Dropping Cecotropes + Litter Habits

[mdith4him]

We have 5 house rabbits, a bonded pair and a trio (each group in separate bunny pens).  They are all pretty old at this point:  four of them are 9+ years old and the last one is at least 6-8 years old.  [Adopted, so we’re not 100% sure on the ages.]

They have all had good litter habits, but in the last year, the trio have decided that the litter bin is optional for both poops and now for urinating.  The pooping outside the bin isn’t all that bad, it’s easy enough to clean those up (just annoying).  But the urinating is frustrating.  We have them on an indoor/outdoor carpet (large, about 8×10′) on top of regular carpeted flooring.  This has been their set up for ages now, so nothing new.  We have puppy pads under the indoor/outdoor carpet as the pee seeps through.  Does anyone have suggestions on how to convince older bunnies to use the litter bin more consistently??  They do use it (maybe 75% of the time) and don’t seem to have problems getting in and out of it.  They are healthy otherwise (no arthritis or other issues like that).

The other issue we’ve been having is two of the bunnies in the trio and now the bonded pair are all dropping extra cecotropes.  They do still eat some of what they produce, but there is usually a pile or two of them each day in each pen.  Is there anything we can do to help this issue?  They will sometimes step in the piles and then get it caked on their feet 😕

 

Thanks for any help you can provide!

[DanaNM]

It’s possible they are all getting a touch of arthritis, even if it seems like they are doing fine. I’ve also noticed my seniors can be a bit lazy about the box. At one point I got a cat tray that had a lower side and box usage did get a bit better again. Maybe adding some extra boxes would help too?

Can you tell if it’s all the bunnies, or just 1 in the group that is the culprit? If it’s just one, then there could be something medical going on. Any type of pain can really trigger litter habits to decline.

With the cecotropes, I also noticed my seniors would leave more behind as they got older. I ended up restricting pellets and treats a lot, because it seemed like they were just more sensitive to them. Arthritis will also make it a bit harder for buns to eat them. So maybe a little adjustment of diet will help?

 

. . . 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.  

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