Pushed to my limits.

[FrankieFlash]

So I’m writing because the buns have pushed me to my limits.

They’re happily bonded so that’s not the issue. It’s their litter box habits. It’s like they forgot what a litter box is at all. It started with them marking Bunjamin’s condo. So we got rid of that. Then they marked the wall his condo was against. So we blocked off that.

Then they marked the blockade of that wall even though there was a wall of litter boxes in front of it (I don’t know how they get it around the litter box).

 So this week, during my spring break we vacuumed, and shampooed, with a vinegar solution, the carpet in their room (where all this was happening). We had to lock them out of it for the day. During that time they did not use the litter box at all. But I didn’t blame them since they weren’t in the same spot.

Now we put their room back together. Moved the condo, rearranged the whole room. I wake up to a litter box un-used and the condo just trashed. (I’ve been locking them up in their condo at night since the potty habits went downhill using the theory that sometimes they need space reduced to bring their habits back)

I don’t understand it. We started cleaning their litter boxes more, they’re all high sides so they can’t pee over sides, and they have more of them.

Is there anything I can do?!

[Sarita]

I’m moving this to the Behavior Section.

[Monkeybun]

What I had to do to litter train Smudge was have ONLY litter boxes where she could be. I covered the floor with them, the only spot clear of a box was where the water dish and food dish was. That way, she had no choice and got used to going in a litter box again.

Where do you keep their hay at? And what kind of litter do you use? It could be somethign as simple as they do not like the litter now, or you need to have their hay in their litter box, and unable to get to it otherwise

[Stickerbunny]

Good luck. Mine still never figured out what their litter box is, after trying everything people could suggest here and about 2 years bonded. I just deal with it. lol

What did help some though is cleaning it 2-3 times a day instead of just once, a litter screen to keep the solids out to make that easier, hay in the litter box and baby gates around ALL WALLS with carpet (about a saucer sized gap between wall and gate, else they’ll mark the gate). I also have to be CAREFUL not to spread my scent around too badly in their room and I use PURE vinegar not 50/50 vinegar/water to clean, or else it does nothing to use it. Now they use the litter boxes about 60/40 instead of 10/90, but they never got their actual good habits back after bonding (both were perfect before I bonded them).

[FrankieFlash]

I’m using Equine pine because keeping up with all these litter boxes was getting expensive. They always have hay in their litter box. For a while that was the only place they were pooping/peeing in their box. Today I cleaned all the boxes again and only put a handful of hay. Seems to be helping a smidge. Like they were telling me I was doing too much hay but I figure tonight it’ll happen again. Keep the suggestions coming though. And I’ll try regular vinegar too.

[jerseygirl]

It’s definitely both of
them FF?

Is there still a foster bun on the scene?

They can get territorial about litter boxes so too frequent cleaning might trigger more littering behaviour.

Are the boxes big enough that both can fit in at the same time?
So using equine pine is new? The wood litter smell might be causing an aversion. Or have they both been in this before?

Now we put their room back together. Moved the condo, rearranged the whole room. I wake up to a litter box un-used and the condo just trashed. (I’ve been locking them up in their condo at night since the potty habits went downhill using the theory that sometimes they need space reduced to bring their habits back)

You might not get immediate result after these changes because they feel need to mark territory again in the new space.

So the room is rabbit proofed? Could you try the leaving condo open to see if their having free range has them returning to their zone (open condo) to use the litter box?

[jerseygirl]

Sorry, just realized how many questions I asked. :\
I just hope you get a result. Like Stickerbunny, I know the frustration too well. Jerseys habits never returned after bonding.

[FrankieFlash]

I don’t mind questions.
Foster bun is still here. On other side of house. They can’t see him but they prob can smell him or hear him at times. At one point I even thought of bonding them all but they had an encounter at my parents house where the foster tried to take a chunk out of Bunjamin’s already broken nose so I’ve hesitated since then.

I haven’t updated in a while. They use to jump in the box at the same time when they were bonding though I rarely see them in it together. A bigger box is in my idea list. I think size wise I’d be looking at some kind storage container bottom.

Equine pine is new as of December or so. We slowly integrated it in and while financials were tough. My mom also bought some stuff online that we tried. It was small and meley like and they just had a ball digging that out of the box so that definitely didn’t work. I don’t mind the poos so much. It’s the pee marking. I’m pretty sure now after closely watching them it’s just Bunjamin boy. I never saw her potty outside of the box.

Rabbit room is proofed and is completely theirs. We’ve tried letting them free-range at night and that’s when the marking started. If we don’t lock up, there will be wall of poop and pee. I haven’t tried it since we deep-cleaned their room though.

[LittlePuffyTail]

My guess is they can probably still smell foster bun. I’m sure they know he is in the house. They can probably smell him on you.

[FrankieFlash]

Shoot. Well my newest goal is going to be finding him a great home. He deserves to be the center of attention. He loves people. And he’s adorable and amusing. But I don’t think him and Bunjamin will get along and I’m not sure how much longer I can keep fostering now that I’m on my own- keeping a house, 16 credits, full time job, and all my buns who can’t keep litter habits. But I really don’t want to give him back to the rescue that is overwhelmed too so finding him a home where he is king sounds like the best plan. :/

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