Litter training

[PeterTheRabbit]

When I first got my Peter honestly I didn’t even have to train him all that much to get him to know that he’s only supposed to poop and pee in his cage. It became so pleasant because he eventually only used his cage as the bathroom from then on. Here’s where I got myself stuck in this situation… I had to move Peters cage to a different room due to his room being needed to be used by someone else. He quickly catched on to the idea and had no trouble figuring out where his cage was and it seemed like the pooping wasn’t going to be an issue at all. Recently though he started pooping like crazy where his cage used to be at and now he doesn’t want to come out of his old room. I know he most likely misses it but I’m asking for tips on how to get him back into pooping in his cage and how to stop him from doing it all over his old spot.

[Wick & Fable]

If you’re able to barrier off the old spot, this may help. Anything from the old spot (curtains, pillows, etc) which may hold semblance can be transferred to the new spot in an attempt to replicate his old territory. In the end, he probably just wants to return to home base. Do your best to make new home-base as welcoming and comforting for him as possible!

You should probably get back to litter-training tactics as well.

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[PeterTheRabbit]

Okay so I’ve placed a new litter box for rabbits in the spot where he wouldn’t stop pooping in and he uses it perfectly! Now here’s where the part I didn’t think would happen. Even though he pees and poops just fine inside his bin, he still poops once or twinge outside of it basically at the end of the day his bin is surrounded by poop all around. I don’t know how to even stop this one anymore.

[Wick & Fable]

One idea is by the end of the day, the litter box is too “soiled” that he doesn’t want to use it anymore. I give Wick’s litter boxes at least 2 cleans a day to prevent that, because he does not like using a soiled box.

Another idea is these are the result of his bottom being over the lip of the litter box and not landing inside. This is under the assumption the litter box is low-lipped. The solution to this is getting a high-walled litter box, or attaching panels on the litter box so Peter needs to jump inside in order to use it. Wick’s litterboxes are all high-walled so the occasional poo may fly out when he’s jumping out, but that’s it.

Lastly, an additional thought is, if Peter is not neutered, he is trying to mark his territory there further using marking poos. This can be lessened by doing more litter box training, but will not completely dissipate in most male rabbits until they are neutered.

See images at http://www.instagram.com/wick_theboogeyman for a peek at what Wick’s litter boxes look like.

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[PeterTheRabbit]

Thank you Wick!!!

[Author]

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