How to persuade Sophie to change her chosen toilet area

[caudex]

My 10 week old HL mix has started her litterbox training. Her cage is a decent size, especially for her, but the litterbox I got for her is a space saving corner one. She’s used it a little, but not enough to persuade me that it’s anything besides chance. If she wanted a different corner, I’d be happy to rearrange her cage for her, but…

Sophie’s chosen spot isn’t a corner at all, but very clearly the dead center of her cage. I’ve tried moving the dirty litter to the box, to give it the right scent, but it doesn’t seem to matter. I’m pretty flexible, but putting a box in the middle of the cage isn’t practical, and would make her grouchy, since at present her cage is big enough for her to zoom around inside it. If I dilute it so it doesn’t burn her nose, could I swab the floor with vinegar? Other ideas? I’d like to get so I can leave toys for her while I’m at work, but while I’m okay with some marking, I don’t want everything to smell and get moldy. She peed all over what I left her yesterday, because it was in her spot.

[Beka27]

She’s very young so littertraining might not be fully successful til after she’s spayed. Go ahead and get a normal size cat litterbox. The larger the potty space, the higher her chances of succeeding in choosing the right spot. The corner boxes are too small for rabbits and a sufficient amount of hay to entice them into the box. In the meantime, keep cleaning up her accidents and wiping down the cage with a 50/50 water/vinegar mix.

[Stickerbunny]

Do you have litter in the rest of her cage, or just her box? My mini rex (4.2lbs) uses the corner one (largest one available) but my male who is quite a big larger (10lbs) uses the largest cat box they sell at petsmart.

[KatnipCrzy]

litterboxes made for rabbits- to fit into the tiny cages they sell for rabbits- are way too small. I would but a cat litter box and that will give her plenty of room. Also offer her hay in there as many bunnies like to snack and poo at the same time.

[caudex]

She has litter everywhere, but much less on the floor. Just enough for traction and, presently, to absorb the mess.

I’m happy to get her a full sized box, but it can’t go where she thinks she wants it. Her cage is pretty generously sized for such a little girl, but it can’t accommodate the box in the middle of the floor. The corner box is quite big though– she flops in it pretty often, and her head and feet don’t touch the ends. I’ll try the hay.

[RabbitPam]

It sounds like she likes resting in the litter box so has chosen a better spot to pee. I am not sure why it’s not feasible to have a wide cat pan in the middle. Maybe you could show us pictures?

Definitely put hay in the litter pan, but I would introduce a second litter pan in another corner and eliminate all the litter on the floor except in the two pans. Eventually she will select one for pee, and if you toss the soiled pee into one, including a paper towel you used for the messies, keep the floor clean, and let her have a bit of hay in each, she will probably make a choice between them. You might then be able to put something like a blankie or cuddle cup in the place she just relaxes in now.

[Tate]

How big is the cage? Is it plastic on the bottom with wire on the top, like the ones they sell at a pet store?

[Stickerbunny]

Litter all over will make the cage her litter box, sounds like she’s acting like my girl did when I first got her… she had no clue what this litter box thing was and was like “oooh, bed!” lol I started scooping her litter out of the cage and placing it into the pan day by day. When she would make a mark in another area I cleaned it up and placed a toy or something there to deter her from going back to it. She caught on that the litter pan was where to go and is now about 90% on her litter habits.

[caudex]

Well, first of all, since I didn’t get to it in the intro thread, here is my girl, with her sidekick, Jamie the Gerbil. I caught her grooming him today and about melted:

And here is her cage. (I know. Wood shavings. I didn’t come here first, figured 20 years of bunny raising experience would be just fine. Nope.)

 

I added the hay, and started moving wet shavings to the box, as per suggestion. She noses me while I do it, then flounces by to sulk under her deck for a while. I’m pretty concerned that the foot flicking will become cage aggression in a month or two. She simply has no interest in me at all– does the deliberate turn around thing when I talk to her. But that’s a whole nother issue. I was thinking of an xpen extension when her habits were better and I had a better idea of how big she’ll get and how high she can jump, but do I need it sooner? I rent, and am a bit worried about my floors.

[Beka27]

She’s still young, so there’s no big hurry on getting an xpen. Keep working on the littertraining in her cage. For a pen, you would need to protect your floors. A piece of linoleum (cut about 6 inches large than the pen) with some rugs over would work for the bottom of an xpen.

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