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- This topic has 2sd replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 17 years, 7 months ago by
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As of late, I noticed a lot of “misses” right beside the litterbox.
I started them out with a smaller corner litter pan with paper pulp in it and CareFresh on the whole cage floor and hay on the floor in a corner. They loved eating hay that way and ended up peeing in the pan every time but pooped all over the cage. 90% outside the pan, 10% inside (I counted –
)Realizing what was happening, I got a larger pan with a grate and a lip and just an old towel on the cage floor. Carefresh on the bottom, I covered the grate with hay and added an outside hay dispenser. Now the floor stays clean except for the few territorial poops. But lately there has been a lot of misses with pee right at the corner of the pan. But whose and why?
I thought perhaps it was because they didn’t like the hay dispenser and only ate the hay off the grate. Once that was gone, they would pee outside the litter box. But why were they still pooping inside the pan if they hated the grate so much? I pondered the predicament of the proper placement of poop and pee in the pan, but was perplexed.
Today while cleaning out the pan, I noticed a wet area inside the pan at the corner where the “misses” took place. A lagomorphic urinary clue! I removed the grate and added CareFresh with a nice covering of hay. A short while later I saw Sammy standing on the white lip with his head in the corner of the pan eating hay. Then he hunched back and proceeded to pee over the very same edge! GOTCHA!
I turned him around and lavishly prasied him for again allowing me the honor of cleaning up his urine. Then I removed the lip from the pan and moved the hay away from the back corner and only on the edge of the pan and it has remained dry so far. I’m considering putting the hay in a basket on the cage floor and leaving just CareFresh in the pan. Maybe just a little to nibble whilst doing their business and keep the litter in the pan.
I think because they were accustomed to hay on the floor, that’s what they expect. I’ll be getting a small basket or cardboard box for hay to place on the floor and hopefully with the lip removed from the litterbox there will be no more “misses”!
I guess time will tell…
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