Peeing outside of box

[Salem Fluffle]

Hi,

I have an almost two year old male who is neutered and he is bonded to a 2 year old spayed female. I’ve had problems with my little guy peeing outside the box in his x-pen pretty much since I got him. I’ve tried two litter boxes, I’ve tried three litter boxes, I have re-positioned the boxes multiple times, I’ve tried different types of litter, I’ve even tried three types of litter boxes in different heights, sizes, and shapes. I’m exhausted trying to figure it out. But what’s strange is that I took away one of the boxes in his enclosure, replaced it with a hidey house, and he’s never peed in that spot again. In my sun room, which is their free roam space, he has never peed outside of the single litter box. Yes, he’ll leave the occasional poop outside the box but not excessive. The home base though… ugh. Is there something I can do to fix this issue?

This is the set up in my room. You can see the urine spots, primarily next to the litter box/hay manger. They are only in their pen while we’re sleeping and they are out in a much larger space throughout the day.

[DanaNM]

Ah that’s very frustrating! Some buns see the “litter box” as more of a zone, rather than the box itself, so I think that’s probably what’s happening here. One thing you might try is to replace the flooring with a sheet of vinyl flooring (temporarily) to see if that helps. Many buns pee on soft things or he could be triggered to mark by some smells in the carpet, so adding a more solid and somewhat slippery flooring might help. If it doesn’t help, at least clean up will be easier!

. . . 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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