Pee…

[mrmac]

Dexter is having some litter training issues, he is caged overnight to try and get him to use it but he like wont! He seems to hold his pee overnight then once I let him out in his pen in the morning, he pees all over the sheet! This moring he peed on top of his phone book, then (eww gross) he went back and licked some of it up. He does this every morning and one its gross and two he just wont use the box! Why does he lick it?!

[Sarita]

Is Dexter the single? The new rabbit?

Some things to think about are that he doesn’t like the litter box or the litter or where the litter box is located.

I would take out everything but his food and litter box too, no toys, no phone books, etc…while he is caged overnight.

[mrmac]

Yes he is the new single one. He doesnt have anything in his cage at night besides a hay rack, his food bowl, and the litter box, and a little house.

[Sarita]

Does he pee at all in the cage or in the litter box?

[mrmac]

he will pee in little spots on the cage floor, so I pick up the pee bedding and put it in the box. When I catch him getting ready to go, sometimes i am able to grab him in time and put him in the litterbox and he will go, but it like has to be like right before he goes. I really dont see him in the litter box at all. With Davey and delilah they used to loaf in it but he wont really sit in it. His hay is right next to it, and I put some in the box too.

[Sarita]

Have you had him checked to make sure he doesn’t have a urinary tract infection?

[mrmac]

We havnt taken him in yet he has an appointment in a couple weeks, but that was the soonest I could get him in. He does this with pooping too, but why would he lick it? I also see him eating alot more cecals then Davey and Delilah ever have.

[BinkyBunny]

I don’t know why some bunnies lick up their urine. Some bunnies who have a rough past where they were deprived water and food will do this, but others just do it and I don’t know why. It is a harmless habit..as gross as it is.

Since you know exactly when he does this, you need to be right there to scoot him to his box. You will have to be persistent. If you can put him half-way in, where he has to jump the rest of the way, would be best to teach him to get in on his own. You may also need to put a box right outside of his cage -where he goes.

Some bunnies also don’t like strong scented litters. Some don’t like certain textures on their feet, especially Rexes who may have tender feet. What kind do you use?

I would also encourage him to go in the box by putting hay, greens, and even a few little treats in there.

[mrmac]

I use Carefresh

[RabbitPam]

can you move the litter pan to one of the spots on the cage floor that he’s peed on? He may feel more comfortable in a different spot for it, maybe facing a different direction.

[mrmac]

I am going to try, for now, diring the day I take it out and put it in his pen and when he goes in at night I will put it back in his cage. Hopefully this will help, but who knows?!

[Deb'sBuns]

How is he doing with the litterbox? Any better?

[mrmac]

No, sadly…he just goes in whatever corner the litter box isnt lol

[Deleted User]

My bun Mops will pee all over a cage floor if I cage him even though he is litter box trained. –I wonder if your Dexter thinks the cage is a giant pee box??

Another thing that is worth trying is putting a second box in another corner of the cage, even though space is small in a cage. It’s more work to clean up but he might ‘get it’ by inadvertently ending up in either box.

[mrmac]

This morning I caught him before he peed and put him in the box and he peed…go figure…he just wont voluntarily go into the box

[katie, max & penny]

dexter has a mind of his own! is he neutered? before i got max the snip-snip, he would pee on my sheets because my scent was strongest there and he was trying to be dominant. then once he was neutered, he stopped marking it as his spot. i also restricted my bed from him for a while so he got out of the habit. if you don’t want to restrict his space, putting the box over his already favorite pee spot should help.

[mrmac]

Yes he is neutered, but thats the thing…he doesnt have a favortie pee spot.

[katie, max & penny]

hmm. that is a tough one. maybe your vet would have some ideas?

[BinkyBunny]

Does he lounge in his litterbox?

[mrmac]

No, he likes the bigger one when they are out on the patio, and they will have a fit taking turns sitting in it. Delilah used to lay in hers, so did Davey, but maybe his is just not big enough for the high and mighy Dexter!

[BinkyBunny]

Hmmm. Well, it may take some persistent training on your part. Knowing when to catch him peeing (if you can) and get him to the box. The more you do this, the better. Normally I notice that Jack pees more in the evening and so if I had to train him, I would hang out around his meal time.

Also, another technique is to  just put him in the box whenever you can, and then make sure you have a paper towel with some of his urine on it, and when he’s in the box, put it the box in front of him. Sometimes even if a bunny doesn’t have to urgently go, they will empty what they have in their bladder when the smell the urine. If that works, just do that for next week or so, and hopefully the repetition will help him get it.

[mrmac]

I have been catching him most of the time, just keep watching!

[Deleted User]

Maybe he is a little overwhelmed right now, too, new place, the bonding…

[mrmac]

Yeah maybe, I didnt think about that. That could be it too.

[Moonlight_Wolf]

Hmm I am having difficulties training my boy too, but it is so much harder to catch him when he pees than it was to catch Fern! It is because he lifts his tail when he is feeling horny as well as when he is going to pee… I can’t tell the difference. Good luck on litter training your boy, Lets see who’s bunny gets litter trained first….

Ready, Set, TRAIN! The race is on, lol.

[jerseygirl]

tehe! Nothing like a bit of competition.

Was Dexter box trained at the shelter? I wonder if he has an adversion to his box or the litter? Perhap you could try a shallow box with a puppy pee pad or lots of sheets of newspaper first. Then gradually add litter and remove pads at a later date.

Jersey sometimes pees on floor and starts to sip it…sometimes I think it’s like cleaning it up. Either she like the salt, is ocd, or just plain weird!

[mrmac]

She told us that he was but who knows really. I think I am going to try and put a few paper towels/newspaper in it, I think he likes the edges to be higher, cause he loves the bigger one that he gets to sit in outside.

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