Any advanced advice on litter training?

[Nesano]

So I’ve had mild success on getting my bunny, Bella, to go where she’s supposed to go. Unfortunately, this past week she’s had a handful of accidents and only one successful litter box excursion.

Some of the things I tried to get her to do her business in a designated spot have been:

• Cleaning up pee and putting the paper towel in the box.

• Picking up her droppings and putting them in the box.

• Putting her box in the corner where she once peed.

The last one I tried seemed to be what lead to her first successful one, but lately she’s been just doing her business near the rug where she spends most of her time. I’ve heard spaying helps, but I haven’t done that as of now. I’ve tried show her the pee-soaked paper towels and she sniffs them and tries to eat them (Bunnies are weird), but she doesn’t seem to follow me over to her box in the corner. I’ve noticed she tends to back up and raise her tail when she’s about to pee, so I’ll try to say “Bella, no!” and lightly tap her forehead if I see it and can react in time. I’m pretty sure she’s in heat, as she does a lot of honking; I’m sure that’s complicating things greatly. Not sure what else I can do.

Apart from that, she’s been much more tame lately. She hasn’t been thumping much at all and by baby stepping it I’ve almost gotten her used to being picked up. Yesterday I was petting her sides and back and she did a little flop to her side, quick got back up, then did a little 180 hop and stuck her nose under my hand so I’d pet her head. She also licks my face every time I put mine up to hers.

Here’s a quick link to my last thread if you want more details on Bella.

[Cocoa]

Where is her hay? If that is in the litterbox, it will encourage her to potty there

[Nesano]

I’ll try that. Isn’t it a bad idea to put bunny food in the place bunnies do their business?

[Deleted User]

I think almost all of us have our hay either in the litter box or next to it. Bunnies poop where they eat, so it’s pretty helpful to have it there. It can be a little messy if your bunny pees on the hay because you’ll have to change the hay, but aside from that it works really well. If you don’t feel comfortable with the hay right on top of the litter box, you can put a hay rack or bowl of hay next to the litter box.

Both of my boys lounge and sleep in their litter boxes, so I found the hay entices them to stay xD

[Deleted User]

Also, how old is Bella?

[Nesano]

I’ll try putting hay next to the box first to see if that works. Bella’s a few months old.

[Deleted User]

A few months old means that hormones are at play, and it’s not likely she’s going to practice litter habits, especially pooping. It really won’t get much better until she’s spayed.

[Cocoa]

I use a hay rack with my bunnies and it works very well. If she isn’t spayed, that could be the cause. Some bunnies with pee out of their litterbox when they aren’t spayed

[Nesano]

How long does the hormonal activity last spayed/unspayed?

Also, if you spay a bunny, does it make them less-active? I’d hate to get my bunny spayed only for her to lose all of her spunk and get out of shape.

[Deleted User]

Without spaying, it isn’t going to get better. That’s the whole point of spaying, that and to greatly reduce the risk of reproductive cancers. With spaying, it usually takes 1-2 months for hormonal behaviors to die down. Both of my boys were back to normal within 2ish weeks after their neuters.

[sarahthegemini]

Having a spay isn’t going to turn an active bunny into a sloth. Spaying is essential, for her health. Another plus is improved litter habits.

[Nesano]

Thanks for the advice, the hay idea worked. I put some hay in her box, she hopped in, nibbled on some hay, and peed where she did before. She did this two different times, both times digging around and slinging exactly one turd out onto the floor. Sure beats peeing on the floor.

She also almost mounted the cat. She went up behind the cat, tried to nibble on his back, and he whined a little and walked away.

[Sirius&Luna]

Rabbits aren’t animals that go into heat, they can get pregnant at any time. Now shes a few months old she’s likely hormonal, and the honking and mounting won’t stop until she’s spayed.

[Author]

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