Bunny experts need everyone’s opinion

[Fluffbusters]

Okay so I’m going to start my story from the very beginning this is going to be a long post butts I feel everyone needs details LOL. If you want to feel free to skip to the last paragraph because that is probably where my question is going to be. I also added in stars on where I think important parts are!!

So about a year ago I decided to adopt a baby bunny I did not make this decision lightly and I did a ton of research before I adopted my baby. I looked up research on how to litter train I looked up research on proper cage expectations I looked up research on free-roaming rabbit’s I looked at research on rabbit behaviours I looked at what to feed how much to feed my rabbit and what his Daily Greens needed to be. I also ask the breeder for the same type of food he was eating so I could create a smoother transition for him. I was also informed that he was semi litter trained with very few accidents and he was properly weaned from his mother and he was I think he was 6 weeks or 8 weeks old whenever I got him.

I immediately bonded with my bunny and I named him binki.. yes that is a very common name for rabbit but I picked this name because he literally hops in midair and does the most expressive Binky that you have ever seen I’m sure everybody says that about their baby but that’s how he got his name it was a toss-up between Binki and Thor. The reason why I was going to name him Thor was because of his behaviour. He is very feisty and he is not afraid to show it. I immediately knew when it was time to get him neutered because of his behaviour changes. In the beginning because he was a baby and I live in an apartment building with my mother I had to put him in a cage now I know what you’re all thinking rabbit’s should not be caged and I 100% agree with that but he was a baby and he was literally only the size of my hand the cage was six times the size of him and as soon as I saw that he was starting to outgrow his cage I changed his habitat to suit his needs. I learned a lot from my baby and I constantly listen to his body language to respect our bonds and boundaries. I still to this day have a great bond with binki and I’m still learning everyday ways to respect his boundaries. I decided to move across the country and I brought Binky with me of course I ended up purchasing a collapsible cage for him it really was an outdoor collapsible kennel for a dog so it was huge for my baby bunny to travel in. I did a ton of research on how to travel with him and we drove for two days straight and he did not seem to be scared he lopped in his travel home and he was perfectly fine for the transition so if anybody has any questions for me on how to move across the country with a rabbit please feel free to ask because I did not find very much help online whenever I was looking.

I got to Alberta and I set up a dog kennel for my bunny because I have much more space now that I moved out of an apartment and he seemed to be really happy at first he was doing his usual binkying and he was eating healthy but after a few days I noticed that he looked to be depressed. I thought that because I took him away from my mom’s dog and there was no animal socialisation where we were that maybe he was lonely so I did some research on getting him a friend. I looked up how to bond rabbits I talk to my vet about rabbits being social creatures I was nervous that my bond with Binky would disappear if I got him a partner however I decided because I was working and he was home all day and being the social creatures that they are that this was the best decision for his well-being. I did not make this decision lightly either I took a lot of time I looked at different breeds I looked at ways that I could entertain him first before getting another bunny however a lot of the things that I was doing was not satisfying enough for him and he did seem depressed so I went out and I rescued a female bunny because I read that bonding a neutered male and a spayed female would be my best option. It just so happened that a friend of a friend was getting rid of their female rabbit and my friend said why don’t you go check out the rabbit and see if it would be a good match for you and that is how I rescued Oreo. The first thing I saw was a cage and I don’t mean a big cage I was not impressed with her living circumstances she was living and shavings that looked like have not been cleaned in days she appear to have been sitting in her own urine so much that her entire white tail was  brown and yellow with massive clumps. She was also surrounded by cats that were laying around her cage constantly I don’t think the cats were upsetting I think she enjoyed the company from the cats to be honest and she was being fed buy a water bottle which was a big red flag for me because I have discovered that could cause dehydration. I am not trying to bash anybody who keeps their rabbit in a cage I understand that people live in different circumstances however I feel if you’re going to get a pet rabbit you need to look at the proper living conditions that you need to provide to them!!  immediately I knew that I could not leave this rabbit in the living situation that she was in and I went home that night and talked to my boyfriend immediately and I said to him I need to rescue that bunny. Well the owners of the rabbit were genuinely sad to be giving their beloved pet to another home  they did expressed to me that they understood that I seem to know what I was doing with rabbits and that I could take better care of her . They currently had a litter of six kittens and they had a about a total of I think it was 10 cats all together and they felt that the rabbit was not happy. The previous owner stuck his hands into her cage witch immediately frightened her and he pulled her out and as he was handing her to me she got spooked and he dropped her. She landed on top of her cage and then tried to run very quickly however her nails were very long and got caught on her cage and she could not move. I was mortified I looked at my boyfriend and I just said I just want to get the bunny and I want to leave and he agreed. As I was bringing Oreo home in her carrier I could smell her urine on her fur. She stuck her little nose outside of the carrier and she licked me. My immediate thought was that she was licking me as a way of surrendering it was also disclosed to me that she had been rehomed 3 times in the past. I just spoke to her softly and I just told her that she was home now and I knew that I was going to do everything I could to enhance the quality of life that this animal had. I instantly bonded with her she was very skittish I immediately got her out of her cage and got her a kennel to run in just like binkies and I could see her gradually starting to feel safe.

**However because of the living situation that she was in and I honestly believe that she has been treated like an overgrown hamster her entire life it has made it impossible to litter train her. I have tried everything to litter train Oreo I wanted to have her litter trained before I tried bonding them because Binky has really good litter habits right now and I do not want to ruin his litter Habits by mixing and bonding him with a rabbit who will not litter train . I went to the vet and I got her fixed back in October and she has seemed to be a completely healthy bunny however she favours her back so over time I can’t help but think that she has arthritis and if that has come with 1 either being dropped too many times or 2 she’s a lot older than what I thought she was. Which is not a problem I am prepared to take care of an older bunny however this is a New Journey for me that I didn’t anticipate but I also promised this animal a forever home so I need to give that to her. I can’t imagine her anywhere else but here with me and binky. **Recently I have moved into a new apartment and I have been able to create a bunny room Oreo is still in her pen which is a decent size for her and she gets to roam free in the bunny room whenever I am home and Binky is away. I have tried to bond  them in the past before I realized how unfortunate her litter training habits are and it did not go very well so I just decided to keep them side-by-side as buddies and they are buddies side-by-side they groom each other through the bars of the pens when one of them is free and they do lay side-by-side next to each other through the pens.

**She is a very different bunny she is the most sweetest kindest gentlest creature I don’t know how old she is I thought she was only 3 however I think she’s a lot older **than that I initially tried keeping her in her cage for the first week to try and litter train her in a smaller space and then I put her in a bigger pain to continue the litter train process however she does not seem to favour a specific spot in her habitats and she goes wherever and whenever she pleases. I am starting **to wonder if she possibly has a UTI issue or a urine issue of some sort and maybe she doesn’t feel whenever she pees and that could be why she doesn’t have a specific spot? Or I have also noticed that she favours her back and she does not think e She lightly hops she stretches she does not jump up onto higher surfaces or Ledges or **anything like that she is not a chewer which makes me a little concerned about her teeth. She drinks water a lot I cannot stress how much water she drinks I fill **her water bowl up and I come home from work and it’s completely empty and she has one of those dog refillable jugs that continuously dispense water because the water bowl was not lasting her all day. Both of the bunnies get two scoops of Oxbow Adult food and a handful of organic spring mix every morning they get fresh  water and fresh Timothy Hay from the Oxbow brand I give them treats every now and then I am very careful not to overfeed my bunny because I don’t want them to get overweight and have health complications I’d check their teeth on a regular basis to make sure that they’re not chipped or growing oddly I 100% do the best I can to take care of my bunnies and I would love to be able to bond to them because they are getting along very well recently through the bars of their kennels however I am really struggling to litter train Oreo. I have had no choice but to put her into a dog crate which is still big enough to insure she has enough space and it also makes it easier for me to clean up after her she still gets her exercise everyday in the room and I just Resort at 2 cleaning up her mess I sprained my carpet down after her free roam time with vinegar and water I would just really like to bond my beautiful bunnies so if anybody has any advice for me on how to litter an older bunny that would be greatly appreciated.

**Like I said I think it comes down to her being old and having arthritis and maybe not being able to feel when she urinates? Or maybe I just have a very stubborn bunny? It could come down to the amount of water that she’s consuming? Is it something that I’m feeding her? Is there any other things that anybody recommends? Because I would very much like to bond them so they can actually cuddle together and not cuddle through bars. If you took the time and read this entire post well good for you I know this was very long I just wanted to provide as much detail as possible because I have been struggling with this for months now and I seem to have come up with a system that works however it creates a little bit of difficulty because they are still not bonded and that was the initial idea that I had I wanted to bond them.

[DanaNM]

Wow, what a story! Thank you for rescuing her, she is very lucky you found her!!! Poor baby 🙁 I worry about those cats too…. 🙁

A couple things jump out to me, that I think you already have identified most of them. The excessive water drinking could be a symptom of a dental problem, or a kidney problem. Both could lead to peeing all over the place. I had a dental bun that drank tons of water (a large dog bowl a day, as you said) and had terrible litter box habits, and member Wick’s bunny also loses his litter box habits when he needs a tooth trim. How is her hay consumption?

Mobility could also be an issue. I’m not sure what you mean by her “favoring her back”. Arthritis is detectable in x-rays.

When she pees around, is it more of a dribbling? Or large puddles? The dribbling (I think) is more linked to a UTI. Based on the poor conditions she was in, a UTI is possible.

You mention diet as well. Certain veggies have a diuretic effect (parsley specifically). There might be others but that one jumps to mind. If they just get spring mix I don’t think that would be the issue?

So I think I would ask an experienced rabbit vet about dental issues (x-rays might be needed, or at least a deep oral exam under anesthesia), arthritis, or potential bladder issues. They might be able to rule out some options with a basic exam and some blood work.

In the meantime, this page has some resources that might be helpful to you: http://www.disabledrabbits.com/

They have some suggestions for housing and diet that might help (since she isn’t a chewer, puppy pee pads might be a huge help to you). You are right to hold off on bonding until you are sure she is healthy. If you find it is a mobility issue, there are low-sided litter boxes that are easier for buns to jump into.

There is of course the possibility that she just got set in her ways! In which case you might just have to adapt to some accidents (see above comment about pee pads!). At one point I rescued a 9 year old unneutered bun, and even after neutering his box habits were pretty bad, but the adopter was eventually able to get him to pee (mostly) in the box. I think they did some positive reinforcement with him.

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[Wilburbunny]

Hello! It’s very obvious you really love and treat your bunnies very well. I’m definitely not a bunny expert but, like you, I’ve done wayyyy too much research lol. If, in fact, she does have arthritis or another similar problem that could be why she has litter problems. If it’s painful for her to hop into the litter box, she won’t do it (or not often enough). I would suggest cutting the opening to the box lower so it’s easier for her to get in and out. I’m sure you already have hay in the litter box, but if not put it in as bunnies tend to go to the bathroom and eat at the same time. Does she only have poop accidents or is it pee too? It’s much harder to get bunnies to poop solely in the litter box so don’t worry too much if it’s just poop.
Im not sure what size her cage/ pen is (you probably said but I don’t remember) but if it’s too large that could be another reason why your having so much trouble. I’m definitely an advocate for free-roam bunnies and them having as large a cage as possible, however while litter training I suggest making her space smaller. This will (hopefully) make her want go to the bathroom in the litter box versus where she sleeps. I also would suggest putting a litter box in every corner of the cage and chances are she will use them sense rabbits like to go to the bathroom in corners. Keep up the good work!

[Bunstar]

Hi there, I read your whole post and I am confused at the timeline. Did you have Oreo since before October and had her spayed in that month? In six months post-spay the hormones will have been eliminated so she should be going to the litter box on her own. Contrary to what most people think, there’s not a lot of actual training involved with litter training a rabbit! They like to go in corners and they like to nibble on hay where they pee so it is a good idea to give her a great big litter box and give her hay to her there. I know you mentioned she is in a dog kennel right now and I’m not sure how big that is but bunnies don’t like to sleep and eat where they pee- if you can try to set up a NIC pen or something similar so she can take a few paces for her business.

I use vinegar for cleaning as well but it’s not enzymatic and the smell of urine, even trace, is enough for bunnies to detect that old pee spot is good for new pee spot. There’s a product called Nature’s Miracle that contains enzymes to remove the bacteria that causes urine to smell the way it does. A good wash of everything that has been peed on might redirect her to where YOU want her to pee. But I think based on what you wrote, and what others have suggested, Oreo might have a chronic pain condition. If you can have her examined and bring up all of the points above, they will be able to run diagnostics for you.

If the bunnies are snuggling and mutually grooming through the bars of the cage they MIGHT be fine to play together in a supervised session.

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