How should I go about Stanley’s housing?..

[Caitlyn C]

I would ultimately like to have Stanley housed in an ex-pen with a canvas bottom so he has a lot of room and obviously have him litter box trained so I’ll simply change the litter box daily. I read that it’s unfair to expect a buck to use the litterbox when he’s intact.. is that true? I put it in there with oxbow litter and he sits on it but only because it’s there. he doesn’t go to it and use it for the purpose he should lol. He also chews on the plastic which I HATE so I took it out. He only has wooden things in his cage as I’m nervous about any blockages. So do I need to wait until he’s neutered to get the ex-pen? His cage is 42inx18in and it’s just a plastic bottom. I use the Carefresh bedding.

Also, the breeder recommended only feeding hay and pellets right now. No veggies or treats. Is there anything I can give him occasionally? I know Oxbow makes organic cookies.. I know it doesn’t matter to him because he doesn’t know what he’s missing but I’m jw. 

[MoveDiagonally]

Some intact bucks do great with litter training but I don’t think it’s fair to expect it. Basically, I would re-enforce good habits and take all the litter training steps but if he doesn’t take to it as well as you want him too don’t despair. Neutering will likely help.

If you’re worried about accidents you could buy a thick plastic shower curtain and lay it down under the pen (covering that with a blanket if you’d like). Or sheet vinyl if you can find a good deal somewhere. This will protect the floor until he’s litter trained. His current cage is rather small so I would move him into the pen if it’s possible. A lot of times smaller cages can also inhibit good litter habits because the whole cage is seen as a litter box.

When you say bedding do you put it on the floor of his cage? If so, I would remove it. Bunnies don’t need bedding on the floor and it can also discourage good litter habits by confusing them. The only place with litter/bedding should be the litter box.

For diet info/suggestions check out these:
http://rabbit.org/faq-diet/
http://rabbit.org/suggested-vegetables-and-fruits-for-a-rabbit-diet/

The second one has a great article about veggies, introducing them, ect… Hope some of that helped.

[Caitlyn C]

Yeah I use the Carefresh all over the bottom. Good point, I never thought of it that way.. (about one giant litter box). If I put him in an ex pen he’ll just poop and pee everywhere making cleanup much more difficult without the bedding.

He’s going to be one spoiled little guy!

[MoveDiagonally]

Bedding may make it easier to clean but it also makes litter box training a lot harder if not impossible. So it’s a recursive cycle (having bedding because he’s not litter trained but that keeps him from being litter trained, so on). It might be more work in the beginning but if you place stray poo and pee (soaked up with a paper towel) in the litter box this helps re-enforce good habits.

Bunnies are demanding little fuzzies.

Just out of curiosity, when do you plan to get him neutered?

[Caitlyn C]

He’s only 9 weeks. My vet said either when he’s 5 or 6 months. Definitely something I’m going to do. For his health

[MoveDiagonally]

Okily, so he has some time yet. Hang in there Caitlyn.

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