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The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet.  It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

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Forum BEHAVIOR Rescue Rabbit Litter Training HELP!

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    • Vet2B
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        So I recently rescued Trixie from my boyfriends apartment parking lot. She is a large rabbit, at least a year old. She is a total sweetheart and I have fallen maddly in love with her, however she is not litter box trained… at least not completely. Let me explain…

        Now that I have a hutch and litter box for her, she hops around the apartment and doesn’t leave any presents except in her cage, but if she comes across something soft (like a pillow, or my duffle bag full of cloths.. >_<) she pees. He has also taking to peeing in the cardboard box with aspen bedding in it that was supposed to give her somewhere to lay off the wire (the hutch is wire bottom with a tray).

        So my question is how do I give her a comfortable place to lay down, but not something soft that she will pee on, and how do i teach her not to pee on pillows and the like…?


      • jerseygirl
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          Thanks for taking her in!

          If she uses a litter box, there’s really no need for the wire flooring. Plus,it also quite bad for rabbits feet.
          I’d put something solid down over the whole flooring and take the box/bed out altogether. It’s probably too much like a litterbox so she’ll continue to use it like one. Most rabbits like to stretch out on the bare floor anyway. Some like to nap in the litterbox too but they groom themselves ALOT so they keep pretty clean.
          Is the hutch inside or outdoors?

          As for the peeing on soft things….I don’t know what to suggest. It’s a common problem – I don’t know why that is.
          Maybe just don’t allow her near those things that tempt her?
          It could be her adjusting to new environment, her age or a territorial trait. Having a rabbit desexed helps a lot with litter habits and for females it reduces risk of uterine cancer.


        • Vet2B
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            The hutch is indoors, just a wire cage really (Its a Wabbitat if your interested) I’ll try that but she is still pooing and peeing in her cage no in the box, and I dont want it to get on my apartment’s carpet. As for being spayed, I think she is already. I am a Vet student and have been keeping a close eye on her, but She will be having a full Vet exam here soon.


          • jerseygirl
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              Just looked at the wabbitats out of curiousity. They look a lot like dog crates – people have used those as well for a bunny habitat. You’ll probably find with a solid floor her litterbox habits will improve too. Plus, it’s easier to clean a solid surface.

              You mentioned she is large so a big litterbox is best also. Enough for her to turn around in and stretch out if she wishes. Putting the hay in the box helps also.

              She’s in good hands with you being a vet student. I hope she influences you to specialise in exotics.


            • Beka27
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                Why do you think she may already be spayed? Does she have a shaved belly, visible scar, or tattoos on her stomach or ears? Chances are that if she was loose outdoors, she is not spayed. If this is the case, spaying will greatly help her litterbox habits, altho she may always pee on soft things because that is a common behavior with all rabbits. The best thing would be to not allow her on furniture and keep anything soft out of her reach.

                Cover the hutch floor with something solid, like a single piece of linoleum. This would be easy to clean and she should be able to differentiate the ground from the litterbox. At this point, she cannot distinguish that the litterbox is an okay place to potty, but a cardboard box FILLED with litter is not.

                Rabbits need very large spaces, so at some point you may decide to get rid of the crate and just start using a dog exercise pen or build your own custom habitat. I’m sure the crate will be fine for now, but it’s something to think about for the long-term.


              • Vet2B
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                  Just for the record, It isnt a dog crate, its over 30 inches lond and more than large enough for her to sprawl out the width. The litter box is big enough to lay down in to. I do let her run around the room but I don’t feel comfortable letting her run around a room or pet when I am at school all day. Trust me She has space and when I have a bigger place she’ll get one too

                  Linoleum tile is a good Idea, thanks!

                  As for why I think she is spayed, her behavior and her vulva size suggest it. Obviously this is not a fool-proof so I will be taking her in to get looked at. While she was running around a parking lot it was obvious she had not been loos for long as her white coat was very clean and good looking suggesting she was not malnourished. She also had not learned to be skittish around people. Plus I’m pretty sure she was a moving dump. All the previous tenants of this complex that were not continuing to live in their apartment had moved out only a week before we moved in.


                • Lintini
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                    It’s very unlikely that someone who invested in spaying their rabbit would dump them or let them be in any situation where they would escape their home. She is probably not spayed.


                  • Beka27
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                      Dog crates can actually be very good rabbit homes (the large dog ones with the door in front). They are larger than standard rabbit cages so many people use them. The smallest cage size that is recommended is 2×4 feet… so at 30 inches, yours is too small but I guess it will have to work temporarily. As you said, she gets plenty of exercise time (3-4 hours a day is recommended), and I understand that this acquisition wasn’t planned, so you did the best in the short time you had. She is very lucky that you saved her. When you say she is a large rabbit, how large? Is she a large or giant breed (8-14 pounds), or you mean large as in full-grown?

                      I haven’t heard that about vulva size. That’s interesting!

                      I’m sure you already know this, but for other people reading this thread: The dewlap can also be a good way to determine intact status. It starts to develop at about 6-8 months, so if the bunny is spayed right around then, it will stay small or won’t develop at all. If the rabbit is intact, it will continue to grow. Once the dewlap is large, even if the bunny is spayed later in life, it will still be present, altho it might shrink slightly.

                      EDIT:  In my signature pic of Max and Meadow, you can see Meadow’s teensy little dewlap.  It’s really just a small fold of fur right under her chin.  She was spayed at about 7 months, so it had just started to develop but stopped as soon as she was spayed.


                    • Vet2B
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                        To clear up confusion the dimensions of the cage are 37L x 19W x 20.5H inches


                      • Vet2B
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                          Also as a note, just because a person dumped their rabbit doesn’t mean it wasn’t spayed. Many breeders and stores only sell their rabbits spayed.


                        • Monkeybun
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                            Interesting, I know in my area I have never seen or heard of a pet store or breeder selling only spayed rabbits.


                          • Beka27
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                              Monkey, Several years ago petstores (Petco in particular) was selling altered bunnies, but they stopped since the rabbits were being altered way too young and people weren’t wanting to pay $100+ for an altered bunny. I’ve never heard of breeders altering bunnies, unless maybe they do it to preserve the “integrity” of the breed, but then any profit they would have made by the sale would be eaten up by vet costs.

                              Keep us posted on how your vet appointment goes. Do you have any pics of Trixie, I’d love to see her! And feel free to ask any other questions you might have. If you want you can start an official “Welcome” thread over in the Intro forum.


                            • jerseygirl
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                                I just want to clarify also…I think both the wabbitats and dog crates can be modified to make suitable homes for a rabbit.

                                Let us know if some of the changes help with her litter habits or not. It can take a bit of changing around (type of box, type of litter, position of box etc) until we get it to suit the rabbits preferences.


                              • Vet2B
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                                  Thank you for all your help everyone. She is doing much better now that I have cardboard over the wire and not bedding except in her litter box. In the move my camera has gone mia (I was in the middle of moving to a new apartment when I found her.. thus adding to the stress and hasty hutch purchase) but when I find it I will get up some pictures


                                • Beka27
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                                    Oh good! I’m glad shes settling in! Do you know what kind of bun she is?


                                  • Vet2B
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                                      Pretty sure that she is either an English spot or Rhinelander. She seems small for a Rhinelander but has some brown in her…


                                    • KatnipCrzy
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                                        Rabbits are induced ovulators so vulva size would not be a factor in determining if a bunny is spayed or not. Bunnies do not go into heat like dogs do- they are pretty hormonal all the time, probably where the jokes about breeding or humping like bunnies come from.

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                                    Forum BEHAVIOR Rescue Rabbit Litter Training HELP!