Changing litterbox area?

[Moonlight_Wolf]

If I change the area of Ferns litterbox do you think she would catch on and pee in her litterbox? Or do you think she would pee in the same spot, not in the litterbox?

[Alicia Conklin]

I think it probably depends on the bun but I believe most buns choose the spot that they like and that’s why they use the litter box so well.  If she’s really good about it though she might change her spot.  Or..she might move the litter box back.  When I put Drue’s litter box in his condo when I first got him I put it in the left back corner because that’s where his was in his cage at the shelter so I thought he’d like it there.  I was wrong, the next morning he had moved it to the right corner because he wanted the left corner to be his lounge spot.  Tucker on the other hand will just not use it if I move it.  I had to put the litter box in the area that she decided she liked to pee/poop in. 

[Balefulregards]

Coco decided a few days ago she no longer liked the area with the litterbox that she had previously chosen. It only took me a couple of days to catch on!

I moved it, Thursday, over the new side she has chosen – and she is back to 100%.

[Beka27]

it really does depend on the bun like Tucker said… some could care less… others it will be a huge production. Fern is not spayed yet, so if she’s using it well right now, i would leave it if possible. afterwards, you can try to move it and see what happens. or you could try and move it an inch or two at a time until it’s where you want it.

is there a reason why you want to move it, beyond “just because”?

[Moonlight_Wolf]

Well I changed the setup of her room and I wanted to put it in a more conveniant spot.

[Balefulregards]

Honestly – if there is one thing I have learned from my 5 months living with Coco is that

She shall not be moved.

I would find the spot she wants and stick with it. The pee cleanup just isn’t worth it, IMO.

[BinkyBunny]

Ditto – It really depends on the bunny. I’ve changed the boxes on my bunnies and they each react differently. Jack either will take right to where the box is if it’s somewhere at least near the old one, if it was completely different like across the room, then he would need a little retraining – a couple of catches in the “old spot”, and he’d go in the new box. He HATES feeling uncomfortable, and the word “No” makes him nervous.

With Rucy, the word No is just some sound coming from the big tall two-legged babbling bunny. When she takes to a corner it’s the corner not the box. She is much harder to switch even if the box is switched just a few feet away. With her, if I changed the boxes, I would have supervise closely for about a week, and I would have to clean the spot area that she insisted in peeing in very well. She is not a territorial marker, she is just more habit oriented than Jack.

Some people sort of inch their box slowly day after day to the new desired spot. You can try that.

Keep us updated on what works for you.

[MimzMum]

It’s funny, Mimzy has always used his box well, but in the last few weeks I am finding more poo just outside the litter box. Sometimes it’s all the way in where he sleeps or on his shelf. And in the morning, he seems to be trying to move the box over the top of it so I won’t see it.
I can’t tell if he wants the box moved or if he’s having trouble with his bowels. The poo is uniform and normal, it just seems to be everywhere for no good reason.
I don’t think they are flyballs either, a lot of them are in little piles.
Oddly, he doesn’t use his whole box. One side will be soiled and the other side will be perfectly clean. I’m not getting up in the middle of the night to turn his box around the other way either! Love him I do, just not that much.

[BinkyBunny]

Mimz – funny that you mention that because my usually “on the mark” bunnies have begun leaving little piles outside their box. I haven’t figured out who the pooer is, but I am pretty sure it’s Jack. Rucy only stops going box if it’s not tidy enough. (and I don’t let their boxes get filthy – she’s just very particular about her beautiful feet – doesn’t like getting them dirty)

The only thing I can think of is that I accidentally trained Jack to do this. I had switched a couple of things around, and sometimes this will make them mark, so when I thought I was catching Jack pooing, and say no, and get him to box, I think he ended up associating the litterbox with the insane human who won’t let him decorate the place with a poo fence. Jack is a big bunny, but he can be timid and easily frightened too, so even the silghtest no makes him concerned. So I’ve been adding his some treats in the litterbox. We’ll see if that works.

So has anything changed at all with Mimz? With his space? New litter? .

[MimzMum]

Yeah, I was putting Carefresh bedding in his night pen. He had been digging in it a little bit so I gave him something to actually dig. He did not approve I would guess.
But I haven’t put it back in for awhile. ~_~ He’s still marking the pen in three places. I may need to clean the pen a bit better, or not as well maybe. I dunno.
Pip was acting up too though, so I am not sure what is going on with them both. I am still trying to bond them properly, but it’s still not working and that’s mostly my fault because I have nowhere yet to keep them 24/7.

I also wonder if maybe what I’m feeding him might have changed his attitude. Too many greens? He doesn’t seem to really want them much and won’t eat them at all if I am around.
This harkens back to his possible tooth problems. I tried getting a video of his ‘grinding’ last night, but the camera didn’t pick it up. Funny, it was loud as heck to me.

I’m going to just try to keep things as regular as possible for awhile and see if that makes a difference. Our schedules have all been pretty messed up lately, trying to get the hatches battened down for winter. (Snow stuck last night….bleah!)

[BinkyBunny]

I don’t think it would have to do with his diet. Does pip kick him out of the litterbox? If so, maybe he is respecting her claim to it.

[MimzMum]

Oh no, BB, this is in his night pen that this is happening. He and Pip do not share a pen, currently, except the xpen. There are poop wars there, as I would expect.
I wonder if it’s just because I switched to that Nature’s Miracle to clean his pen? I went back to vinegar and water and I didn’t see as many poops outside the box this time.
He is also shedding a bit now (they all are…*ack!*) and I’m finding pearl strings again. Need to give him a good groom. (always fun….NOT!)

[BinkyBunny]

Could be the the new scent of Nature’s Miracle. If it continues to decline with vinegar then you may have solved the problem!

[MimzMum]

I found that the line of Nature’s Miracle products is quite extensive; they have wipes and dander/allergen spray now!

I just want the buns to be happy, if I’m sneezing or having to pick up droppings, it’s no big. But I was worried it would be something physical, what with his recent episode with his teeth and all.

[BinkyBunny]

It might be coincidental. If the poop problem is solved just from changing cleaning supplies, then the tooth thing may be a separate issue. I’m really really brain dead right now, so you may have answered this – but did you take him to the vet to have his checked teeth?

EDITED:  Okay, right, I AM brain dead – been an exhausting day – I meant “teeth checked?”  Okay, this is going to be a short night for me. 

[MimzMum]

Yes we did. She wound up taking off some spurs on teh incisors by clipping. Don’t recall where I left that discussion, but it was stickied for awhile. I think we’ll go for dremeling the teeth from now on though. I am still not sure that he’s got 100% pain-free use of his choppers, but he eats well enough to leave these little blessings all over the place, so I guess we’re doing well so far.

lolz…Go to bed, you! ^_^

[BinkyBunny]

Oh, that’s right!!! I remember now. Okay, I’m going to go now and …..zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[MimzMum]

lolz…Hope you got some good sleep, BB.

Well, scratch the Nature’s Miracle vs. Vinegar/h20 Idea. I cleaned with v/w yesterday and today there are little poopies next to the box and in his sleeping space and a few on the shelf. >_<

*sigh* I’m running out of ideas. Currently Mim & Pip have been in the xpen most of the day and, barring a few strays, everything has been in the litter box, so….

Maybe it’s just a seasonal thing?

[Veronica Vigilant]

Teddy gets on kicks when he does this sometimes… in his case I think it’s a combination of: 1. The litter box is TOO CLEAN and he’s gotten confused because of that, and 2. Ember doesn’t let him in the litter box because she’s in it (and she’s a bully…).

So I think I managed to solve the problem by not cleaning the litter box with vinegar every time I clean it out and I also got 2 litter boxes and put them side by side so he has his own litter box now (this part wouldn’t be your problem if Mimz is by himself in his night cage!). I also noticed that once he does it once I have to clean the floor super super good in order to get him back in using the litter box- so if he does it once at night then I know that it’s going to be a total pain for the next few days because it takes a little while to get him to stop! Teddy was basically going in one place right in front of the litter box so I would clean really well, and then move the box onto that spot until he pooped in it and then scoot it back to it’s normal place.

Not sure if any of this will help, but I feel your frustration!!!

[MimzMum]

Well today was the big “break down the night pens while they’re in the xpen and clean them” day, so I’m hoping maybe it was just because the night pens hadn’t been cleaned thoroughly for a few weeks. (With snow outside, I can’t use the hose anymore and it’s a pain to wash them in the tub.)

I also have bonding issues with Mimzy and Pip and am beginning to think this may also have something to do with it. They may both be throwing litter habits to the wind in their individual night pens because it’s a protest of some kind (we want to be together/we don’t want to be together…whatever).

Although I DID have a serious mess to clean in the xpen today. Somebunny thought it would be funny to PEE all over the floor instead of using the litter box just to show me who’s boss. >_< Fiver was out in his xpen right next to them, so I think Pippi was just marking territory.

But now I have three soaked (in some spots) straw mats to clean….URGH!

[BinkyBunny]

Such a bummer! If they are having bonding issues, this could be the problem. Even bunnies who have gotten along for years, can all of a sudden go through poop wars as they try to re-establish whose the boss in this way.

[MimzMum]

Sadly, yes. >.< Pip has taken to peeing in spots in the xpen now. Sometimes even when she's in there by herself. *sigh*

I don’t know…maybe I should just exercise them alone. They seem to be antagonistic to each other now. I came in from walking the dogs yesterday (and having asked my daughter to watch the bunnies) to find that Mimzy was chasing Pip around the enclosure and it looked like he was pissed. I scooped him out of there and into a smaller xpen. That night…poops everywhere in the night pen.

*sigh* I give up. I live to serve (and clean), should know that by now. xD

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Awww I hope this is a temp thing and they start pooping in the box soon!!

[BinkyBunny]

I think until they are friends again, this will unfortunately be part of your “live to serve” duties. Do you have enough time or energy to go through actual re-bonding sessions?

[Beka27]

i agree with BB… i think (and you know) that it’s one of those things where you just have to bite the bullet and do it, for real this time. when you’re ready, we’re here to help if you need anything.

[MimzMum]

I have to apologize to Moonlight_Wolf. I’ve taken this discussion away from her original topic and I’m not sure she feels her question has been satisfactorily followed-up.
Wolf, do you have an update for us?

I do think bunnies decide where they are going to pee/poop/eat. We all just kind of have to bend to their immortal wills. ^_^ Any change seems to set them off into a whole new territorial feud.

(And just a quick note…today Pip is in the xpen alone and seems to have no trouble keeping her mess where it belongs. And she seems fine with the extra alone time too. I’ll have to wait until I get more space to keep the pen up in 24/7 to finish the bonding is my guess.)

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