Refuses Litter Box

[Oliver]

My 20 week old rabbit refuses every litterbox we’ve tried.  He is an indoor rabbit, and we have him in a large wooden hutch on 4 legs.  Most recently, he is pulling it away from the corner and then peeing in the corner where the box was placed. We’ve tried the jumbo corner box with grate and 2 large rectangular cat litter boxes.  We’ve tried Carefresh and Yesterday’s News Litter.  We’ve placed hay in the litter box.  He’s only used the litter box 4 times from what we can tell.  We are at a loss.  We’ve also soaked up his urine with tissues and placed that (torn up) in the litter box. In fact, he would lay in the rectangular boxes but would never use them to defacate.   We got him 3 weeks ago, and the breeder did not have litter boxes in her cages at the rabbitry.  He is scheduled for a neuter next week.   Any thoughts would be appreciated.

[Wick & Fable]

There are rabbits that naturally begin using litter boxes, but most times, it requires a bit of hands on training.

I’d recommend blocking out some of your time to observe your rabbit in an enclosed space with a litter box. Every time your rabbit poos or pees outside the box, pick him up and put him in the litter box, then praise him with a pet and a positive affirmation statement, like good boy. Keep doing this. If there is anything he goes in and uses it on his own, ultra praise him. Stay away from treats or he may associate using the bathroom with getting treats.

Clean up accidents as soon as you can. It is also helpful to establish a sound you can make immediately once an accident happens. Immediacy after an accident is key to learning, and sometimes it happens away from you so you can’t get to him right away. Having a short sound helps (like clicker trainer).

With Wick, it was:
1) Wick pees.
2) I notice and do a short hiss sound.
3) I pick him up and put him in his litter box.
4) I pet and praise him.

Rabbits poo on the fly, so you can’t really predict poos, but rabbits tend to back up and perk their butt up when they’re about to pee. If you suspect he’s going to go pee, don’t wait until he goes. Just pick him up and put him in the box and wait. You can’t implement this until the association is in place and you have a good handle on how he looks when he’s about to pee. Wick’s easy as he sticks his tail up when he has one ready to go.

I hope this helps! Do multiple sessions as often as you can! Patience is key. Neutering will help as well.

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.

[Noodles]

Have you tried moving the litter box to a different location? My Cinnabun would do the same thing where she would move the litterbox and pee in the corner. I currently have her free roam in part of my apartment, she has a dog crate where I keep her food and water currently. I used to keep her litter box there but the litter training just was not working. I moved her box to a different corner of the room outside the cage and voila – no more pees and very few poops elsewhere! Continue to clean up accidents as Wick mentioned, and again, the neutering may help tremendously. Good luck.

[Oliver]

Good morning. I have tried moving the litter box as well. I’ve even used multiple boxes in his hutch. He refuses to use them. He will find any area that does not contain a litter box and pee there. He will even pee in his hay that’s outside the litter box. And, he will poop all over the hutch. I have caught him in the act, placed him in the box and will soak a tissue with his urine. I will put the tissue in his litter box and he will pick it up with his mount and throw it outside the litter box. It’s almost as if he looks at the litter boxes as his resting areas.

[Author]

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