Litter box

[Pride.Bunny]

Hello!

I brought Cocoa (A 4 and a half month old brown rex) home from my local humane society about 5-6 days ago and gave him a nice sized cage with a small cat litter pan from Petco. I put newspaper at the bottom of the pan, then a healthy layer of 100% recycled paper rabbit litter pellets then an equal layer of Oxbow Alfalfa hay. He will pee and poo in there sometimes but other times when I look over he is sitting next to his pan and eating out of it. So he’ll pee just outside of his pan and poo everywhere. I know its a way of marking territory but I was told they would be sparse but after only a few hours they are in piles everywhere. in his cage (And my bedroom when I let him out)

anyone know what i’m doing wrong??

Thank you!

[Sarita]

I’m moving this to behavior as it is a litter training issue.

[Linette]

Usually THEY choose a corner of their cage or area as a litter area. Then that is where I put the litter box, once they are trained (they pretty much train themselves) I can move it a bit if I have to, and they are fine with it.

I found that using a puppy pad under the litter helped (as long as they don’t chew it) I think they are somehow scented to make them want to pee there. Now that he is trained, I don’t need the pads anymore.

it’s takes young ones some time to figure out where they want their pee spot to be, until they get it figured out, I keep them caged unless I am there with them. If they go into ANY corner (couch or chair top too) and get a wide eyed look, I hurry and put them in their box.

[Sindri]

He is marking his new home it should change once he gets settled in more. I am curious is the bunny neutered? My female never really was fully litter trained until after she was spayed. She is still not perfect but there was a huge improvement. Some rabbits need to be spayed or neutered to be fully trained.

[JackRabbit]

Those more experienced than me please correct me if I’m wrong, but single poops here and there (even if *lots* of single poops all around) is territory marking.  Piles of poops is intentional (not intentional “I’m going to poop on your floor” to be mean but intentional as in “I ate a bunch of hay and I had to go!”). 

Not much you can do about the outside-the-cage stray poops except offer a litterbox or two out there and hope bunny takes the hint.  I read somewhere (and it worked for one of my buns) . . . for the all over the cage poops, let the bunny see you scoop up the poops and put them in the litterbox to let them know that’s where they belong.  Personally, I believe that saying “Poops go in the potty” while doing this helps!!!  If peeing outside the litterbox is a problem, sop it up with a paper towel and put the urine soaked paper towel in the litterbox (and be sure to add “Pee pee goes in the litterbox”!!!!).  Marlee got the pee in the litterbox message in 1-2 days (and I got the cutest most attentive looks from her during our “training”.

Maybe also try a bigger litterbox if there’s room.  My three are a mini rex and 2 Holland lops.  Each has a medium sized cat litterbox — they’d each have a large cat litterbox if there was room.  My two girls like to lounge in their litterboxes so room to eat hay, poop, pee, and sleep makes them happy!

Good luck!

[Ellekke]

I have the same problem.

Frodo is starting to pee everywhere in and outside the cage. He pees is the main litterbox, he pees in their little corner boxes, he pees on my fleece blankets and on the tile floor. Very @ random. Pretty much just goes wherever he is at the moment.
Yesterday and today have been pee days from hell. I am this close to screaming my lungs out. :/

And he just keeps drinking and drinking to the point where I’m thinking he’s drinking on purpose so he can pee all over on purpose.

Arya is very clean already but since Frodo pees everywhere in and outside the cage she steps in it too.

They both have yellow paws right now. Tried to give them a paw-bath earlier but that was just a very wet business for all involved and they’re none the cleaner.

I clean up the pee with tissue whenever I see it. I pick up poops and I put them away. Put poos and pee in one of their litter boxes or if there is just too much I put it in my dustbin thingy I use to scoop the area free of hay etc. They have one main bigger litter box but out of neccesity I had to put in a couple of small corner ones.

I’m doing all of the things advised here from the start but I am none the wiser.

Frodo is still not a teenager. Next week he will be 3 months old so then I’m going back to the vet to see if he can be neutered already.

If someone has some very specific tips for me, please let me know.

[Beka27]

Ellekke, it would be best for you to start your own thread in this section so you can get responses specific to your situation. You can just copy/paste this post to a new thread. 🙂

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