litter box training

[paul defilippi]

I have 2 bunnies Nemo and Roger … Nemo is almost 3 and Roger is a new addition … We have had Roger for 4 mos and he is a terror … My biggest problem is that he doesnt make pellet piles … He just constantly drops a trail behind him where ever he goes … Nemo was already trained and she is taking on some of his habbits but when she makes a mistake she still makes a small pile in one place …. Roger is one or two all over ….. Is this because he is still young (maybe 5 mos old) … has anyone had this problem or have any suggestios …. thanks -Paul

[Anita Stark]

Have you just gotten both bunnies?  Sounds like Roger is just trying to set up his territory.  Our bun does the same thing if he’s allowed out to run.  We have kept him confined to a pen while he learns his toilet behaviour and will keep him penned until after he is neutered.

Since Roger is so young, can we assume he hasn’t been neutered yet?  That might be another reason he’s marking out territory.

Kind of the same thing with Nemo, though she was already trained and probably uses the litter box some times, when she leaves it outside maybe she’s trying to mark territory too?  I hope at least that she’s been spayed …. unless you want a litter of babies

[BinkyBunny]

Anistark is right on with the suggestions and questions.  I don’t have much more to  add until I know the answers she has asked.

(The younger they are the messier they are!)

I can tell you that if Nemo may also begin changing her habits since Roger is marking his territory.  She may feel the need to reinforce her area or if she’s passive she may not feel like she’s “allowed to go” in the litterbox if he goes in there.  It depends on who is acting more dominant.

We’ll wait to advise you until you answer so we can give you the best solutions.

[paul defilippi]

hey guys … thanks for the info … nemo is neutered and roger needs to be spayed …. I hope this will calm the situation … roger is a loppy eared and nemo is a dwarf …. roger has definitely taken control of the whole house including our cat drea …. my concern is that roger never leaves little piles of pellets when he goes … i cant tell when he is going to correct him … they just fall out randomly…. do you think this will change with time ….. any suggestions on feeding i.e. …. should I feed them in one location only or is it okay to give pellets in cage and salad under table in living room which is close to cage and close to where they hang ….. does anyone know where I can get roger neutered for a good price and how long should I wait —- thanks so much …. Paul

[Anita Stark]

Our bun, Sable, is 13 weeks old now.  He’s just starting to show signs of new hormonal activity.  We plan on waiting another month before taking him to the vet.  I’ve read that some vets like to wait until they reach 6 months of age.

Sounds like you are letting Roger roam free.  This might be too much at once for him. Hence the pellet trail.  They have scent glands on their behinds so that the pellets are distributing their scent marking as they go.

It might be tough, but you should probably try to keep Roger either in his cage or in a pen to limit his territory until after he is fixed.  After that he shouldn’t feel the need so strongly.  I suggest checking the other thread I started on this subject: When’s the right time to let him roam free?” for the responses I got.

As for where to get the surgery done, where are you located?  We were given a list of vets who treat rabbits by our old vet.  Though we were disappointed that they wouldn’t be caring for our bunny, we appreciated that they cared enough to recommend a specialist.

[BinkyBunny]

Oh, yes, the poop trail is definitely territorial and should get better after Roger is spayed.   (though it can take a month for the hormones to die down)

If you have a smaller cage, you may want to get a pen, like an x-pen to offer a little more exercise without allowing too much freedom.    If you do this, be sure to protect the other animals that come near by because rabbits can bite between the pen bars.  Especially if Roger is territorial.    My poor Rucy got part of her lip bitten off by Bailey. Thank goodness a good vet repaired it, but still this is something you don’t want to happen – especially if it is near the eye. 

I ended up wrapping a thin netted type of fencing around the bottom half of the x-pen.   This allowed them to be near other animals, stay familiar with them, but not hurt them.

Regarding where to feed : Having food in different places doesn’t matter,  but having it at those same places around the same time can help with tensions right now.  

 When things do settle down, and everyone is calm and happy, it can actually help with exercise and attention to have food spread around in different places.  (Though keeping it around the same time is important)

Most people usually just feed food in one place, and really,  it’s not a big deal, but by spreading out the location of food, it actually follows how a rabbit’s digestive system is trained to work.   It also helps keep their mind and body active.

Example.  I’ll stick their greens throughout the bars of their pen.  And in some places they have to get on their hind legs and reach up to get.    I’ll throw out their pellets, like birdseed on a sidewalk.  

Out of curiosity, have you noticed if Roger gets more messy, more territorial when the time is nearing feeding time?

  

[lilmizzsnickerz]

my bunny started this when he moved to a differant room…….i hope he stops thou

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