New Litter box question

[vaneza]

ok, I’ve looked for help here since the first day I got my baby and you guys have been so helpful, from litter box training and bunny proofing, to a wet nose and neutering… so…

I have a fairly large 3 story cage for Cortes, and I only put him in there when I’m at work, the rest of the time, he runs around freely, and now, i’m a little concerned, I got him two good size litter boxes, one in the living room area, and another one inside the cage, he’s really good with it, exept for the occasional poopy ball under the bed, or right outside the litterbox in the living room area (i live in a studio)…

the problem is, now, he won’t go in the litter box inside his cage at all!! only the one in the living room! which I wouldn’t mind, exept that i’ve noticed that when I get home (after a day at work and the gym/errands) he runs straight to the litter box!! so he holds it in for like 8 to 10 hours every day!! I thought, maybe he liked the box outside better, so I switched them, but he still won’t go to the one in the cage.

I know that holding poop in for that long can’t be good, any ideas???

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[poopy]

That is odd…how much hay are you putting in the one inside his cage?

Cute bun btw

[vaneza]

very little, close to none, I noticed that he would eat a little, and then kind of get it out of there with his forhead every time he wanted to go to the potty before, i’d put some in, and It would be out of it when i came back home, so I stoped…

[vaneza]

oh! and yes, he’s a cutie, thanks

[Gravehearted]

what a cutie pie!

the two things i’d try

add some of his poops to the box in his cage, so he understands it’s HIS box.

Can you put a box of hay above the litter box in his house? I wish I had a pic – but my friend recycled a square box and affixed it to the outside of her bun’s cage. She cut a hole on the side facing the cage and removed the top for easy refilling. Maybe if there’s hay right above the box, rather than in it, he’ll be encouraged to use the box?

[poopy]

Posted By vaneza on 07/09/2007 10:36 AM

very little, close to none, I noticed that he would eat a little, and then kind of get it out of there with his forhead every time he wanted to go to the potty before, i’d put some in, and It would be out of it when i came back home, so I stoped…

You need to layer that litterbox with tons of hay! That will make it enticing for him….he will then want to jump in and munch for a long period of time, which will result in pooping, and then he associates pooping with his litterbox. Having unlimited hay available will also help prevent stasis. See pic below for how much I put in mine. You might also want to try getting fresh oat hay (or timothy) from San Diego HRS. I noticed the timothy hay kaytee bag in the background, sometimes shelved hay gets kinda stale so it might not be that tasty to him. For his size, he should be eating a little under a pound of hay per day. Its amazing how much more they will eat when its fresh and given unlimited.

 

[vaneza]

oh, I didn’t know that, I’ll check it out

I’ve been feeding him cilantro and parsley as treats, how much of that can they eat??

I’ll try the hay in the box tonight, and i’ll let you know

but… does that mean he’ll stop using the litter box in the living room??

[vaneza]

oh, I didn’t know that, I’ll check it out

I’ve been feeding him cilantro and parsley as treats, how much of that can they eat??

I’ll try the hay in the box tonight, and i’ll let you know

but… does that mean he’ll stop using the litter box in the living room??

[poopy]

If both have tons of hay in them, he will probably use them both. Also, I would say the hay is more important than treats. Fresh veggies on an empty stomach (no hay to cushion) might upset his tummy.

Also, do try the oat hay! They love it, and its so cheap you can give them tons without it costing much.

[vaneza]

really?? where do you get it?? I go to LA almost every weekend…

[poopy]

Well I already answered this in my posts above and in my signature. Here is some additional info:

http://www.rabbit.org/chapters/san-diego/diet/sources.html

[BinkyBunny]

Poopy has given some great advice!  Great job Poopy.

A rabbit’s healthy digestive system should always be moving, so it’s extremely important that they have access to unlimited amounts of hay all the time.

As far what else should be fed (pellets, types of veggies and fruit) and how much at what age – check out this guide from the House Rabbit Society http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/diet.html

[Author]

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