Peeing and leaving poopies outside of litter box

[cynthia]

Hello,
I was wondering if you guys could help me out. I have a slight issue with my miniloop rabbit.

I have two bunnys. They are both neutered and bonded. A dutchy and a mini loop. The dutchy is a male and the mini loop is female. They do not use cages, pens, or anything like that. They free roam and use their litter boxes for their bussiness.

About a month ago I moved them to a new room. Because of family circumstances I was not able to introduce them to the new room the correct way (little by little) and had to make the transfer quickly.

I noticed poopies and pee outside the litter box @2 weeks ago. I observed them and was not able to catch which one (or both) were not doing their bussiness in the litter boxes. Today I finnaly figured out that it’s not the dutchy but the mini loop who is peeing and pooping outside the litter box.

What can I do to help her use her litter box again? The funny thing is that she does use her litter box (I have seen her in there), but I think shes just marking because the trasfer was so quick she had no time to adjust. Eventually I though she would stop but she hasn’t.

Any ideas on what I could do to help her?
She does not pee or leave poopies in any other place but infront of the litter boxes.

Thanks for your help in advance

Just as a side note: Shes a rabbit I got because the previous owner no longer wanted her (severe case of neglect I could see her rib cage when I got her). She is very cute, but very territorial with her belongings. She does not like me cleaning her box that’s how territorial she is (hangs out until I finished cleaning her box) and I dont dare touch her blankets or toys unless it’s to clean them.

[Wick & Fable]

It could be that for her, doing the business near the box and in the box is her interpretation of litter box training.

For example, if I move Wick’s litterbox to clean it, he’ll both jump in the moved box and go, as well as go on the carpet where the litter box was.

She could just not know that that’s not what you want, so I recommend coaxing her into the litterbox each time you see just goes next to it.

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.

[cynthia]

Thanks I will try that. I hope with time she will use her potty box.
I have a huge pee stain next to the wall that I did not clean up (I did not see it) and now my carpet is yucky. Any way to get rid of an old pee stain?
Thx

[cynthia]

Thanks I will try that. I hope with time she will use her potty box.
I have a huge pee stain next to the wall that I did not clean up (I did not see it) and now my carpet is yucky. Any way to get rid of an old pee stain?
Thx

[Wick & Fable]

Vinegar and water does a good job!

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.

[BunjaminML]

I have a similar situation with one of my rabbits. She’s pretty good about pooping in the litter box but always pees just outside of it. I was thinking of maybe moving their little box a few inches over the spot she always pees at to see if that makes any difference.

[Taloan7]

I had a similar problem with my bunny going right beside the box and not quite in it.  I took the litter box and put it in an even larger box and that has seemed to solve the problem.  Here’s my set up:  

[MountainBuns]

Maybe try removing the poops and putting them in the litter box.
As Wick said, Water and Vinegar does the trick!

[Waffles125]

Hello! I’ve been a regular forum reader since when I first got my mini lop when he was 10 weeks old in June 2017, but this is my first post. My issue is pretty similar to Cynthia’s, so I thought I’d post it here and see if anyone had any ideas. He’s not yet neutered, so I’m planning to do that very soon. But in the meantime, I was wondering if anyone had experienced a similar situation/has any suggestions:

My rabbit, Waffles, was really easy to potty train at first, but since my boyfriend and his cat moved in a few months ago, he’s regressed. He’s fine, for the most part, when he’s upstairs where his cage litter box is, and used to be fine when he ventured downstairs, where the cat’s litter box is. But ever since he discovered that litter box, he’s been on a mission to get to it and use it for his business. Since I know that’s bad for him, I use a baby gate to keep him out whenever he’s downstairs. Unfortunately, he’s rebelled against me blocking him out by pooping all over the living room (which he never did before). And last night, for the first time since he was a baby, he jumped up onto the couch and peed.

I have a litter box down there for him with rabbit-safe paper bedding and hay in it (just like what I’ve seen every time I google the best litter boxes for rabbits …). He likes to hop in it, kick the litter out and eat the hay, but he will not go to the bathroom in it. He only wants to go in the cat litter. I’ve even scooped up his dirty litter from upstairs and put it in the downstairs box, but he still won’t use it to go to the bathroom. Instead, he’ll just poop in piles around the living room, which again is something he never did until he discovered the cat litter then had it taken away from him.

I’m not sure what else to do to make him forget about the cat litter and use his own box. I’ve been letting him downstairs less frequently, but that also means he spends less time with the people in the house. He also does have a date marked on his calendar for his vet visit … as I’m thinking this behavior might be an act of brinkmanship with the cat, and I hope that would help that issue.

Until then, has anyone ever had a similar experience to this? He’s good about going to the bathroom in a litter box, he just wants it to be the cat litter box, which I won’t let him get into. Is there any kind of rabbit-safe litter that is maybe similar to cat litter that he and I can compromise on? I’m hoping neutering will help, but am afraid I can’t close the Pandora’s Box that was opened whenever Waffles first discovered cat litter ….

Thanks for any advice you can give!

[Poppyhani]

Hi Waffles! Most mods will recommend you make your own post instead of asking on another person’s, but it is true this is a common problem.

If you want to make sure he doesn’t have any problems when going into the cat litter box, you can use non-clumping wood litter for your cat’s litter, and his. It isn’t dangerous for bunnies so if he goes in there when you’re not looking, you shouldn’t have a problem. Aside from that, you’re right — it’s because he isn’t neutered. Baby bunnies can be litter trained, but sometimes fall out of habit if not neutered by the time their hormones kick in, and by that point, they want their territory known everywhere, especially with other animals. They like to pee on soft surfaces, hence his venture onto the couch, haha. It’s most likely that his hormones are just going haywire right now, and not directly linked with your cat — really, it’s just bad timing.

Thus, yep, neutering is your best go! Within a month or so after his neuter (or sooner, if you’re lucky) you can try litter training him in his own box again.

[Author]

Messages