behavior issues with her litter box.

[Shaina & Lucy]

Hi! I come for some much needed tips and advice for my 3 year old mini lop called lucy. She has always been a really good user of her litter box and all of a sudden for the past couple weeks she stopped using her littler box and started pooping and peeing only on the blanket on top of her cage. i remove the blanket to see if that is the issue and she pees on the carpet instead. She has started to throw her litter box around and refuses to use it or keep it in it’s spot. I want to see what you guys think is the issue because i’m clueless and very frustrated. I’m thinking that perhaps the issue is she has outgrown her litter box size? 

I know what a lot of people will ask “did you change her environment” and the answer is YES and NO. She started pooping only on the blanket a while ago and i thought this had something to do with the fact that my sister brought her cats over for a few months before moving out again and they kept going into her cage. i thought she was marking her territory. well the cats have been gone for weeks now and she has since started peeing on the blanket as well and only a few days ago did we change her cage size and moved some things around, but she has been having his issue for about a month or so with only recent physically changes to her actual cage situation. 

Even if the recent changes are the issue how do i start correcting this behavior before she starts ruining my carpets? How do i make her feel comfortable with her surroundings enough so she stops peeing and pooping on the ground and not in the litter box? any advice would help! 

[Tgbarber]

Is it a corner box? My bun wouldn’t be able to throw his cat pan litter box. He started with a small corner box and outgrew it.

Maybe try a larger box and see what happens?

[Tgbarber]

Put lots of hay in it too. The pooping is definitely the start and then comes the pee.

[Shaina & Lucy]

it’s not a corner box, she is wayyy to big for the ones i have seen at the store so once she started to get bigger i got her a small cat litter box. I’m thinking of trying a larger one. i do put hay in and near the litter box as well which has always worked but even before she eats her hay she will toss the litter pan to the other side of the cage. that’s the first thing i did when she started to act up and even just this morning i went to fill her food and she was digging the bedding out of the litter box and threw it around her cage. I’ll try a larger litter box i’m just afraid she will try and use it as a dig box and not a litter box. She is a digger and idk if that has anything to do with it or what i can do about that. she has never dug in her litter box before though.

[Shaina & Lucy]

oh another thing i have been trying to go back to basic potty training with is putting the poop from the top of the cage into her litter box and placing it back where it was and she almost immediately goes and throws the litter box. it’s very very frustrating bc i can’t afford her to start peeing on my carpet. I know females act up and she is my first female so i’m not sure if this is a phase and she is in a mood lately or what but i think i will start by purchasing a larger litter box and see what happens.

[Tgbarber]

I bought a box with a detachable top thing. It just makes sides taller. I can’t remember where i bought but it was on line. My bun was throwing litter out when he jumped out of box.

[Shaina & Lucy]

I wish it was just that lol i’m starting to think she is just in a mood because she has started digging all of her pellets and hay from their bowls as well -_- a fresh bowl of brand new hay and she dumped it all over my floor without eating any of it lol she is so sassy.

[Shaina & Lucy]

update: i picked up a “medium” sized cat litter box and she has been using that perfectly! she does still move it around so i have been leaving it where she pushes it and she hasn’t had any issues yet! Now if i could just stop her from digging out her pellets and hay all over her cage -_- lol thanks for the advice

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