Whats the story?!

[jerseygirl]

Generally I love having my house rabbit. Like 99.9% of the time, but we all have our frustrations!  Mine is Jerseys habit of depositing a pile of poop right in front of her litter box.  She’s ok about it in her “room” but I have one (regrettably) in the kitchen.  I have hopes of eventually  moving it.  Every so often, she will just poop there.  Like a good 15 of  the little delights. 

Like today, she wanted to go outside when I was going out to peg out washing.  I tricked her by putting some willow leaves in the kitchen, then nicked out why she was distracted. 5 minutes later I come in to find her leaving me the gift.  I reprimanded straight away. “Ah-Ah!”,  ”No!”,  “In you box”.  She knows these.  I tapped the box with my foot as I said it and she tossed her head at me.  I swear she does it deliberately!  If she could spell, she would arrange them to say something bratty I’m sure.

This has happened over similar things (I read it as rabbitude)   Also, when I’m preparing her salad, she will hover around my feet and leave lots of little “I’m wait-ing” poops.  She thinks whenever we are in the kitchen, we are getting something for her.

So I say she’s litter trained, and she rarely territorial poops now, so what is the story?!!!!! 

[Cassi&Charlie]

Ah yes, bunny poop machines! I don’t know why Layla feels obliged to leave me little presents all the time. Charlie is a rabbit of habit (hehehe)and he will go in the same corner of the litterbox every time. Layla just seems to poop where ever she feels like. My favourite is when she poops and walks in a line, so I have a line of poop all across the lounge. The wierd thing is, it’s always straight.

Bunnies are weird.

[jerseygirl]

Yep Weird! Wonder what letter Layla is forming? Maybe it a game of pictionary – i don’t know!

[jerseygirl]

Anyone have some answers/thoughts on this behaviour? I must be reading it wrong, it can’t be that deliberate.

[bunnytowne]

Could it be Layla is making the letter I  as in I am the bunny 

Well Cotton/Ruby will leave poops on the rug by the bedroom baby gate.  Most likely it is just Cotton.  Though could be both of them. Very irritating. Are they marking cause Cotton especially feels the living room is his and he is letting hubby know it?    Now they have taken to pooping in their cuddly cup.  The poop are all over the floor now. I haven’t gotten to clean in 10 days now. Been busy. cleaning might help.  Well at least they don’t pee in it anymore.  Watch just cause I said that they will. 

Is your bun spneutered?  could that be the problem.  Even though mine are I still find poops by the baby gate. Grrr. I suppose with poop they just are not perfect about it.

Have you added any pets or people to  your household? That could be it.  I wonder what your bun is trying to tell you.

 

[jerseygirl]

Yes, Jersey was spayed in Feb. I don’t mind about droppings here and there, it’s more the whole pile of them right next to the box. Sometimes she’ll do it then jump in the box to finish off! Just curious as to why she does this.

[bunnytowne]

You know she may want a bigger litterbox. I remember a post someone had a similar problem and got the buns a bigger litterbox and it solved the problem.   Makes you wish they could talk.

[jerseygirl]

Actually BT, I might have to look at that. I actually suggested that to someone recently in Diet & Care, their bun was not using it majority of time. I should take my own advice, hadn’t even thought of that!
Well, if that’s the issue, she aint getting a bigger box there! I’ll build her a palace litter box if that’s what she wants, just not in my kitchen! I wouldn’t have thought it is the size, she uses them most of the time no worries. But you never do know…..

[Beka27]

LMAO! “i’ll poop where i want, Lady!” spelled out in rabbits turds!

have you tried removing the kitchen box altogether? i wonder if you reinforce her litter habits in her own personal box if that might help. if she makes any droppings anywhere else, scoop ’em up and put them in her box. what is her area like, does she have a pen or condo… ?

[jerseygirl]

Jerseys own space is a back room. Sort of like an enclosed porch that adjoins the laundry but it’s all under the main roof. So it’s where I put her at night and feed her pellets etc. She’ll hang out here a bit during the day also but she pretty much has access to the whole house. If the 2nd box isn’t there for whatever reason, she tends to still go there and leave some droppings. Her habit of this is why I have the 2nd box there in the first place. When she was younger, I thought it might be because her area and the kitchen have the same floor covering. She seemed quite territorial about the kitchen. I have been giving her veggies in the kitchen too. So now I’m thinking I may be reinforcing the habit or claim of space (???)

The pile thing is every so often. The “impatient” pooping is pretty consistant. Perhaps I need to put her out before I prepare her food and give it to her in her space. I don’t know…
I can live with it, it’s just if there is a simple solution, I’d rather it not happen!

I know you kinda have to put a box where they decide for litter training but after they are trained for quite a while, can you successfully remove the box or relocate it without an upset? Does it just depend on the bun?
She pretty much trained herself straight away – I just catered to her choices of spots.

[Beka27]

can you slide the box towards her room? every day move it an inch or two closer? i would try feeding her only in her room, and have her in there while you’re fixing her food up. all you can do at this point is just try things a little bit differently and see what happens. if it works, awesome, if not, like you said, it’s not THAT big of a deal, just kinda annoying…

[jerseygirl]

Yes, it really does feel like a battle of wills, but I feel like I’m humanising her by saying that! So I may try enforcing a new consistant routine and see if she adjusts. I certainly know she knows about routines – they’re just one’s she’s developed herself. Like; human opened container, I come wait for treat. Human open fridge, I wait impatiently for salad. Human getting ready for bed, I go avoid being put to bed!

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

I have the same prob as you so I’m of no use!! *hangs head*

Right now, since we’ve been handling Rupert and Kahlua a few times a day, in an effort to bond better with them and get them less shy (they hide when we have company); I thought maybe they are doing it to be more in control so we’ve not picked them up or handled them for a week…so far not working… When I figure out how to stop the poop around the box, I’ll let you know!!

[Cassi&Charlie]

“Human getting ready for bed, I go avoid being put to bed!”

Hahaha Jerseygirl!

 

[jerseygirl]

Oh! And I give in to her! Sometimes I’ve been letting her stay out. I’m confused with buns and behavioural training. Like do they get consistancy and firmness? You know, like dogs need boundaries and limitations (Cesar Milan ) but you can’t really discipline a bun, so is it just really setting a routine that’ll work for you both and being firm about sticking to it. I know they get routines….I have a feeling this habit is going to remain one of those mysteries. I’m sure I must mystify her sometimes! I’ll play around with some of the tips you’ve all given and report back! lol

[jerseygirl]

Ok, Report one: Same evening. The human is the problem. I just said I’d try adjust things then walk out and absentmindedly give her her salad in the kitchen all while she’s pooping about the place. It’s like all animal behaviourist work, it’s more about working on the human!!!!!!!!!!

Kinda had a lightbulb moment earlier but unsure if it’s lighting up – or blown out. I read recently that the rabbits will poop around their warren while eating to fertilise the ground so new growth will be ensured. Hence the eating hay and pooping. I put Jersey’s hay in her litter boxes to encourage her eatin it. She’s improved. But i’m formulating a theory that she is protesting the dry boring hay by pooping around the box in the hopes of green stuff magically sprouting up around it. And what do you know, green stuff does magically appear! Via, human slave!

[Beka27]

i think a good routine is vital with bunnies. that’s my thought on the subject. mine are free-range all day long, and for the most part, i can put them to bed betw/ 8 and 9pm and they go pretty willingly. they get fed their pellets inside the pen betw/ those times, so it’s not uncommon for me to walk in the room and they are both sitting inside the open pen next to their empty ceramic pellet dishes looking at me. the times when i’m late and i don’t feed them until 9:30, that’s when the whole schedule gets thrown off and they try and exert their dominance by not wanting to go to bed…

it sounds silly, but what i’d suggest you do is actually evaluate your schedule and try to write out a bunny routine and stick to it for awhile. try and do everything the same everyday within a half hour of the “scheduled time” even on weekends! and see how it goes. bunnies are so smart, i bet she’d catch on pretty quickly to how things work.

where did you read that about fertilizing the ground, do you remember?  that actually makes a ton of sense! 

for mine, i put hay over the litterbox, but pellets and veggies are fed on the other side of the pen closer to the sleeping quarters (willow tent).  that’s an interesting thought tho…

[jerseygirl]

Argh – a schedule? I can’t even do that for myself. I suppose pets do help you become better organised.

It’s a stretch to remember exactly where I read it. I thought it was at http://www.medirabbit.com but I can’t find it now. Site owner is a biologist. I just saw it’s a multi-lingual site so it couldd be a good future reference for members with English as second language. provided the info is sound.

[jerseygirl]

Oops, my mistake. I read it here:http://www.galensgarden.co.uk/herbivores/rabbit/behaviour.php

I’ve rambled an awful lot this thread huh? Blah blah blah!

[Cassi&Charlie]

It’s your thread so your allowed to ramble Anyway, this has become one of my fav threads to read, probably because of the ramblings!

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Jerseygirl your so right! I hate when people complain about their ‘stupid dog’ or ‘stupid horse’ it’s ALWAYS the human. It doesn’t mean we’re bad (unless we’re meanly blaming the animal )

Definitely rabbits ‘get it’ even ameobae’s get positive reinforcement (Getting something good for something, makes them repeat the behavior).

I studied behavior especially animal behavior and the new thought is punishment is not a good thing. Whether positive or negative punishment (there’s both! won’t go into it unless you want-also positive and negative reinforcement too!) it just doesn’t have the quick better results that rewards/reinforcement have on behavior. Even with dogs or kids or anything. Your best route is ‘redirect and reinforce’ rather then punish anything I know you weren’t saying you were going to -just thought I’d touch on that cuz it’s kind of relevant! But they definitely definitely get training principles-in fact, they have us soooo ‘under their thumb’ its hard to see who’s training who!!

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