Litterbox Trained Rabbit Suddenly Making Messes

[KJaye]

Hi! I am new to this site, and am looking for help. I have a 4y/o neutered lop rabbit who I love very much, but has recently begun having issues. I got him at 4 months old and litterbox trained him very quickly, and he picked up on it very well. Anytime I am home his cage door is open, and he hops freely, even if I am in another room. It works great because I know he is a reliable litterbox user…or at least he was. He never had any accidents until about 4 months ago.

It started on my bed, which he always would sleep on with me at night. I would wake up every once in a while to a wet spot on his favorite area on my bed. It slowly got more frequent, and despite my attempts to retrain him, it did not go away. About 2 months ago I stopped letting him sleep on my bed. This meant he had to be closed up in his cage at night, which I felt very bad about, as he was used to having that time out and about. That seemed to solve our issues, for a bit, until these past 2 weeks. He has suddenly been making wet spots on the carpet. It has happened about 3 times. I have no idea what would cause my rabbit to go from perfectly litterbox trained for years to a sudden puddle maker… I am running out of ideas and need help figuring out what to do.

I am a college student renting an apartment, so I really cannot afford to have him muck up the carpet much more. Yet I do not want to decrease his quality of life by not allowing hop-about time, especially given he has been accustomed to free-range his whole life. I have even tried taking him to the vet, since I was afraid he had a UTI or something medical causing this urination misbehavior, and the vets said he was in very good health. I love him very much, and he is not the first rabbit I have had – yet this is the first time I am encountering this issue.

Thank you for reading, I appreciate your time.

[Wick & Fable]

What sort of tests did your vet run? If they were only testing urine, I’d suggest checking other factors as well. Wick’s only real symptom for teeth issues is he starts peeing on my couch and on the floor.

When you say “retrain”, what sort of things are you doing? Sometimes it could be as simple as the rabbit doesn’t understand the training based on how it’s executed, so tweaking the training can help.

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.

[KJaye]

The vet did a test on his urine to rule out an infection. They also checked for stones in his urinary tract, though I can’t exactly remember the method used for that. When I took him in he had just had his annual check-up less than two months prior, and there didn’t seem to be any changes to him health-wise that they noticed since then. His teeth are fine, as well, or at least were at the time of the check-up.

In terms of retraining, I attempted to just do what I had done to train him/past rabbits in the first place. If he peed on something I would place it in his litterbox. When he was peeing on my bed (always the same spot at the foot of the mattress), I physically placed a new litterbox on that spot. He would use it, and I had it on there for maybe 2 weeks. I then placed it on the floor next to that part of the bed (I really didn’t want a litterbox permanently on my bed..) but he still hopped on my bed to do his business. Furthermore, I flipped my mattress and put on sheets/comforter that had never been used before. I thought removing the scent would stop him, but it did not. After all this I decided he cannot be on my bed, unless he is on my lap or at least the very least away from that spot.

As mentioned, he was fine for a few weeks until recently he peed on the floor a few times. I have not done much about that, except limit his time out and of course move him to his box instantly those few times he did it. All the times it happened were in areas very close to each other, so I have a little blockade to keep him from that area. However, seeing as how much effort (and money for the vet) I spent trying to teach him not to pee on my bed without any good result, I am just very unsure how to go about training him at this point. I really hate to decrease him hop-around time/space, but it’s all I can think to do at this moment.

[Wick & Fable]

I think you need to tweak your retraining. Since he’s fixed, scent might not matter as much. The training should focus on making the litter box the star of the show, and while you placed the litter box on the bed and moved it, the adherence was only because you put the box where he liked to pee. In addition to putting what he’s peed on in there, I recommend placing him there each time is happens so more attention is set to the box. Also, a sound to spook him when or right before peeing is most effective. Typically a loud hiss works well. So of he’s out and you see him arch his butt to pee, hiss and move him into his box. If he pees in there, great. If he hops out, follow him until he decides to pee and redo the whole process.

A lot of people say they can’t catch their rabbits when they pee, but that’s part of the work needed to rigorously litter train. Sitting and watching. Intently. For long periods of time.

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.

[Wick & Fable]

And another vet visit for general examination may be worthwhile. A lot can happen in two months for a rabbit. Wick needs 2 molar spurs grindings in that span of time.

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.

[KJaye]

Thank you! I will tweak my retraining of him. Now that is out on more limited times, it will be easier to catch him in the act. I just am worried about what my happen to my carpet in the process of training, but it is what has to happen to help him understand. And I will look into getting him another check-up, but other than the urinating issue he has been eating/drinking/maintaining weight normally. 

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