So my 1 year and 6 month old bunny has some odd litter box habits. She has near perfect in cage litter box habits (aside from some stray poops). The ex pen attached to her cage gets some poops because she eats the hay she spills and its just natural for her to do that. I can tolerate these minor issues.
Here is where I have the most issues. She will not use the litter box when she has free roam of the room. She will always pee right next to it. NOWHERE else just right next to it. She will also poop there as well but its the peeing that I am starting to get really annoyed with. This is a list of everything I have tried.
- Different kinds of litter boxes of all sizes and shapes
- I’ve tried putting a cover on her box
- I have hay in the box, even tried more treat-like hay
- I have cleaned it everyday (she will often pee right next to her box even after I JUST get done cleaning it)
- i have tried cleaning it less frequently
- I clean it with vinegar
- I clean her accidents with vinegar
- I’ve tried praise and treats (even the good treats like apple)
- I’ve hid treats in her litter box
- I’ve tried putting a hay rack in the box so if she wants the hay she actually has to go into the box
- I’ve tried putting multiple boxes next to each other
- I’ve tried scolding
- I’ve tried moving her box to a completely different spot and she will still pee in the original corner
- the limit access to the rest of the room method
- I’ve put cardboard under the box so she doesn’t feel the need to pee on the carpet
- I’ve tried different kinds of litters with varying degrees of litter
- I’ve tried keeping the wire grate that sometimes comes with litter boxes in the boxes because maybe she doesn’t like her feet to get dirty.
- I’ve tried letting her box be an escape from me if I’m trying to pet her
- I have tried blocking off the immediate areas next to her box so she can only pee in the box and not next to it. She climbed on to the boxes I used to barricade it and peed on those.
- I’ve tried putting toys next to her box so she doesn’t feel the need to get them dirty
- I’ve tried putting towels down
- I’ve put door mats down
- I’ve moved the box over so that she would pee in it and not next to it.
- I have switched her cage litter box with her room litter box
- I’ve rubbed some of her urine in the corner of the box so she gets the idea
- I’ve put any stray poops I find into the box
- I’ve tried starting from scratch, even with a new environment such as when I moved back home for the summer or back to the apartment
- I have sat near her litter box so she’s less likely to misbehave
- I’ve tried lecturing
- I’ve tried begging
- I’ve tried pleading
- I’ve tried potty training videos
All of this and every time I get the same result. Piddles next to the box or in very close proximity
There might be something else I probably tried that I am forgetting about . She’s been spayed. She doesn’t have an infection. She knows that shes supposed to use it because if I see her start to get ready I get up to correct her and she immediately jumps right in.
I don’t know what else to do! Is she just un-litter-trainable? Does anyone else have a bun like this?