Litter training problems, hates being in his cage, and digs out all his hay :(

[sgtsnuggles]

Hello, I have a three month old Holland Lop who is super sweet and affectionate. I’m a first time bunny mom and unfortunately I’m having a lot of other behavioral issues. He LOVES to be out of his cage, which is probably my fault for letting him come out too frequently before completing litter training. He will push his face nose through the wire of his fence, try to climb his hay box and push the top where it opens, and makes a lot of noise jumping around trying to get out. This makes me feel really sad and guilty as I’m trying to keep him in there more to improve his litter training (note he has a very large cage for himself).

Second, I want him to be a free roam bunny but he keeps peeing on everything and pooping everywhere! In his cage he still poops everywhere but rarely pees out of his box. When he’s out in the home I feel like he purposely pees on my bed, rugs (house is all wood and tile), and anything soft on the floor. I leave an extra litter box in the room with hay to encourage him to use it, I even bring it on the couch when he’s sitting on it with me to ensure he doesn’t pee elsewhere. I can’t neuter him yet of course since he’s not six months. His peeing on my things is getting really out of control, which is why as I said I’m trying to keep him in his cage more.

He also loves to dig out all his hay from his hay box, which I put right by his litter box so he can eat and poo. It’s not too high, he just chooses to dig out every single last bit! It’s wasting a lot of hay and I’m not sure what to do. He also has a bunch of toys, none of which he wants to play with.

 

Any tips or advice appreciated, as I’m feeling like a terrible bunny mom at this point.

[deadneonflies]

It sounds like a neuter problem.  A lot of young buns will display these kinds of destructive behaviors and are usually fixed quite easily once they are spayed/neutered.

[DanaNM]

Agreed, sounds like it’s hormones kicking in. All bunnies love to be out of their cage, so that is normal. Some vets will neuter at 4 months if the bun is “dropped” and large enough, so if he is really showing a lot of hormonal behaviors (which it sounds like he is) you could look into a vet that will neuter earlier.

So you might need to restrict his space until he is neutered. He does need exercise though, so you could set up an x-pen or two as a “front yard” for his cage that is very bunny proofed and easy to clean if he pees in it. You can also give him exercise during his most active times (several hours morning and evening) so he can get his zoomies out of his system.

It is common for buns to pee on soft things and things that smell of humans or other pets, so you might need to make his area pretty minimal until his box habits get back in order. You should also put the hay inside the litter box, not next to it. A litter box screen can help with digging, and/or a very deep litter box so it doesn’t matter if he throws things around.

. . . 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.  

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