Backwards Bunny Pooping

[OllieBunnysMamma]

So my Mr. Ollie is hanging out in his empty litter box and using the entire cage as his litter pan. I notice the pee is in the corner mostly. Oh Mr Ollie.

 

He is only about 10 to 11 weeks old.

Also, I only let him have playtime in the kitchen because my husband is afriad he will pee and poop in the living room on he rug. I have a two year old that will pop a terd in his mouth like it is candy. So yeah the kitchen is gated. He seems to enjoy himself in he kitchen. I was just wondering how I could be a better Bunny Mamma and help Ollie be a little more hygenic in his personal space.

1710501068071.jpg
1710501085254.jpg

[Nicci607]

Hi Ollie & Bunnymamma!! welcome to Binkybunny!!

Mr. Ollie is very adorable!!     So cute!!

Have you checked out the “Bunny Info” button on the binkybunny homepage? Lots of good info there!! 

 

Here is a very helpful link to Litterbox Training:

 

https://binkybunny.com/Default.aspx?tabid=62

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Beka27]

he is such a cutie! welcome here. hopefully once the potty issues are cleared up and he is using the box faithfully, you can expand his running area. most bunnies really like being out and about with their families.

first things first: what do you have in the litterbox, what kind of litter? and do you have any kind of litter or bedding in the floor of the cage, and if so, what type?

[BeeElleEss]

As someone who is a new bunny owner, I feel a little unqualified to answer you question, but I figured that I would add my two cents.

I aquired my bunny, Rupert, completely un-litter trained and it didn’t help that I was completely new to the world of bunnies. He highly enjoyed marking his territory throughout his cage, but eventually, I saw past his cuteness and realized that it was becoming quite unnecessary. I started by placing his litter box in the corner where I saw him most frequently peeing. That seemed to be working until, well, it didn’t work anymore. He started peeing and pooping all over the cage. After a few days, I realized what must be the problem: I had a bedding-type stuff throughout his cage so that he could play/lay in it. Even though the bedding was quite different from the Feline Pine that is in his litter box, I think that he thought that they were kind of the same thing. So, I took it out and I believe that that has made all of the difference.

However, with all of that said, I really abide by one big thing when it comes to litter training Rupert (it is still an ongoing process…he is quite defiant when he wants to be) I religiously placed his poop/pee inside his litter box after he would go. Also, if he is in the kitchen playing, I might suggest laying newspaper on the floor for him to play on…and when he pees…rip the piece of paper off and place it in his litter box. Then I would lure him to the litter box so that he could smell it and associate the two. I honestly believe that is how I got Rupert trained…it made the biggest different when I started doing that. Also, if you don’t want to do that, make sure that when he does pee on the floor, just wipe it up with a papertowel and place that in the litter box. Both might help.

[Beka27]

^^^i bet you’ve hit the nail on the head. that’s a common mistake people make, putting bedding all over the cage.

welcome here BeeElleEss!

[OllieBunnysMamma]

Oh my goodness! First off, I have a head cold and slept 14 hours last night. I am sorry I have not been back sooner, but I am limited at the moment.

So wow. Thanks for the responses!

This is getting deep. Now I feel like I understand somethings.. but am coming up with some confusion.

#1 YES I have bedding on the floor of the cage, and no there is not a wire rack or anything. It is a bare plastic floor. I read somewhere that the little sweet bunny feets didn’t appreciate the non bedded floor. YES he was using the litter pan but no more. So yes I would like to only put bedding in the litter pan.

#2 What in the world do I do with the rest of the cage area? Do provide no bedding? I mean I feel like that is as if I were sending one of my children to bed without a blanket?! Am I wrong? Is that ok? I mean my kids don’t exactly have fur. (even though their dad does) hee hee!

OK so enough jokes.

But yeah, Ollie is actually chasing me around the kitchen when I am in there. I didn’t expect it at first. It made me nervous I almost stepped on him. I was like ” Oh no! No Ollie pancake, only FLUFFY Ollies in here!” It shocked me. He never chased me around before. lol Bad Mamma.

So please help me figure this out with his cage and bedding. I feel like a bad Mamma. I don’t like it.

[Lightchick]

My bun has newspaper lining the bottom of her floor, but she also has shred-able woven straw matts on top, and a towel, which she pushes around and rearranges.  None of them are at all like the litter in her box…  The matts and towel give her something to do, and someplace to curl up…and no widespread litter to clean!

[JamieM]

I use blankets and towels I’m not too fond of… if you don’t have any, go to a goodwill or salvation army or the equivalent… as soon as I did this, layla started going in her box almost exclusively and hasn’t had a pee accident in nearly a month. She loves to bunch her towels in certain spots to lie on too…

[Beka27]

little blankets (esp. if you have a couple leftover from the baby!), towels, rag rugs, faux sheepskin from the fabric store, a small cat sized pet bed, straw/grass mats. things that can be washed are very handy for cleaning up.

make sure he does not eat the threads or fibers from whatever you put in, he might make little holes, but he shouldn’t be eating it (unless it’s a grass or straw mat).

the other nice thing, besides the littertraining, is you will go thru SO MUCH LESS litter this way. clean up will be easier and like i said, once he is using the litterbox exclusively, you will be able to expand his run-time and space to include other bunny-proofed areas in the house.

please be aware, littertraining may be hit and miss for awhile until he is neutered. but if you keep up with it, and have him fixed when he’s ready, things should go well. if you have any other questions, please ask.

[BinkyBunny]

Also note you have a baby bunny and well…. they are a messy bunch, but as Beka said, this should improve once he is neutered (take a about a month after neutering for the hormones to die down) He will soon be reaching sexual maturity if he hasn’t already displayed sign of it already. Littertraining may “seem” like a downward spiral soon as he may start spraying, do even more territorial markings, as well as circling you, following you relentlessly at times and finding your arm particularity attractive.

It was good that you limited his freedom as too much freedom too fast can help set in bad habits when it comes to littertraining. I also recommmend that as you expand his freedom area, use an xpen to help gradually do that. Xpens can be used to block of areas, rooms, or be used as a space for limited freedom on their own while he’s in training. It sounds like he has right now some great exercise space in one room when he’s out. Right?

Are you planning on neutering him? And if so, do you have a rabbit savvy vet? If not, we can help you figure out how to find one. Doing spay and neuter on a rabbit is different than a cat and dog. How much and how long a rabbit can be under anesthesia is different, as well as pre-post advisement is different. Also a rabbit savvy vet knows which pain meds and antibiotics are safe for bunny (again not always the same as for cats and dogs) So let us know if you need help in that area too.

[OllieBunnysMamma]

OK ok ok ok ok ok! I am very happy to tell everyone that Ollie bunny is correctly littered. I did away with the bedding on the floor and replaced it with some cut up t shirts. His litter pan is the only place where there is bedding.

I appreciate all the advice. It really helped. I do understand completely that Ollie is a baby. (After all I am raising two human babies) So I expect him to have accidents. I do think that training Mr. Ollie Bunny has got to be done starting yesterday. So here are some pics. I cannot wait to hear some feedback.

 

Oh yeah. Well I don’t plan on getting any type of pen for excercise. My kitchen is much larger than an exercise pen. He frequenly has the door open on his cage so he can get in and out as he pleases. He is really getting to be a lot of fun.

171118766071.jpg
171118773854.jpg

[BinkyBunny]

Good news! I am so glad it all worked out! I love his Mickey friend too. Cute!

[Author]

Messages