believe.

So seeing my 2 muffins new poop-outdoors behaviour just got me thinking… it was a display of how these zones still are part of the norm for house rabbit perhaps? For mine at least.   Well, we know that’s true to some extent. We create “burrows” aka pens/condos/cages/hidey boxes and latrines aka litter boxes etc.   It’ll be interesting to see what they do if I allow them full access to the yard again down the track.

I must add, the patch were their pen has been is looking lush and green!

[Deleted User]

I agree with the new defined space triggering a marking behavior. It is likelythat they will litter it up less and less as they spend much time in this pen.

[jerseygirl]

Thing is, I won’t be able to really tell if it lessens out there.lol   I do move the pen a bit to put it on a new area so I’ll pay attention next time I move it. What I was hoping was that the littering would lessen in the bunny room.

[Deleted User]

oh! well, if they are littering all over their room but not in the open yard… I’m afraid but it looks as though they think their room is a toilet~that’s just mean…

I never move my outside pen and never let any rain in it, so the ground turned from lush green grassy to arid. I wanted that to keep bugs out such as fleas. I put litter screens, large ones, into the corners, all four corners, and loaded those with hay. It corrected their littering everywhere in that pen that way. Then I reverted them back to the large box. But I may just use screens again next summer. The screens I made are just big squares of landscaping cloth. It allows pee to drain through but no poos. I have to keep the manure out of the pen b/c it would allow flies to hatch. But my rabbits spend all day out there in the summer so it was a bigger concern for me. I wish mine could have an entire yard but not in coyote&weasel country where I am!

[jerseygirl]

Posted By Petzy on 11/20/2010 07:46 PM
oh! well, if they are littering all over their room but not in the open yard… I’m afraid but it looks as though they think their room is a toilet~that’s just mean…

Funny, that’s exactly what my vet said this week!  It’s Jersey, as you know who thinks it’s a toilet.

[Deleted User]

Ah well, some of our most loved rabbits in the forum have the bad litter habits!

[jerseygirl]

^

I’m weird, but I find it interesting. (Not the poop in the rabbit area!!)

I tried an experiment last night. If I leave the rabbits in the living room overnight, I usually shut the door. I have to put stuff on the sofa and chairs or they will soil them in the morning. During the day this is a non issue, I can leave the furniture uncovered. *shrug*
Last night didn’t cover them and I left the living room door open. So they could go thru the house and to their area. Only poop I found this morn was in rabbit area. Nothing in living room or kitchen! I was really surprised, I felt for sure I was going to step in a puddle right outside my bedroom door.

 

[Deleted User]

It is clear. You need to mount a sign on the door to the bunny room saying ‘Rabbit Restroom’

[MimzMum]

*whistles* Ahem…I think Petzy may mean me and mine….lol. j/k
Interesting thing about Mimz. When he was outdoors, I would provide litter box for him, usually with grass clippings in it as I had no idea at first what kind of litter to give him. He had a hutch for evenings, so he was protected, and a locking door on the BunGalow. So at night, he would naturally potty in the box. A few escapees were always found on the floor, having made their way around the Plexiglas on the wire of the hutch, but they were minor. (Nothing like the mess he creates now.)

But during the day, he was adamant about using ONE little divot out in the grass. His run was about 6 ft by 3 ft. The potty spot was close to the BunGalow, but not right at the door. And it was the only spot he ever used.

I never got to see how the other bunnies fared in the outdoor run, because we didn’t get Pip until December and Fiver came almost a year later…only Mimz & Pip have ever been outside and Pip didn’t like it the one time she tried, so I never made her go again. Weather has been too changeable in summer and too many predators to feel comfortable about it again.

I wonder if Mimz was allowed to be outdoors again if he would revert to his old habits and just keep his mess in one place? Not that it will ever happen, most likely, but I would be curious. Of course I’d have to factor in the other two…if I ever get them all bonded…. >.<

I think that because he knows I have to get up and clean his stuff, he makes messes now extra hefty just to vex me….

[Deleted User]

Rabbits are supposed to keep their manure contained in a place so not to attract predators too much… makes me wonder if they know that indoors they are safe?!

[jerseygirl]

So he made his own little latrine MM? Awww….   Does he poop all over when out of his cage? Or is it just those little “Hi Fiver” poops? (Yes I meant “Hi”, not “High”)

 

Petzy, I may have to print this.

[MimzMum]

Hey! There’s a thought! *ponders*

So I’m wondering now…I’m sure rabbits see dogs or cats as predators, right? So why is it that since Jenna’s been in my room, Mimzy is making MORE mess in his night habitat? … Unless he’s marking against her…? But she can’t get to where he is, so I can’t imagine it’s very effective. In fact, it’s not effective at all.
All it does is make more work for me. >.< Which probably is his purpose anyway. *groan*

[Deleted User]

I like the design!
…but do you think this change in appearance of the door will send Jersey into another litter eccentricity?

[MimzMum]

It’s still hard to get Mimzy to go much of anywhere when out of his cage. I’m calling it his “man cave” now. He will only relax while he’s in there. When he’s in the xpen, he’s just hiding under the willow tent, or whatever box I put in there. It’s only Pip who would get friendly and come to see who’s ‘crossing her bridge’…lol…little troll.
And no, he’s good about his litter box when out in the xpen. In fact, he’s so good about it, he doesn’t go until I put him back in the night habitat sometimes. 0_o
But they haven’t been out ‘together’ in awhile. I am planning on setting up a new bonding area and trying a few combos between the three as soon as I can make room, since Mimzy has finally seemed to kick his sneezing bug (watch, now that I typed it in a public forum, he’ll start up again…oi!)

And of course it will have to be away from the dog. 0_o Hard to do with how she follows me everywhere.

[jerseygirl]

but do you think this change in appearance of the door will send Jersey into another litter eccentricity?

No doubt. ^

MM, where does he mostly sleep? In the litter box or on a shelf or something. I’m using a large garbage bag over the big litterbox and have a grate thingy that sits over it. To clean up I just take off the bag, turning it inside out as I go so it contains all the mess.
Could you do something like that on Mimzy cage bottom (minus the grate) without risk of him chewing on it? Maybe lay down a barrier of plastic the cover the edges with cardboard?

Edit: Pic. This shows most of bag is covered. The front is exposed and I could cover this too with cardboard but the buns don’t seem to want to chew the plastic luckily. btw, there’s normally more hay in there –  I’m not that stingy! :P

[MimzMum]

He allows nothing on his floor. No cardboard, no straw mats, no fleece beddies…he’s a plastics man. ^_^ I think it’s just too warm for him to accept any floor covering, and the hard plastic bottom of the pen is most comfortable.
Eh, it’s just been really bad since the dog’s been here. So I keep checking it off to her presence. Although it hasn’t altered any of the other bunnies’ litter habits. Fiver is closest to her most of the time and he’s as immaculate as ever. He even goes back to his box when he’s loose on the bed for “Whee!” time, although I know he can smell her scent and would have the most reason to mark the bedcovers as anybun.

Mimzy sleeps best in his night habitat. That is the only place he can relax. Anywhere else he is on guard and alert. He doesn’t use his shelf for sleep in his habitat much anymore, I think his toenails are needing a trim, so he doesn’t like scrambling up there right now.

[jerseygirl]

oops, you snuck in a post before me up there. I’m very pleased to hear about the lack of sneezing (touch wood) and possible bonding sessions!

[bunnytowne]

Love the rabbit restroom sign.     I can put that by the bedroom door.  Cotton leaves a few there from time to time.

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