OMG another litterbox problem!

[Aylnine]

I’ve been having on and off issues with Sir Rupert’s litterbox habits and it does drive me batty a bit.

For a while he was doing pretty well, very little stray poops, and then he started rebelling when I changed his diet and would leave piles and lots of stray poops where he shouldn’t have been. He also sometimes will pee outside of the box for no reason at all. He always soils around the same general area, from the litterbox all the way to the food bowl, but never on the “rest and relaxation” side. He would also poop on a certain mat near his food area where I used to put hay, so I have moved that mat to his R&R side and he doesn’t poop on it or nearly as much in that area anymore.

He seems to be going back to normal again but I worry about trusting him outside of his cage if he won’t even use the box right inside. I’m considering moving him to my room (for convenience and easier bunnyproofing) so good litterbox habits would be essential if that’s ever to work out =P

I have started putting some hay in the litterbox as well and he does seem to be getting better. I try to change it regularly every 1-2 days so it’s probably not because it’s too soiled.

Halp?

 

PS. As a side question, what is this mythical linoleum I keep hearing about and what type should I purchase? I looked a bit on Amazon and I just had no earthly clue on what type to purchase. Or, what are some other bunny safe, easily cleanable floor coverings I could use? I’m currently using a carpet/towel combo which, as you can guess, gets soiled and not cleaned very easily, plus he likes to chew and pull at the fabric so there’s fabric pieces everywhere

[RabbitPam]

Hi, I missed any post you made about changing his food, but it could be “protest poops”. I got that when I was trying to find a litter brand Sammy liked. The minute I got one she approved, all pee and poo outside the pan stopped. If he is now used to his diet, he may continue to improve, but do you know what he doesn’t like about the change? Maybe another change to something he likes better will help.

Linoleum is found in places like Home Depot and Loewe’s. Many members have found it in rolled sheets, though I found it on sale at Big Lots in squares. I applied squares to a plastic sheet but it shifted and leaked so I didn’t have luck with it. Apparently the rolled kind you can cut to size in the store is better.

So I ended up switching to an area rug from Target (or Walmart), 4’x5′, very low pile and cheap, wrapped a twin bed 100% cotton sheet over it and made a soft, smooth surface for her xpen. I can remove the sheet to clean, or for $5, replace, and the rug doesn’t get very dirty below.

For many more suggestions on flooring, check out the Habitats Forum, and the Photos section for pix of what people have used.

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