getting desperate with his behavior…

[perta]

Ok, so I’ve had Mr. Bunny since November of 2007. At first, with his cage, things were hunky dory ok. Then, he started peeing outside his litterbox. Its not that it wasn’t clean, i don’t know if he was aiming wrong, but ok. So I rearrage the cage. Same thing. Buy him new toys. Same thing, but this time, he starts moving EVERYTHING so his litterbox is right by his food, which he’s not using half the time anyways. So now I’m getting desperate. He keeps moving everything in his cage so I am down to just his litterbox, his food dish and his water dish in there at all time. He keeps peeing outside his litterbox that i require to full clean his cage every few days. I wonder if he is not happy with me either, if perhaps I made the wrong decision in adopting him. I let him out for a few hours each day, give him fresh fruit and vegs, hay, and water everyday, but still, he just does not seem happy and continues to make life hard on myself. I don’t want this to sound wrong, but I work full time in the medical field, and the last thing I want to see when I come home is a messy cage with a stinky unhappy bun. Am I going to have to consider giving him up? Is there something I should be doing that I’m not? I’m at my wits end, any advice would be greatly appriciated.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Can you please post a pic of the cage and litterbox? That would help immeasurable as we could see your set up and help suggest things!

[perta]

I don’t have a digital camera unfortunantly, but http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2753281&cp=2767038.2769317&fbx=0&fbn=Taxonomy%7CHabitats+%26+Cages&f=PAD%2FPet+Type+1%2FRabbit&f=Taxonomy%2FPET%2F2769317&fbc=1&parentPage=family&keepsr=1
that is the cage we have him in except it is an extra large size. We have a standard cat litter box
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2750947&cp=2767033.2845026&pg=4&fbn=Taxonomy%7CLitter+Boxes+%26+Accessories&f=Taxonomy%2FPET%2F2845026&fbc=1&parentPage=family&keepsr=1
for our 6 1/2 pound boy, his food dish is just a food dish and his water crock hangs on the side of the cage, attached through the bars

That is all we have in his cage right now, we’ve tried changing the postion of the litter box, moving the food dish. It’s your very basic, no bars on the bottom cage.

[MarkBun]

Is he neutered?

The cage setup that seems to work best is to have the hay next to the litterbox so that he can eat and poop at the same time. The going outside of the box is a bit strange. Are you putting some pee-soaked paper pieces into his litterbox to see if he get the hint? How does he react when you pet him?

[Beka27]

http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/litter.html#dribbling

take a look at the HRS FAQ… particularly 8.14 & on…

i would try changing the litterbox.  try an extra large high side corner box in the corner he usually goes and attach it to the bars so it cannot be shoved around.  i assume you put hay in the box?  keep doing that, and maybe try puting a bit of fresh herb in there to entice him in.  your rabbit is not a senior is he?  he can jump into the box… he just doesn’t use it, right? 

you’re going to need to pretty much start over from scratch.  he may be getting settled in your house and making himself king of the world.  if there are other pets around he may be trying to claim territory.  if he starts to show improvement, i would consider expanding his caged area if he’s only out for a couple hours a day… it’s nice for him to be able to run and play a bit even while you’re at work.  having nothing in his cage will make him extremely bored and depressed, i would put his toys back in, or like i said, attach an xpen so he can have his toys in there and move betw/ the two spaces.  if you attach the litterbox all he’ll be able to move is his food dish and toys, and that’s his right to do.

finally, when was the last time he’s seen a vet?  he may have an infection that needs to be addressed.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Ok, mine do the same thing with that type of litter pan, I’d suggest grabbing one of these

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2752717&cp=2767038.2769319&fbn=Taxonomy%7CLitter+Training&fbc=1&clickid=topnav_dropdown6_link8&parentPage=family&keepsr=1

He doesn’t mean to pee outside of it, but rabbits back right up and raise their bum to pee; This litter box has a high back; It also has a grid so they can’t scatter the litter and it attaches to the cage:

This should solve the problem!

[RabbitPam]

You might try a different brand of litter while you’re at it. There are several recommended on this forum.
I had to change to the plain white Carefresh when I had my allergies start up. He liked it better too.
Put the pee soaked bit in to get him started along with a few poops. And the hay as suggested above.

[Gravehearted]

most importantly – he’s been neutered right? that can make a huge difference.
also – it may be that he’s peeing outside of his box due to a health issue. He doesn’t seem to be straining, not drinking or have white colored pee does he?

I’d also recommend switching litters and putting his box by the hay. I also like those high-back litterboxes, since they can help contain the mess.
If he really wants his box by his bowl, then I would recommend keeping in there, even if it seems difficult. It sounds like he’s decided it belong there and will continue going there.

you may also want to give his pen a good cleaning with vinegar / water mix since it helps remove the scent and staining.

Normally I would recommend adding another litterbox to encourage him to use the box – but his cage is fairly small.
that size cage is pretty small for a rabbit of his size, you might really consider building him an NIC condo, you can find out more about them in the cool habitats section of the site.

[Author]

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