litter training

[piperknitsRN]

So, I’ve had a lot going on here, bunny-wise, with bonding my two buns (they actually ate out of the same bowl this morning–too cute!).  SImon appears to be litter training himself; haven’t had any accidents in the X pen in a few days now, and I’m getting tired of packing them up, so to speak, and bringing them downstairs for a run (it’s cold down there, for one thing).  When can I consider him good and litter trained, and allow him to run upstairs?  I know this is probably up to my intuition and judgment, but it’s hard to make that call.  I don’t want the carpets ruined, but he seems to be consistently using the litterbox in his pen, so maybe it’s time to see if he can really be free range under supervision?

[Sam and Lady's Human]

I would be more worried about digging and chewing at this point than accidents. But I’d say after a week or so of consistent use.

 

ETA and I’m jealous! Lady refused to litter train :/

[piperknitsRN]

When I have him downstairs in the basement, he merely seems curious, not chewy or diggy.  He does scrape a bit with his front paws, but he doesn’t consistently and determinedly dig, either.   Thanks for your input!

[Sam and Lady's Human]

Something you *might* encounter is marking piles from both once they are upstairs and in Olives area. Even though they are altered, I had to pick up a few piles from Samson after Lady had a run. But she’s stopped now, so who knows.

[piperknitsRN]

Olive likes to deposit little bunny pellets here and tehre while in her pen, and sometimes while outside of it.  She did pee once downstairs when I was bonding them, but I think that was marking her territory as that’s the first time she’s ever peed out of her litterbox.  I was despairing that Simon cam to me not littertrained, but he seems to be doing fantastically well given the stress of a new home and all those nerve wracking bonding sessions earlier this week.  Bunnies are so smart… but they are also stubborn and willful, so you just never know what they might be like when you actually bring them home. 

[BinkyBunny]

If you feel that he has taken to litter training in his space well, then you can expand his freedom  (though I wouldn’t let him go all over the place just yet — unless you have a small place) and just supervise closely. The moment you see him lifting his tail to urinate you will need to stop him and escort him back to his litterbox. I’d also have a treat ready in my pocket once while he finishes his business in the litterbox.

Oh and when I say expand his freedom — I mean slowly, just give access to another room or hallway — whatever he can have access to that is nearest his pen so he can return to do his business, and then slowly expand. 

You may find territorial markings at first, but piles of poo and urination should only be allowed in the box. This will really take some close supervision for the next few weeks while you expand his running space.   IF you have a large space — like a full upstairs and it could take him some time to get to his litterbox, you may benefit from having a second litterbox he can have access to. 

Even with litter trained bunnies I have had to give “refresher courses” by confining their area a bit. I also entice them to use their box more often (when their habits slide), by putting treats in their box throughout the day. So as not to load them up on sugar, I normally divide their normal amount of treats up into smaller bits. Like for example — One big juicy dried cranberry, and be cut up in quarters. I’d put a couple of the 1/4 size pieces in the on their hay in the litterbox, and I’d repeat that a few times.

I feel very fortunate as Vivian is amazing with her habits.   We have a small home so it’s not  a long way for her to go from the living room, through the dining, down a hallway to do her urinate.  And that is what she normally does.  I do have another litterbox in the foyer area off in a hidden corner, and she will occasionally use that.   But that’s because when I first got her, that is where she was housed and so sometimes she will remember that area. 

You also have to watch very closely if your bunny decides to jump up on soft cushy chair or couch.  That can be a typical place for a bunny to urinate regardless of good litterbox habits.  

[piperknitsRN]

Hi, BB:  Thank you!  I have two litter pans (three actually; one is small and fits inside a spare cage I have, but really only Olive comfortably fits in it) and I usually take one out of the X pen if the bunnies are going to be out (well, when Olive was going to be out) in the living room.  I haven’t let them both out into the living room because I was bonding them *and* littertraining Simon, and was using the downstairs for their bonding sessions (only carpet remnants used as rugs down there, as opposed to the “good” carpeting upstairs.)  Olive is excellent with her litterbox habits, though she had a couple of accidents the week I was intensively bonding them (they now live in the same X pen space Olive used to live in alone).  But neither one of them have made mistakes for the past few days, and I’ve actually seen Simon jump into the litterbox, ostensibly to deliberately use the litterbox, not as a mere by product of being where the hay is.  I was thinking of giving them a few more days of the kitchen/laundry room (downstairs) before letting them both out in the living room (where Olive has been free range) but it’s getting cold out and it’s especially cold downstairs without heat–doesn’t bother the bunnies, it bothers me!    Any way, I digress…  I think Simon might be ready for the “big time” but I don’t want to push it too fast.  OTOH,  I guess I’ll never know until I try…

[piperknitsRN]

They are both hanging out in the living room together–Simon just flopped next to Olive. They’re laying next to a litterpan set out in the living room. So far, so good!

[Author]

Messages