Rabbit Pooping Near Litterbox

[JackWabbit13]

Hey y’all! Long time no talk, how is everybody?

So my dad was making me keep my rabbit in his garage for a long time, and I finally moved her and my chinchilla into my room yesterday, so they’ll be happier, healthier, and warmer! BUT a problem came up

Whenever she’s at her hay rack, she craps all over the place instead of in her litterbox

I’m confused. She’s had her hay rack outside of the litterbox before now, and she used the litterbox when she had to before now. She still pees in it

What’s going on and how do I stop it?

BTW I need answers soon! If my dad finds out, he said he’s making me keep them in the garage again, which I think is a horrible place for any pet to live

[Azerane]

The easiest solution here is to place the hay rack so that your rabbit has to sit in the litter box to access it.

[Bam]

I agree with Azerane. My bun sometimes access the hay in her litterbox from outside the litterbox, and sure enough, she leaves a nice little pile of poopies exactly where she’s been sitting and munching on her hay. They like to poop while they munch on their hay =D

If you have the box in a corner you could put the hay in the furthest corner so your bun has to sit in the box and eat. If you have a more elaborate setup with a hay rack, you might have to rearrange things a bit.

[JackWabbit13]

Is there a way to install a hay rack in a covered litterbox? I have a hooded box and I can’t put a hay rack by it. My hay rack is also attached to toys, bowls, and a veggie tray (it’s just a little deal I built for her, I call it the rabbit multitool), so it’d be difficult, to say the least, to put it behind a litterbox

And I know there’s some controversy to the covered litterboxes, but Jumping Jack has had no issues with it. Sometimes she even just sits there for fun (even though she has a nice bed to sit and lay on), and I also made sure my vet was okay with it

So can I like put some dowels in the hood or something? Are there like some good hay nets that people can use for bunnies? I know there’s the big twine ones for horses in trailers, is there a smaller one I can buy that’s made of rabbit safe stuff?

[Wick & Fable]

I think you can experiment — ultimately you likely need to bore holes in the hood in order to get a sturdy structure through for hanging a hay rack, since those tend to be pulled/dug at by the rabbit, so you want it to be pretty fastened in place. That being said, it may be a hassle to access and refill it.

Please do not do this without proper safety measures/supervision (if applicable), but I have had success boring small holes in plastic by heating up the end of a screw driver over a candle and gently and patiently working it through plastic. Make sure it is a well-ventilated space and you are being careful and not distracted. You could perhaps make a hole big enough for a small curtain rod/dowel, but also would need to figure out ways to keep it in place.

Also, generally speaking, rabbits poop a lot, so the act of needing to hop into a covered litterbox (especially those that have higher lips) is sort of a “why do it” for rabbits. Remember they don’t have any social construct telling them to poop/pee in the random plastic box we provide, so a low-lip litterbox paired with only having hay inside the litterbox may be helpful.

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.

[DanaNM]

I wonder if simply getting a lower sided litter box will help a lot of your problems. That would make it easy to mount the hay rack over it, and make it easier for the bun to jump in.

. . . 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.  

[JackWabbit13]

I might do it for the hay rack, but I see no issues with Jumping Jack hopping in. She even does it for fun. If she’s just sitting (not napping or anything) she prefers to sit in a box of paper pellets than on her bed. Maybe I just need a different bed?

I do want a new litter box anyway, this one’s a little dirty and I can’t clean some stuff off. I’ll look into a lower one

[Bam]

I don’t know what type of dirt you’re dealing with, but if it’s from calcium residue (a normal feature of bun urine), it comes off surprisingly easy if you pour some vinegar and water in it and let sit for say 20 minutes before scrubbing it out.

[JackWabbit13]

So, today I found a little pee puddle outside of Jumping Jack’s pen. I think y’all are right about the lower box, and her not wanting to bother with the higher box, but it may be awhile before I can get one. Is there any temporary ways to make it easier for her to get in?

[DanaNM]

Does she chew on fabric? I wonder if you could place some folded up towels near the box to make a low step to make it a bit easier?

And lots of rabbits like to hang out in their litter box. Mine have been pretty indifferent about most beds, they either pee on them or ignore them lol

. . . 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.  

[Bladesmith]

I’d get rid of the lid, for starters, see if that helps.  Like people rabbits attitudes change from time to time, and maybe he’s changed his mind about it.  Also, rabbits eat and poop at the same time, it would be better to have his food sources aligned with his litter box.  I don’t have a hay box for Loki, his hay sits in a pile in the litter pan along with his food bowl, each in an opposite corner.  (Although I’m currently working on a hay box for him that will stick to the sliding glass door that his pan sits next to.  (What?  He likes to look outside while he tends to his business.  Those birds and squirrels need the supervision!)

[JackWabbit13]

@Bladesmith Haha! Mine has never been to keen on windows

I’ll try taking the top off and see if that helps

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