really bad litter problems

[ben and nicky]

There are quite a few posts about litter training etc but none with quite the same problem as us. We have had our giant rabbit now for about four months and he is 8 months old. We were making real progress with the litter training only having the odd accident until the last month or so. he loves sitting in the tray and will go to the toilet in it sometimes but has decided that he would rather pick the tray up and move it out the way so he can pee on the carpet underneath! He has started doing this in his own enclosure now as well and he has never done this before. Does anyone have any ideas what we could try? He has hay as litter and is lined with news paper. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated before my poor wife goes mad with cleaning up after him every 5 minutes. He is neutered in case anyone was wondering which was done about two months ago now.

Thanks in advance,

Ben

[Beka27]

what size is the litter tray? you say he is a giant rabbit, how big is giant? 10 lbs, 15lbs? is the litterbox large enough for him to lay down in it stretched out? what i’d suggest would be to drill a couple small holes near the top rim of the box and loop a ziptie thru it and around the bar of the pen. or you could loop the ziptie and then secure with a dog clip (that is how i anchor my hay container). if the box is in a corner, you can do one ziptie on each adjacent wall and that should secure it in place. with my first rabbit i had to do that because he would also slide the box everywhere.

[ben and nicky]

Hi thanks for the reply, yes he can lie down in the trays but not with his legs stretched out behind him. he is about 13 pounds, do you think this could be a factor?

[Beka27]

well, in most cases the bigger the box, the better. with a giant rabbit, you might not be able to find a traditional litterbox large enough… i know some people will progress to an under-the-bed plastic storage container. you can get these at wal-mart/k-mart/target for under ten bucks usually… a larger box means you can put hay in there, it will not become overly soiled too quickly and the bun feel comfortable. if you have a large enough space (i think i remember you have a very large rectangular xpen, right?) there should be no issue with getting a larger box. you can anchor it in as well if it is still necessary.

[ben and nicky]

Thanks, yes it is a large rectangle pen so a storage box will fine. We’ll give it a go and I will let you know how it goes. One more thing, he gets his pee all over his hocks and then runs it through the house, has anyone managed to overcome this? His fur is very thick and he gets quite a dirty but from it too. we tried to bath him in shallow warm water yesterday but he is very strong and it didn’t too well

[Beka27]

what kind of litter are you using? is it possible that it’s not absorbent enough?

[ben and nicky]

We  use hay and the bottom is lined with paper. What do you use?

[Beka27]

i use recycled paper pellets. they suck up the moisture. you can also use wood stove pellets or horse bedding (it’s much cheaper) and also pretty absorbent. if he’s getting wet, it sounds like the urine is sitting on top and that can cause urine scald if he is sitting in it.

[jerseygirl]

I think I remember you posting picture of the big fella! When I read your post, my first thought was ” he’s telling you he doesn’t like his litter box”. He may like it to lounge in but doesn’t want to soil it & want’s something bigger! Definately go for a bigger box. Put some soiled litter in it so he catches on. If he starts moving this one then you may have to tie it down.

Also a bigger one outside his enclosure along with a lounging box (?) might be beneficial. He might figure the carpet is more absorbant then the newspaper and he’s just looking after his personal hygiene! I use newspaper currently but it’s not very absorbant. I have a raised grate over it though so bunnies feet don’t come in contact with the soiled paper. I can’t imagine how much pee a 13lb rabiit would produce!

Paper litters and wood pellet litters are far and away the best for odour control and absorbtion I think. So he likes to lie on the hay as bedding? Maybe keep hay as bedding in one area or box, and just litter in the litter box.

Lastly, the training may have hiccupped due to his maturity & hormones. Though he’s neutered, the hormones can take a little while to fully go from his system so with that in mind he should be on the improve day by day!

[jerseygirl]

Special request benandnicky – could we see some more recent pictures of the boy? I just went back and looked at the original ones you posted and……HE IS AWESOME! It showed the set up in the photos. I don’t know if it’s still the same but definately try a bigger box first. A long one like a storage box as Beka suggested. Good luck!

[ben and nicky]

Thing is he also moves it off of the wood floor to go on there too so I’m not sure it’s because the carpet is more absorbent however we are going out today to get a bigger box and try to find some paper pellets. Thanks guys! Heres some pics!

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[Beka27]

*dies*

i want him. so bad.

seriously…

sigh…

[ben and nicky]

We never thought he would be quite as soppy as he is. we picked up some paper based litter and bigger boxes which he is using already but he also seems determined to eat it a bit as well. Is this safe or not? Obviously if not this could be a problem.

[BunnyMuffin]

My word – that is a BIG bunny! What brand are you using? I’m pretty sure that the newspaper based litter, like Yesterday’s News, are safe for the bunnies if they nibble a bit. You obviously don’t want him making a meal out of it or anything though.

That stray poop is not as big as one might expect looking at the size of him… interesting…

[KatnipCrzy]

I definitely recommend using a pelleted litter and that may help.  I also line my litter boxes with newspaper and then put the litter pellets on top so that when I change the box all the mushy litter comes out of the box as I peel the disgusting newspaper out.  It leaves the box cleaner so I am not rinsing as much down the bath tub when I clean the boxes.  Sometimes it will peel away so clean I can get way with wiping out with vinegar/water spray and paper towel.

By the way- what a handsome bunny!  I had to call my husband over to the computer to see the pics!  I love his ears and how wide they look! 

I use wood stove pellets as litter and it works great and is cheap.  What country do you live in?  It might be best to find out what litter is cheapest and still efficient as I suspect you might have to empty the litterbox more often than most of us.

[Sarita]

Oh he’s gorgeous. Has he been neutered yet as well? Neutering and age will eventually help as well with the problem.

[ben and nicky]

We are using Bio-catolet recycled paper based cat litter. We live in the UK (England). It has made one hell of a difference using this litter and bigger boxes so thank you. We had to change the old litter once a day at least but this stuff goes a couple of days easily. He is a very cute rabbit and although loves being cussled and petted on the floor or sofa, hates being picked up which will be our next challenge trying to do his claws! The claws were cliped when he was neutered but are duwe to be done again! Last time I picked him up he kicked me and winded me really bad! We will get there though.

Thanks again,

Ben

[Beka27]

i’m happy the litter and bigger box are working. most all bunny issues can be solved if you just try things a different way.

wow, nail trimming. i can imagine that would be a feat with a bun so big!

[jerseygirl]

Glad to hear you are seeing results already. Thanks for the new pictures! He is WONDERFUL! We should do a BinkyBunny Poll to see just how many of us BB members are jealous of you two!

[beaniebunbun]

he is soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo cute

[jerseygirl]

Hope Barry will represent all English Giants in THE CHALLENGE thread in lounge…..(hint, hint!)

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