Litter Trained Rabbit Going Outside Box

[Berryismyboy]

My rabbit when out of his cage has used an area in my bathroom and an area near his digging box as a place to go when out and about. What should I do? Do I need to provide another litter box outside of the cage?

[LittlePuffyTail]

First of all how old is he and is he neutered? How long has he been litter trained?

[Berryismyboy]

He is a little over a year old according to the shelter where I received him. He is neutered. The shelter also said that he was litter trained. I have no idea for how long though. I brought him to my apartment March 31 of this year.

[vanessa]

I’d add more litter boxes, AND take him to a vet for a checkup. If there havne’t been any big changes in his environment, you want to rule out some of the health problems that coudl cause this. UTI, stones, parasites, there coudl be a number of health related issues.

[Berryismyboy]

It is only #2 he does outside of his box. Is a vet visit still warranted?

[vanessa]

Hmmm… that might be more behavioral. If it is urine – definitely see a vet. But just poops – is there anything different about his environment? I would put litter boxes in those 2 spots that he is pooping in. One of my females poops in a litter “area”. She is 4 years old. She likes large litter boxes. As long as she has enough large boxes, she’ll go in them. If I give her a smaller box, she’ll poop in it, and around it. Another pair I have poop in their food bowl, and if I don’t put enough hay in their litterbox, they’ll poop on the ground next to the box. So sometimes there are preferences that cause that behavior. Do you feed him at those other two new poop spots? If so – be sure to feed him IN his litterbox. Rabbits like to poop while they eat. I only feed my rabbits their pellets in the litterbox. If I give them a dish of pellets outside the box, they’ll poop while they are sitting eating the pellets.

[Berryismyboy]

I have a hay rack above his litterbox in his cage. The two locations outside the cage he is never fed at and there is no hay in those areas. One area he poops in would be difficult to get a litterbox in because it is in front of my closet door. The other spot is in my bathroom. I could place one there I suppose. 

[Deleted User]

You will probably want to put hay in those boxes outside of the cage. I am a first time bunny owner as well, and I have a 17 week old Dutch. I have read it can be difficult to litter train them before they are spayed/neutered but I have no issues with my bun going outside of her boxes. I have two outside of her cage and she has hay in both of them, and I only feed pellets in the hanging container in the cage. They really do like to poop while they eat, so that may steer your bun in the right direction to leave his poops!

[vanessa]

Where is he fed?

[Berryismyboy]

His pellets are in a bowl in his cage and the vegetables are in a hanging ball in his cage.

[vanessa]

Well… I would put one in the bathroom where he has been pooping, and see how he does. Are these piles of poops or one-sies and two-sies? Also – I’d arrange the pellet bowl so that the only way he can reach it to eat – is by getting into his litterbox. The idea is – he would hopefully discover just how much he likes to poop and eat at the same time, and start getting all his poops out while he is eating. I dont’ ever feed pellets outside the litterbox. I want my bunnies to absolutely love eating/pooping in that box!

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