would totally switing up their cage change their litter habits?

[Ruffles&Daisy]

I’ve always prided myself on having the most perfectly littertrained rabbit, Ruffles.  Then in comes Daisy.  They said she was littlertrained and that was a bold faced lie.  She has gotten totally worse and it’s making me so mad I don’t know what’s going on with her.  She doesn’t pee or poo outside the cage, which is good, but she pees next to the litter box, poops all over the cage.  I want to scream.  She will go in the box, but when I come downstairs to say good morning and check on them, the cage is a mess.  I know it’s Daisy and it seems to be terrirory marking since the poo is all scattered.  I’ve tried two litterboxes, it’s no different. 

So here’s my question:  I was thinking of opening a side of the x pen and using the wall to enclose it.  So the cage would be 2 ft wide by 12 ft long.  Right now, it’s 4 by 4, so it would increase the square footage.  I guess I want it the length of the room but not as deep.  I feel like it cuts off this room in a weird way as it is now.  My thinking is that if it becomes a new space for both of them, there might not be a need for Daisy to act like such a poo monster.  Or could her recluctance to use the box be something different?  I’m tired of cleaning rabbit pee.  It’s really gross.

[Beka27]

You could try it. She doesn’t chew baseboards or walls does she? She is still quite young, right?

[Ruffles&Daisy]

She surprisingly isn’t that destructive. She hasn’t chewed baseboards, but she will on occasion dig and chew at the carpet when I let them out. I think Ruffles taught her that. HOnestly, other than the poor litter problems, she’s great. But this problem is really overshadowing all her good qualities and it puts me in a bad mood when I think about her. I was going to take them to my vet (who I got Ruffles from) and get their nails clipped. I was going to also ask her if there’s anything I can do to “re-train” her to use her box. I’m just really frustrated.

But on the flip side, I’m wondering if a 2 foot wide cage might be too narrow. Does anyone have a cage dimension like that… long and narrow? Would it be hard to get into and clean? I can’t seem to visualize how it would be.

[RabbitPam]

I can’t speak to the cage question, but I was wondering if you tried changing the litter brand itself along with changing the box?
For some reason litter choice is a very personal thing with bunnies, and they have the weirdest preferences. Try a different type, ie. if you’re using a soft paper kind, try a small harder pellet. Or vice versa. We can recommend some brands if you’d like.

[Ruffles&Daisy]

Since I’ve had her, I’ve always used a pelleted litter. I usually switch between feline pine and yesterdays news. I once bought a pelleted litter made by Oxbow, it was great, but expensive. Right now I’m using YN and just now finished the bag. What other types are there? I know there’s the carefree or whatever that looks like cotton. Could it be as simple as that? I’ve had her for many months and we’ve only used pellets. It seems like she’d eventually get used to the fact that we only serve up pellets in her box and get over it. What do you think?

[Beka27]

My only concern with the long and narrow xpen would be their stuff. How would everything be situated in there? Would they have space to move around things? I think it’s something you should try… see how it works for you. The great thing about xpens is you can always change it back easily.

[Ruffles&Daisy]

I guess i’d have their box in one corner, their cottage or mini haven somehow in the middle so they can hop through, and a shelf on the other end. I have to move this monster bookcase before I can re-do their cage. But I’ll try to post pics when I do it, hopefully this weekend. I think it’ll add to the fung shuei to this room.

[Beka27]

You meant the “bun shui” right? LMAO!

[KytKattin]

Def give it a try! When I built my new cage for Hubble and Nova (it’s 2ft by 10ft, but split in the middle) it was horrible with poop and pee everywhere even from Nova (she sprayed!). Thankfully for me I built the cage the day before my surgery so my sister got to deal with that, but I have to say now that Hubble, my perpetual ‘pees out of the litterbox because he can’ rabbit, has not had and accident for over a week and a half now. Let me tell you, right now it is not easy for me to clean that cage (because I have to bend over, not the design in general) so I am oh so grateful to him for not making my life difficult. Nova is back to her perfect self as well. I think shaking things up (just a little!) helps get our rabbits to think a little bit as that is the thing I’ve found most useful in changing Hubble and getting him better with his potty habits.

[RabbitPam]

Posted By Ruffles&Daisy on 06/07/2009 02:11 PM
Since I’ve had her, I’ve always used a pelleted litter. I usually switch between feline pine and yesterdays news. I once bought a pelleted litter made by Oxbow, it was great, but expensive. Right now I’m using YN and just now finished the bag. What other types are there? I know there’s the carefree or whatever that looks like cotton. Could it be as simple as that? I’ve had her for many months and we’ve only used pellets. It seems like she’d eventually get used to the fact that we only serve up pellets in her box and get over it. What do you think?

Well, they can be very stubborn about their complaints, so she may respond well to a non-pellet type. Carefresh is the softer type. Also, this week I have heard good things about Aspen, which comes in pellet form but also the shavings have been recommended as safe. (But NOT cedar or pine shavings.) You may try a softer kind and see how she reacts. She will definitely let you know if she doesn’t like it.

[jerseygirl]

I just read (in your “types of litter” thread) that you said she used the triangle box you put in their that had urine soaked towel in it. Perhaps it is that she doesn’t want to share with Ruffles? Were her habits as bad before you put them together? If this were the case, I’m not sure how you could test it. Is there another level you could put the smaller box on that she could use? Then maybe Ruffles would stick to the one he favours and she might go up to use “her box”.
Is it definately her pee outside the box? Ruffles doesn’t spray her or mark with pee where she’s marked with poop? I can understand your frustration – my two are messing their area really bad of late. They’ve been bonded for a few weeks and I wonder whether it’s still a bit of territorial stuff or just bunnies gone wild. I just want it to stop!

[Beka27]

Good point Jersey… an extra box might help. I don’t recall what exactly your set-up is… with mine, they do require two separate cat boxes. They each use both, but they get mad if there’s only one.

[BinkyBunny]

Posted By Beka27 on 06/08/2009 04:57 PM
You meant the “bun shui” right? LMAO!

HAHHAHA!  I love it!  I will be using that term now!
 

Ruffles -I used to think that Rucy was losing her habits, until I caught bossy Jack pushing her out more often,(he used to share) and Rucy just began to figure that the box was his and she didn’t bother getting in as much.   I got a second box and that helped take care of the problem

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