So, I’ve had my new bun, Winky, for about a month now, and her litter habits have left a lot to be desired! It seems that we’ve finally made some progress, though!
I tried a few things before we finally got it right. First, I tried waiting. She was only spayed a week before I adopted her, and she was in a new place, so I gave her the benefit of the doubt, and figured that her toilet habits would improve. They didn’t.
Secondly, I thought that I’d try “catching her in the act” and politely herding her to the litter box. This seemed to work at first, but then it became obvious that she would always go in the litter box when I was watching her, but the moment I walked out of the room, she’d poop on the floor! Sneaky rabbit.
Yesterday I started going in and sweeping up her beans every 15 minutes or so. I did this all day. In the first hour, she got cranky at me, stamping her feet and once even “gently attacking” the broom. I started to think that maybe this wasn’t a good idea. But, after that first hour, she started to come around, and began doing more and more of her business in the litter tray. This morning when I woke up, I found only 10 beans on the floor! 10 beans a night I can definitely live with!
She also pees on the floor sometimes, so I’ve started soaking it up with toilet paper and putting it in the litter tray. This also seems to have made an improvement.
I’ve been finding it hard to find a balance between too clean and too dirty. For example, how often, if ever, do people do a full wash out of litter trays? I’ve been mostly just tipping the litter out and refilling (and then adding some poops on top), but I’m worried that not actually washing the tray will lead to a build up of harmful bacteria.
Also, the rabbits live in a room that has floorboards. They also have some rugs and blankets. How often and how thoroughly can I mop and scrub the floor without giving Winky the idea that she needs to “reclaim” it?
Also, how do rabbits go in litter “houses” like this:
I’d like to use one like this, but if rabbits don’t like to use them, or it’s not a good idea for another reason, then I’ll just get a litter tray with high sides. There is a bit of “missing” the litter tray going on, but I realise that this part is my fault for not providing them with an appropriate litter tray – they have the right intentions .
Sorry for the long post, but Winky has me quite confused, and challenged!
Also, here is a photo of the offender, as a reward for reading my long post: