Not using Litter Box in cage

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This topic has 2sd replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 8 years, 2 months ago by Wick & Fable.

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- 01/25/2018 at 1:56 PM
  Erin
  Participant
  1 posts
  Hi everyone! I have two 4 a half month old Holland lop rabbit who are pretty well litter trained. When we are not home they are in a cage together and when we are home they are running free either in their pen or in the house. They have a litter box in their cage and they have two litter boxes outside of their cage. It seems like lately they are only using their litter box in the cage to urinate and there is very little if any poop in the cage or the litter box. And then it seems as soon as we left them out of the cage when we get home they run to the litter boxes outside of the cage and they do a lot of poop. Has anyone ever heard of bunnies holding it in and Ken that be OK for them? Has anyone else ever had this happen? Thank you!
- 01/25/2018 at 4:19 PM
  Azerane
  Moderator
  4691 posts
  My previous rabbit Bandit did that for a little while when I had to have him outside in a cage overnight and bring him inside in the morning. He would hold all his poops overnight and let them loose when I brought him in in the morning.
  
  When they go back into their cage, you could try swapping out their cage litter box, to the one from outside of the cage (leave all the poop in it) and it may help encourage them to use it if they smell their poop in it. I’m not sure how healthy it is for rabbits to be holding it, especially if it is a long period of time in between.
- 01/25/2018 at 5:09 PM
  Wick & Fable
  Moderator
  5834 posts
  Doing what you can to mitigate holding in is a good idea. The swapping of boxes could help them feel more comfortable doing it in the cage.
  
  On a side note, I noticed you house your two 4.5mo lops together. Are they both fixed, or is that something on the agenda? Spays/neuters can help litter box training along, so potentially being more willing to utilize litter boxes, but it also helps create a proper, safe bond between two rabbits.
  
  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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