Pee and poo spots

[mia]

Another litter training thread…

My buns were already litter trained at the shelter and they are pretty good in their own room but when it comes to my room, argh! They liked one corner so eventually I put a shower curtain there and a litter box there. Then an additional spot popped up in another corner, which suddenly appeared after my one month vacation 3 months ago, so I eventually blocked it off and even that corner has a shower curtain. Now there’s a spot two feet from the litter box and another two spots right beside the area I blocked off. I don’t mind putting more litter boxes in my room but how many? At this point I need 4 or so to cover all the spots -_-. These are not even spots with human smell.

How are there buns with good habits? I’m so jealous. I spend at least 10 mins a day sweeping and scrubbing with vinegar or baking soda or nature’s miracle and there’s no end in sight. Sometimes I get so mad I leave them locked up in their room (it’s 8×6 plus a 4 level condo so they still have it pretty good in there but there’s never binkys and real bunny 500s can’t really be done).

[RabbitPam]

Well, first it sounds like the shower curtains may be more of a hindrance than a help. Being slippery to walk on will make it hard for bunnies to walk, much less run around, so that may be part of the problem right there. Second, If you are cleaning with the stuff that they know to stay away from, ie. vinegar and nature’s miracle, you may not be rinsing it off enough to lose the smell, and they may be repelled by the litter box areas because they don’t like it.

It’s kind of hard to picture what you’re saying, but let me suggest this. Remove the curtains completely. Put a lot of litter into the pans, and make it unscented and good odor absorbing like Aspen shavings (do NOT use Pine shavings ever) or Feline Pine pellets, or Carefresh or Yesterday’s News litter brands. When you see either one go in the litter box, praise them immediately and give them a treat while they are using the pan, just one little raisin while they do their business.
This is positive reinforcement for using the litter pan. When they go outside, you can say a firm “No” but then ignore it, scoop up bunny and set back into the litter box immediately. That should associate going with litter pan, but don’t wait at all because the meaning will be lost. Then, in the litter pan, say “good bunny”. If you find the pee well after they’ve done it, just ignore it because it’s too late for them to understand. You want to make the litter pan a good place to be but not have them search for a new spot outside.
I don’t remember if they are spayed yet, but that will help since this also may be marking behavior.

[MoveDiagonally]

If it’s carpet my cleaning “trick” for getting out smells is:
1. Sprinkle Baking soda over area.
2. Let it sit
3. Use vinegar over baking soda (it will fizz)
4. Clean up fizzy, soda/vinegar mix.
5. Profit!
(Well…. The profit is in the form of odor free carpet. )

[mia]

I only clean the carpet areas, and already clean with baking soda and vinegar, I don’t clean the litter pan regularly. The litter pan doesn’t get dirty so I only have to dump out the litter. They aren’t repelled by vinegar; is has no affect on them. Sometimes I’ll clean the area and 5 mins later, I’ll find poo or pee in that same spot. I’ve also tried not clean but the spot will just grow and I end up finding more poo than in their own litter box.
.
I started with all carpet and just one pan in the corner and I’d wake up with spots 1 foot away from the pan where they like to loaf even though the pan is being used; all the spots are where they like to loaf around. If I moved the pan away from the corner there would be spots on both sides of the pan 1 foot away from it. I also tried placing grass mats but that makes it worse as one likes to nibble on the mats and I’d wake up to it covered with poo and soaked with pee.

I have *never* seen one of my buns use the litter box even in their own room. It doesn’t matter what type of littler is in there. She avoids it and will lean over to grab food/hay.

Yes, they’ve been fixed for a long time.

[NewBunnyOwner123]

In your original post you said they were good in their house but not your room and the. This last post you said you have never seen them use their litter box even in their own room. I’m confused :/

Maybe a try a different litter? Or confine them for a little bit until they show better litter box skills in their own room.

[mia]

Yes, they are good in their own room but I have never actually seen one of my buns in the litter box. I don’t know… maybe she’s pee and poo shy in the box and waits to do her business when I’m not watching. This was in response to encouragement/praise when in the box. I can’t do that if I’ve never seen it in person.

[Author]

Messages