New and CONFUSED Bunny Mom!

[eveesmom]

Hello all! I am a brand new bunny mom to an adorable 10 week old male Netherland Dwarf named Eevee. This is my first ever pet, let alone rabbit, so I am trying to make sure that I am doing things right. I am attempting (or trying to!) litter train my precious Eevee. However, after reading some of your (very) informative posts, I am wondering if I should have bedding in bunny’s cage at all? I was told that they can hurt their feet, but the cage does not have a wire bottom. I also don’t want him to be uncomfortable, yet don’t want him to confuse the bedding with litter. SOS pretty please

Michelle aka Eevee’s mom aka lost and confused!

[DanaNM]

Awww yeah tiny baby bunny! We want pics! Welcome!

You are right in that bedding in the cage will confuse him, and it’s good that the cage does not have a wire bottom. Usually a floor of just hard plastic is fine (especially when litter training), then you should only put litter/bedding in his litter box. Usually if you wait to see which corner he uses the most, you can just put the box there and he will basically be trained.

It also helps to put his hay so that he can only reach it while sitting in his box (buns tend to do their business while eating hay).

Happy to answer any other questions

PS. you didn’t ask this, but be sure not to use wood shavings (esp pine or cedar). The compounds in the wood are bad for bun’s liver. Pine pellets however, are safe (the processing removes the harmful compound) and a great, affordable litter option.

. . . 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.  

[eveesmom]

I will post pictures as soon as I can . I am worried if I remove the bedding that he’ll be uncomfortable. I’m so paranoid

[Azerane]

It really depends what your bedding is. If you have blankets as being and then something like wood pellets in the litter tray it should be fine. If your bedding is very similar you what’s in the treaty then it would help to remove it.

[eveesmom]

I was saying to someone else that I’m afraid my bunny won’t be comfortable without the bedding in his cage. Is it mean to just have the plastic floor??

[eveesmom]

I also may try and upload a picture of his cage when I get home so it makes more sense

[DanaNM]

My buns actually appreciate solid cool surfaces a lot of the time. Bunnies also spend a LOT of time in their litter boxes, and it’s not uncommon for them to sleep and rest in there.

Some people provide some fleece and/or grass mats, but you have to make sure he doesn’t eat the fleece. If he’s peeing on the blankets (mine often do) or the grass mat, then you can take them out till his training improves.

. . . 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.  

[eveesmom]

Sorry about the picture quality! I also wanted to note that his litter box is changed on the opposite corner, as he wanted to be there it seems. I’m not sure if you can see the green part of the cage, but do you guys think this would be ok if I removed the bedding?

I very much appreciate everything. I am so clueless

[mimimomo]

From your picture, it does look like your bunny would have a hard time differentiating between the litter box and the rest of the cage! I would definitely get rid of the current bedding on the cage floor, and either leave it bare (like many of us do) or find something else soft to line it with that is different from your litter box bedding.

My cage has a plastic bottom like yours, and my bunnies are perfectly comfortable with it and seem to enjoy sprawling out on the cool floor. Generally when people talk about cage floors being bad for bunny feet, it’s because some cages have wire bottoms. Of course, if your bunny has or is prone to sore hocks, that’s a different story and it would be more important to make sure the floor is soft.

If you dislike the idea of letting your bunnies sit directly on the plastic cage bottom, you could try lining it with fleece or a towel. I’ve never had a sore hock bunny so I’m not familiar with all the alternatives, but I know there are lots of soft options to line the cage with if you want to go that route. The only reason I can see to use bedding, though, is if you aren’t trying to litter box train your bunny and they’re using the entire cage as a litter box!

[LittlePuffyTail]

Cute!!!! Yes, I would try removing the bedding and see how that goes. He’s probably confused.

[eveesmom]

Guys you are being so helpful, so thank you! Would anyone mind sharing pictures of their cages so I could maybe get some tips? I know that sounds silly!!

[mimimomo]

I always think it’s interesting to see other people’s cages/setups! Everyone does things a little differently and bunnies are uncommon enough that it’s not like you can easily compare with all your friends.

Sorry for the dirty cage! The towel under the litter box is to catch pee (as you can see) since recently they’ve been peeing in that corner too.

[Nutmeg]

Just want to also add that I removed the bedding from my bunnies cages (despite my hubby saying I’m mean lol) It not only helped with litter training BUT I found they also either 1) just moved the bedding out of the way and laid out on the hard plastic floor anyway or 2) slept on the little raised shelf that is the same plastic.

Careful if you put in blankets/towels – my bunnies ate them…. so I had to remove them so that they didn’t get a blockage. But not all bunnies do.

And you can use wood PELLETS, but not wood SHAVINGS. I use a bit of the wood pellets at the bottom and then some of the care fresh like you have on top for a bit more comfort. I find that my bunny ends up adding some hay on top anyway lol.

*** ALSO, when your bunny starts to get hormonal – mine was around 3 to 4 months – they both lost their litter habbits as they were marking their territory everywhere.
Once I got them spayed at 6 months they were fully litter trained again after they recovered.

~ Please look in to getting your girl spayed 70-80% of female bunnies don’t live past the age of 5 if they aren’t spayed due to getting uterine cancer. Spaying them 100% removes that risk and helps them live to a nice old age of 10-12 years old.

Congrats on your new pet!!

[Nutmeg]

Oh and I have the same cage as Minimomo above… and almost the same set up of it.

Here is the cage inside the “bunny land” I built… *** This was before I knew to separate them until they were fixed and before I ALSO Learned that I needed to removed the Aspen bedding and also removed it from the floor of the cage hahahaha. 

[bear_the_bunny]

Sorry the picture is bad – I had to take it with my computer.  Basically, he has a fleece on the bottom, a litter box, water bowl, hidey house, food bowl, hay rack, and toys.  He is also allowed to roam around my bedroom.

[bear_the_bunny]

Also for litter I use Oxbow Eco-Straw that I get from Petsmart in the small animal bedding/litter section.  It comes in a large bag that usually lasts around a month for me. (I also have a large litterbox, so it will probabaly last longer for you)

[eveesmom]

You guys have been SO fabulous! So tonight my husband cleaned out the cage and we did not put the bedding back in. Eevee peed behind is food bowl for the second time today, haha, so mommy went and moved his litter tray again. He seems to love that spot, and has only had a few poos outside of the pan. Out of curiosity, has anyone ever had a bunny that did NOT ever poo outside of his box

[Nutmeg]

I’m still working on training my two now that they are fixed… my previous bunny was VERY well litter trained. But I don’t think anyone here can post that they did not EVER poop outside the box… you will get the odd one “squeek” out when they are excited or fly out of the box when they jump out

[eveesmom]

One more question for you guys!! I noticed that my bunny seems to pee RIGHT NEXT to the littler box. I have heard that if the sides are too low, than he may not be able to help it. May I ask what boxes work best in cages? I have the regular corner one

[LittlePuffyTail]

Sounds like he would prefer a corner box. My Bindi was small and I used a corner box, but the the bigger size.

[A Happy Herd of Hares]

We use blankets!
Magpie digs ALOT, I’ve tried letting her have a box filled with paper shreds and everything, but she wastes her bedding by digging it out onto the floor.
I don’t like leaving them on the plastic personally, they can’t walk easily and my old rabbit got spooked and broke his leg on it.

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