Poop everywhere! I need some detailed help on litter training.

[smbtuckma]

Hi all,

Three weeks ago I adopted a 2yr old spayed doe from a rescue shelter. The rescue said she had good litter habits, but when I brought her home she pooped and peed everywhere. No worries, I’ve had a rabbit before so I know it takes some time to adjust to a new home. After these three weeks the peeing is mostly in the litter box (more on that below), but there has been no let up to how much she poops everywhere.

Her set up is a 4 x 2 x 1.5 cage that she can use as a litter box. The door is always open, and outside of that is a 4 x 4 pen for her with another litter box in it. The cage and litter box always have hey and the litter is Carefresh Natural. She stays in this small space for most of the day right now because I’m trying to get her to consider the box and the cage as her space and to start small with litter training. She comes out into my room for an hour or two every day for supervised exercise, and it is during this time that she poops everywhere still. The area in her pen that isn’t covered by cage or litterbox is also pooped on frequently. So my current plan doesn’t seem to be working.

In case her personality is relevant, she seems to be a very dominant bun. She chins everything, nips me if I don’t pet her enough (that’s improving though), mounts my leg when I’m standing next to her, and immediately poops and pees if she gets into a new area like on top of my bed or the next room over. I think she considers the cage as her space at this point, but she seems determined to make everywhere else her space as well. I scoop poops into the litterbox, immediately clean pee spots with Nature’s Miracle, and spray it on my carpet every night where poops had been that day, but no avail.

If you guys had more litter training tips and advice other than what I’m doing now, I would really appreciate it! The constant cleaning is starting to get stressful, especially when she sometimes chews up dry poops so that they’re a powder that gets ground into the carpet and is harder to vacuum. I’m starting to get desparate!

 

[Baxter n Boos Mom]

Wow – she does not sound like a spayed doe.. I understand that bedding is not necessary for buns…and only confuses their litter box habits if spread over the cage. And I’ve definitely found this to be true for our buns.

I might try switching the litter to either a recycled paper litter or pine pellets. Place hay in the litter box…because rabbits like to poo while they eat. Also throw in a couple treats into the litter on occasion.

The last few months, I’ve been struggling with my two free range buns’ litter box habits as well – they used to have close to perfect litter box habits. But since they’re free range buns – containing them with an Xpen was only resulting in pee/poo temper tantrums. So it’s a good thing to get this under control before you give her too much freedom.

Best of luck!

[Tessie]

I second everything Baxter n Boo said!
Recycled paper litter, hay in litterbox, treats hidden there too – great idea

I also agree that she doesn’t sound spayed! haha

[Eepster]

I wouldn’t do 2 boxes, just one. Having 2 opens up the possibility of multiple locations in her mind.

It also sounds like she is very hormonal. Do you know how recently she was spayed? Can you confirm that here ovaries were removed along with her uterus?

[smbtuckma]

Posted By Baxter n Boo’s Mom on 09/21/2013 12:47 PM
Wow – she does not sound like a spayed doe.. I understand that bedding is not necessary for buns…and only confuses their litter box habits if spread over the cage. And I’ve definitely found this to be true for our buns.

I might try switching the litter to either a recycled paper litter or pine pellets. Place hay in the litter box…because rabbits like to poo while they eat. Also throw in a couple treats into the litter on occasion.

The last few months, I’ve been struggling with my two free range buns’ litter box habits as well – they used to have close to perfect litter box habits. But since they’re free range buns – containing them with an Xpen was only resulting in pee/poo temper tantrums. So it’s a good thing to get this under control before you give her too much freedom.

Best of luck!

When you say that bedding is confusing if spread over the cage, should I leave the cage floor bare then, except for one part cordoned off as a litter area? The floor is plastic, not wire.

And you know I’ve heard that they’re supposed to poop where and when they eat, but she’s only peeing at that time. Instead she only poops when she’s hopping around or sitting and being pet. I try to give her treats anytime I see her use the litterbox, but unfortunately I can’t leave treats in there because we have an ant problem.

And finally, should I stop giving her roaming time all together until this gets sorted? She just seems so unhappy being penned in all day. And I’d be sad to keep her in there forever if this never gets better…

[smbtuckma]

So take the outter box away and just leave her with the cage then?

I think she was spayed a while ago. She’d been in the shelter for a month before I got her, but had been adopted out and returned before that. I don’t know how long she was in the shelter the first time, but that center doesn’t let any rabbits go unaltered so she would have been spayed as soon as she came to them the first time. I don’t know if her ovaries were removed, no. I can ask next time I go to them to buy new litter (which it looks like I’m going to try switching to pine pellets or recycled paper).

[mia]

Hm, your post has me wondering if personality is linked to litter habits. My female is extremely dominant and opinionated and has horrible litter habits. She was actually re-checked if she was spayed likely due to her behavior. She also poos while hopping, sitting, and being pet yet she knows exactly where and what the litter box is for. Today I woke up to the entire length of my bedroom poo’d and pee’d on, yay. I’ve literally observed several times where she wants to be groomed, doesn’t get groomed, and immediately grunts and poos or pees in displeasure.

[Baxter n Boos Mom]

Yes – leave the cage floor bare. You can give your bun a towel, or small blanket to re-arrange and cuddle with…but bedding confuses litter habits. Rather than cornering off a section to use as a litter area in the cage – place a small litter box in the cage, as well as outside the cage. If your room is separate from the room with the bun’s cage – I would add another litterbox in your room.

The only other suggestion is – when she squats and lifts her tail, she’s getting ready to pee/poo – shoo her into the litterbox gently, then reward her for pooing in the box.

[Deleted User]

I think Baxter made all the important points! I believe you are already aware you need a box big enough for the rabbit to lie down in, and that it should have hay to chew on while she is in there. That goes for All the litter boxes you offer to her. I wanted to add that a treat doesn’t have to be sweet and/or add to your ant problem. A treat is anything special that rabbit enjoys eating so a few leaves of basil, rosemary, or mint in the litter box would also encourage her to hop in and nibble, and be rewarded for her good behaviour.

A towel rug or fleece blanket can be nice to give to her, but its important to make sure she doesn’t chew them, ingested fibres can be very dangerous. Cotton is best if some is eaten, but not all rabbits can be given fabric. The bare floor really is fine, but if you really want something for it you can get grass, hay or straw mats, … safe to eat and a little softer. (Binky Bunny carries some nice mats in different sizes if you want a look at what I’m referring to.) But I’d suggest establishing some better litter box habits before you put anything down, easier to keep really clean, nothing to retain the scent of a mistake, and nothing at all to confuse her should help.

Best of luck!

[smbtuckma]

Sorry to keep asking questions, I just want to make sure I’m doing everything as well as possible. I don’t think I understand how litter in the cage is confusing. Can they not just treat it like a larger litter box, if a box still has litter?

[bpash89]

well the whole idea is to teach her that the box and only the box is okay to do her business in. Having litter around the cage and having a litter box is kind of like saying ‘please use the toilet… or just go on the floor… either is really okay.’ It’s not really sending her a clear message about where she’s supposed to go. That confusion will only continue with “It’s okay to poop on the floor (in my cage) but now she yells at me when I poop on the floor (outside the cage). Bunny logic… go figure. It will really help you in the long run to be very strict and consistent about the litter box and only the litter box.
Soft things like towels and blankets are magnets for bunny pee and poo, just remove them entirely. Even bunnies with good litter habits can’t resist the urge to mark something soft and comfy…

[smbtuckma]

Gotcha. Thanks so much!

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