Territorial with box but won’t poop without one

[pinkiemarie]

Hi guys, my trio is at a point of needing a kick in the pants. I don’t feel like we’re making great progress on short dates and our long date Saturday was amazing, but I can only do a really long one once a week. I want to really go for it, but am afraid to make them do an overnight because they get territorial over a litterbox but don’t want to poop without one, and obviously I want them pooping. I was wondering if anyone had any insight or thoughts on that!

Here’s a picture of my good bunnies on Saturday 🙂

[DanaNM]

Bonnie was like that about the box! But she eventually did go without one. What if you provided a few really low trays? I’m thinking maybe if it’s less enclosed they will get less possessive? Like even a sheet pan or lunch tray? I’ve even used cardboard boxes with litter in them, you could cut it so the sides are very low?  Or a pile of hay on the ground on a pee pad?

. . . 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.  

[pinkiemarie]

Oh that’s a really good idea, maybe a baking sheet with a small amount of litter. I’ll try it thank you!

[pinkiemarie]

Well, we did it. We had a sleepover with only minor scuffles! Bunnies are getting there. The baking sheet worked really well. Now I need to figure out where to go from here because I barely slept so I definitely can’t do this on work nights lol

[DanaNM]

That’s really great news! Way to go!

Maybe you could just keep doing regular sessions during the week and then next weekend try for marathoning starting on Friday?

. . . 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.  

[pinkiemarie]

Ugh well our marathon went well. So well, in fact, that Ben is now harassing his brother absolutely nonstop. He will. Not. Stop. Chasing. And. Humping. Him. Poor Wally can literally get 2 minutes of peace before Ben is on him again and the poor guy is a pacifist so he just keeps trying to find a place to hide. I don’t think I have a choice but to take them back downstairs and keep them with me while I work which is extremely not ideal because I can’t watch them well while I’m working and I don’t sleep well with them in there and they’re in the way of my chair. But I guess I don’t really have an option but to just……….live together until it takes?

 

[DanaNM]

Omg I can relate… Bun Jovi is the mounter! But very good that it’s not causing any fights!!

Can you give him some hides or places to escape? With Myra she will jump up on something and Bun Jovi will lose track of her, so he just runs around honking for a bit and then gives up. Or he will chase her for a while, then they cuddle.

 

. . . 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.  

[pinkiemarie]

Oh no he had places to hide and Ben was being relentless and hunting him down wherever he went. Just a tiny little bully! It would be funny if I wasn’t so annoyed because he’s chasing around a rabbit that’s 4 times bigger than him. He would not give up for a full day, just nonstop harassment. I’ve got them in the bedroom now and all 3 are being pretty good but it’s not an ideal situation to have them all here on weekdays by a long shot. They all cuddled up so much this weekend so I’m hoping maybe a couple more days will do it… I’m not sure how to tell when I can try putting them in a space that isn’t neutral though, or if we’re even remotely close to that yet. I do hear someone over there purring so maybe we’re closer than I think…

[DanaNM]

Fingers crossed things finally click! It sounds like you have made so much progress!

. . . 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.  

[Author]

Messages