When to litter train?

[Ana]

So, when I got my bunny she was 7 months old and supposedly litter trained.  Well, no.  She has a small cage (ex pen is on it’s way), and so understandably, it’s all litter box.  When she comes out for playtime she goes everywhere.  She’s even peed on me.  I can’t blame her.  I’m getting her spayed in a couple of weeks.

My question: after she’s spayed, won’t she be too stressed to be litter trained?  When is she okay to start being trained?  In the meantime, any suggestions for her ex pen?  I have roommates and it’ll be a disaster if her pen is covered in pee and poo (I have a carpet on top of a shower curtain).

Thanks for the help!

[MarkBun]

She should begin to be litter trained right now. Put hay and some of her poo into the litterbox and put her in it. She might get the hint.

The peeing on you is a totally different thing than having to go potty.

[Ana]

Then why did she pee on me??

And thanks for the litter trainging info…

[dmh426]

You should have a litterbox in her cage, I had Sophie completely litter trained, with no accidents, before she was three months old. litter training is alot easier than most people think. Put the litterbox in the corner that she appears to using as her bathroom corner now. Put some of her poops in it and hay near there (they love to poop and eat at the same time- don’t ask me!). Make her litterbox a place she wants to be. The type of litter you use is also very important. I highly suggest yesterday’s news- recycled newspaper pellets. it’s the best!!!

[Ana]

I got right on it.  But! She loves the litterbox, even though I followed directions (poo and urine in box) she doesn’t seem to get it.  She’ll hop out of the litterbox to pee and poo, then hop back in.  She even kicked some of the more soiled litterbox bedding out of the box… >.< Now what?

[Ana]

bump… help?

[BunnyLiz]

So did my 3 month old, kept going just outside the box. i just checked it every few hours and put it all back in the box. worked for me, no accidents now. : ) hope that helps!

[osprey]

Litterbox training is hard for an unspayed bun. Her hormones are telling her to claim territory to use to raise her litters, so she is marking wherever she goes to let other imaginary bunnies know that she is there. Persistence is the key, keep putting the poops in the box, wipe up the pee accidents with a paper towel and leave it in the box, add hay and a treat to the box to get her to spend time in it. There is a good guide to litter training if you click on the ‘Bunny Info’ tab at the top of the page and select litter box training.

As to why she is peeing on you, she is trying to claim you. As a member of her bunny family, she wants other bunnies to know that you are hers and she owns you. This behavior should lessen when she gets spayed, by my buns will still occasionally pee on us or our beds if we are not careful.

[Ana]

Thanks… I’ve been following the guide and doing everything you suggested, but she doesn’t like going potty in the box. I’ll keep at it. :/ I like that she’s claiming me. Just not the pee…

[Author]

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