Help ASAP

[xBunnyKissesx]

I have two adult rabbits, Sienna and Evie, bonded male and female.
They currently live in the spare room across from my bedroom in an xpen.
Evie poops literally everywhere and lately Sienna has been copying her.
They’re also chewed the baseboards, and Sienna has sprayed the walls.
My parents want to move them outside. That isn’t really the problem, the problem is they want them in my pet store cage which isn’t big enough for
two guinea pigs let alone two rabbits and isn’t covered so yeah. Please help! I can’t keep them in my bedroom since I have asthma.

[RabbitCare101]

I suggest Building A Cage (Like an NIC Cage) Or block off Some of the room so you can get there litter habits back in order =D

[xBunnyKissesx]

My parents just want them outside, though. :/

I’ve tried talking to them but my mom has hay allergies and no matter how much I clean their cage stinks.

[Sindri]

What type of hay do you use? If it is Timothy you can switch to a different type of hay to help with the allergies. I had to switch I was becoming developing asthma. Now I still use timothy but its 3rd cut so its all leafy. Its the only thing that helped but some people use orchard or meadow grass hays. That’s something you might try.

I think what stormyRabbits suggested above is good. Also when it comes to the baseboard issue you can try to wipe something on the baseboards like vinegar or what I have used is mild hot sauce. You want to go lightly with it. Things like that deter the chewing in some rabbits. The hot sauce was the only thing that stopped mine.

If your parents really want to put them in a pet store type cage you can get 2 of the largest size cages and combine them. One small pet store cage wont work for one bunny much less two.

As far as the odor in your cage what do you use in your litter boxes? I use carefresh and I clean my little boxes every other day. I put the bedding in then hay on top and the next day I top with fresh hay. I use to change their boxes daily. Remember to give them a good cleaning with a little water and vinegar at least once a week that also helps with the odor.

Oh and how long have your rabbits been bonded? Mine have been recently bonded and we are having poop wars as well but they are getting less and less every week. I just clean them up when I see them.At first they were really smelly.

I hope you and your family can come to some agreement that is beneficial to your rabbits and the whole family.

[litheandgraphic]

I know they’re your parents and all, but have you tried telling them that putting them outside, most especially in a cage that is far too small for them, would be extremely detrimental to them?

I concur with what’s been said about swtiching to a different type of hay. Botanical and/or orchard grass hay may not be as bad for the allergies. Perhaps there’s a way you can store the hay outside somewhere where it will be safe and dry and not constantly exposed to sunlight? I know there will still be hay in the buns’ area, but this may help somewhat. If that doesn’t work and switching hays doesn’t work… then you may try reaching a compromise by building an NIC cage outside for them and letting them have free roam time indoors or in an x-pen under your supervision outdoors.

Like I said, I know they’re your parents, but I would put my foot down about the size of their cage… it’s really essential that they have enough room to stretch out and run around!

[Eepster]

Has gender been vet confirm? Spraying urine is normally male activity. Much of the problem behavior sounds hormonal.

[BunnyLover26]

Hi.. sorry to hear about the issues you are having. Are you feeding them a pellet diet at all? If so what is the brand of pellet? If there is any way to get your parents to compromise or give you some time to try and rectify the situation I would suggest you try some fleece for the bottom of the cage (the one indoors) and use Feline Pine cat litter (make sure it is the longer kind, somewhat resembles a pelleted food minus the color) or even using a plain wood stove pellet in their litter box would work. I have done both with my house bun in the past. In regards to the fleece, should you decide to give it a try, I would get multiple pieces if you can so that you can rinse out/wash every few days. With litter training, what I used to do is pickup the pellets and put them in the litter box and put the bun in the litter box and make them sit them for a few brief moments. Repetition is important as well as patience. And for urine I would soak up as much as I could with a paper towel or a piece of toilet or tissue paper and put the soaked piece in the litter box then put the bun there again for a few brief moments. Repeat this until bun starts using the litter box. Now keep in mind that most buns will always have some poops outside of the litter box but it is very possible and common to be able to train them to pee in the litter box. I like using fleece to line the bottom of the cage as it is easier to clean and is less expensive to purchase/maintain. If getting a large enough cage made specifically for bunnies or small animals is an issue cost wise a dog kennel or crate made for jumbo sized dogs works very well. Just give them as much out of cage time (SUPERVISED of course : ) as you can. Lastly I always recommend have bunnies spayed and neutered. It helps with unwanted behaviors that non spayed or neutered buns exhibit. Best of luck to you and your wonderful bunnies

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