Another question, I know…

[scxl]

Okay, sorry for asking so many questions!

Would it be okay to use news paper to line the cage and give the rabbit a hand towl instead of bedding? I know I have so many questions to ask and honestly, I don’t know where to go for ’em… lol

[Emmie]

Newspaper is fine from what i’ve heard. My rabbit doesn’t use bedding. I gave her a face towel and she used it to chew and pee on. She prefers a solid ground to sleep on.

Don’t worry about the questions, I have sked like a million at this point!

[LoveChaCha]

Is your rabbit litter trained?
I would only suggest using newspaper in a litter box. That way it is easier to clean up and dispose of, and not worrying about doing extra work.

Rabbits don’t need bedding in their cage because they will think it is a litter box.

[scxl]

It’s litter trained to a point…
But I just got him from the SPCA on Thursday and so far… he hasn’t been very good at going in the litter box xD

[LoveChaCha]

It will take a while. Do you have a litter box for him?

[scxl]

Yep! I think I managed to get it in the spot he favors to be in the most…

[LoveChaCha]

You could put the newspaper in the litter box, along with some hay. Rabbits love doing their business and eating at the same time

[Monkeybun]

Is it pee or poop that he is leaving outside the box? With him being new to the home, he could be marking his territory too

[scxl]

It’s both actually xD

He’s getting better and pooping in the litter box more, lol.

I figure he’s just marking his territory

I’m getting some hay at some point this week lol

[Monkeybun]

he definitely needs hay, its the most important part of his diet. I would get it sooner than ‘sometime this week’.

[scxl]

I feel really bad for not getting it sooner ; ;
I’m gonna try to make it to the pet store at some point soon.

[LoveChaCha]

Yeah, rabbits always need to constantly have something going in their stomach, or else their gut could slow down.. and it would be a very expensive vet bill o_O

[Jenna, Chubs & Comet]

I use newspaper to line the base of the cage in the space where the litter box isn’t. I only do it for traction though because Chubs HATES slippery surfaces.

[scxl]

Thank you, Jenna!
That’s what I’m doing and I also put a little hand towel just for him to get comfortable on (:

He’s a brat but I love him <3

[BinkyBunny]

It will be normal for him to mark with scattered poos in the cage, but he should get better with his urine and “pile” poo. If he urinates outside of the box, wipe it up with a paper towel and then put a piece of the soiled paper towel in the litterbox. It also may help to put his scattered type of territorial poos in his litterbox as well.

Congrats on your new bunny! I also agree that you need to get hay as soon as possible. It’s especially important since he has transitioned from one place to another. This can be stressful, and that in itself can cause some gi upsets/slowdowns. Hay is essential in helping to keep the gi tract moving along. I would get some Timothy or Orchard hay on Sunday if you can.

A comfy towel or little blanket should be just fine. It is normal for some bunnies to chew on cloth a little bit, and as long as they are not actually eating the cloth, just mostly leaving little cloth pieces behind, then it is okay. Just keep an eye on that.

[scxl]

When I woke up this morning, I saw most of his poops and all his urine in the litter box. I was happily surprised and so proud of him, it topped it off this morning

He really only moves the towel around too his liking, especially if I move it somewhere else that he dosen’t like. It’s really quite adorable!

[Emmie]

It’s such a good feeling when they do their business in the litterbox! I remember being very surprised at how quickly Zelda learned. Pretty much once I took the litter out from the whole cage and put it in one spot, she was fine! Now if I can convince her that the sofa is not a poop zone too, I’ll be very happy!

But congrats! I know what a great feeling and sense of achievement this is!

[scxl]

^ I know! If only I could convince mine that my bed isn’t a pee zone… that’s the next step!

[Emmie]

Hahaha! Oh good luck with that! Is your rabbit male? Is he neutered?

I don’t know if it’s the same with rabbits, but I know my dog always liked to pee on my mam’s bed to mark her territory? He probably smells you or something? Or the feel of the bed prolly feels like litter. I’ve no doubt he’ll get the hang of it!

What did you name him?

[LoveChaCha]

rabbits will mark their territory if they are unneutered/unspayed. heh. my spayed female enjoys jumping on my bed but she has never done her business on top my bed.

[peppypoo]

Peppy has peed on the bed once, and Milo has too…it almost seems like just one of those things they’ve got to do just once, to mark their territory. In any case, spaying/neutering should improve litter habits in general.

[BinkyBunny]

Emmie is right — beds, couches and anywhere that our scent may be the strongest, bunnies will have more of tendency to mark. They can do it to claim the spot, or just say that they are part of the bunny herd. Either way, the positive way to look at it is he seems to be realizing this is his new digs and that must be nice for him.

However, not nice for you! And so if it continues, you can try to train him out of it.  Some bunnies will get the point if at the moment they lift their tail to pee, you tell them “No” or “Uh uh!: (Jack responds to “Uh Uh” and it doesn’t scare him) and then immediately take your bunny off the bed.

Jack used to pee on the living room couch, but I just did the method above and was very persistent and supervised closely. It took a while, but Jack will not pee on it if he comes to visit me on the couch (which is rare) and he won’t go up on any of our furniture in the house when we are not supervising. (well….I should say, I have never caught him on the couch and he doesn’t pee on it it at least.

The only couch he will get on occasionally get on is the one in bunny room and he will sometimes get on there after I have been hanging out on it reading a book or something (It is IN the bunny room and so it’s understandable for him to claim it.) So I have to put a clear plastic runner right at the curve, where the back meets the flat cushions), when I leave. But he only does that a few times a year.

It can be a hard habit to break as it is really built in, so you may find that he just won’t be allowed up there for very long, if at all. Others who do allow their bunnies on their bed regardless, may have some helpful tips though.

I know you just got him from the SPCA a few days ago, so you may want to limit how much room he can have at first so he understand “his” territory and your territory.

[scxl]

The SPCA never told me if he was neutered or not… so it’s still in question for right now xD

His name is Roger~ his previous owners named him that and he’s pretty much like Roger Rabbit so I decided to keep the name (:

[Tate]

Velvateen used to pee on my bed and papasan (spelling? those round comfy chairs!). He had a broken leg and was in a cast for quite a few weeks so I liked to put him on my chest when I was sitting in the papsan or on the bed. He would pee almost every time (and I continued to allow him on the furniture daily as I felt like it was necessary to bond). Eventually I got really good at knowing his timing- just about 10-15 minutes after he came up on the bed with me, it was potty time. So, I anticipated this well and took him off in time and placed him in the litter box where he got rewarded if he did pee. His situation was different because he couldn’t get to his cage when he needed to go, BUT I still think that this is an effective method regardless.

[Monkeybun]

If they didn’t tell you, chances are he isn’t then. I’d get him checked by a vet to be sure. If he hasn’t been… you may want to get that done soon

[scxl]

Well, he has to be in a cage unfortunately because that was the only way I could get him in the first place but I do let him roam around from time to time. He seems to know his territory pretty well, moving around everything to how he wants it and if I move it he moves it right back! Such a picky fuss ball~ even though he did pee on me when I was holding him, haha…

[KatnipCrzy]

If you look on your adoption paperwork it should note if he was neutered or not.

[Author]

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