Just mentally cannot cope with having two buns anymore

[Emmie]

Thane and Siha have been a complete nightmare since I’ve bonded them. Siha’s behaviour never improved and now Thane has taken on some of her bad habits. They have both decided to chew everything in their path. That I can work with but it’s the litter habits I just cannot deal with.

 

Last night I reached the end of my patience. I placed a 2nd litter tray in their pen in the corner Siha was marking the most.

 

I woke up this morning and there is pee everywhere and NONE in the litter tray I provided. They both now just poop wherever they feel like it and Siha also had squishy poops this morning. I have no idea why, I only feed the two of them pellets and hay at the moment.

 

I just don’t know what to do. During the day they’re mostly fine, Siha needs some encouragement to use the litter tray and Thane is fine but at night in their pen, it’s your worst nightmare to clean. There’s poop and pee EVERYWHERE. I feel so bitter about getting Siha now. I love her but I don’t know how to cope with them anymore.

 

Please please if you have any advice for me, please let me know. I really don’t know what to do or where to go with this now. I live in a small one bedroomed apartment and we don’t have much room. I can’t live with the two of them like this.

[Stickerbunny]

My two were like that since I bonded them. Litter habits went from perfect to gone, poop/pee ALL over their area every morning, some days the litter boxes would be clean even. I tried everything – more boxes, hay in/out, different litters, cleaning, not cleaning, restricting, not restricting.. nothing worked. Then, suddenly, poof about two weeks ago they started using their boxes. No reason. I guess the bond just cemented enough, after over a year. Some buns take a while to settle in.

You can try some methods that may help. More litter boxes, some even suggest boxes to the point the buns can only be in a litter box to start with. Clean accidents with pure vinegar, not watered down, that seemed to help a bit with mine. Nothing absorbent in their area. Hay in the boxes to encourage pooping there.

[Emmie]

I’ve got all of that going. Siha has never been properly litter trained either, despite my persistence. Sometimes she’ll use the tray, other times she won’t. I’ve been using baking soda and vinegar to clean also.

It’s the poop that’s an issue too, she just goes wherever she likes, she doesn’t seem to realise that poop goes in the tray!

They both have free roam all day so I might have to keep them both in a pen until their habits improve.

[Elrohwen]

I would definitely keep them in a pen with some sort of waterproof flooring. Right now there’s no reason to go in the litter box if they can go all over the place, but a smaller area might help them define where the bathroom is.

I’m sorry you’re having so many issues! I didn’t have too many litter box problems once I bonded my two (though Hannah is certainly less perfect with her habits than Otto), but I found it a was a really big adjustment to go from one to a pair. Stick with it though.

[Emmie]

Their pen would be in the same room as us constantly so I guess I need to get over feeling bad for them until they’ve improved.

I only have carpet in my apartment, I need to find a more suitable base for them to stay on.

[Deleted User]

As a temporary measure you could get a piece of linoleum to cover the floor in the pen. At least it is solid and would make clean ups easier. (Getting a leftover piece anywhere that sells linoleum isn’t a problem, some will even give it to you.) And I would think limiting their area until the message sinks in would be a top priority, … no matter which room it is in!Especially if one isn’t really clear on what the box is all about. So much the better if they learn you are pleased when they use the box during the day when they are confined in the pen. I’d think that would help to make the point for the night.

[Emmie]

That’s what we’re going to try this weekend

[Stickerbunny]

Confining didn’t work for my two, but it never hurts to try everything. If she has never been good on the box, getting her box trained may solve all your issues though, so confining certainly has a good chance of working. Rabbits tend to poop/pee where their smell is so her using the tray should make them both use it. Theoretically. Good luck, I know it’s frustrating, I had a poopsplosion daily for over a year and sometimes wished I had never bonded them, but seeing them cuddle is so cute and they are so in love with each other, it’s worth it (and especially now they’ve mostly gone back to the litterbox!)

[lozzkate]

 when i first got my two rabbits they did the same and i was told by my vet to clean the hutch and litter tray but then put some of the mess onto the litter tray to tell them that that place was where they should go and it worked but dont expect it to work over night it took us a few goes before they got the idea.

hope this helped

[Emmie]

Hi guys,

Sorry for the lack of response, I’ve been working a lot recently.

So things with Siha seem to be getting worse. At night they are both in a much smaller cage until I can trust her with her litter habits. During the day they’re let out. Thane has near perfect habits, never pees anywhere, odd poop here and there. Siha is a different story. It’s almost as though she waits to get out of her case to poop. She likes to leave little poop hills everywhere. She is still spray marking too, in one particular area. I have carpet in my sitting room so as you can imagine, it’s really started to stain. I’ve tried carpet cleaner, baking soda, vinegar, nothing stops her. I am having my carpet professionally cleaned next week so I a praying that helps. If the carpet still looks bad I’m going to have to get a wooden floor.

My other question is, how are buns on a wooden floor? I’m concerned I won’t see binkies or floppies anymore

[Jessie1990]

I’m sorry things are not improving I used to use a half water/vinegar solution to get stains out of everything, though it sounds like you may have tried that already. Do you think she just doesn’t want to use the same litter as Thane? Or maybe she is a complete clean freak and doesn’t want to sit somewhere she already went? My parents have a cat like that… Is her hay in her litter box? I also noticed that if Ashe’s hay is in a rack she would go outside the litter box. Maybe if you have a rack put her hay directly in the box or if you don’t have a rack try one? I really don’t know, I’m just throwing some suggestions out there.

[Jessie1990]

Also, Ashe hasn’t gotten over her love of chewing carpet since the spay. I gave up and just follow her around all day when she’s out. Maybe just be a shadow and any time she looks like she is about to do something naughty shoo her towards a litter pan.

[NewBunnyOwner123]

Well she is how old now? Isn’t she like 5? She is probably just doing it out of habit now because she has never really been properly litter trained. Give her some time and be very diligent about picking up stray poops right away. She may never do it, but hopefully she will catch on.
If you get a wooden floor I don’t think you could expect too many zoomies and binkies because of traction issues. Sally and Harley never binky or zoomie on the kitchen floor because of the tile but as soon as they hit the carpet it’s a race lol If you get a wooden floor then during play time you can lay out a large blanket for them…it will be easier to keep an eye on her too for accidents with the smaller space allowed during play time. Sorry you are having so much difficulties

[colleenbunny]

If they aren’t spayed, please get them spayed. I didn’t see anyone mention that.

[colleenbunny]

If they aren’t spayed, please get them spayed. I didn’t see anyone mention that.

[Emmie]

Hi Colleen, yes both of my buns are spayed.

She seems to be confining it to just one spot so we’ve moved some furniture around and are hoping that helps. Again, the carpet is being cleaned on Friday so I’m REALLY hoping that helps. They have a litter tray each, so there’s no issue with that. We’ve decided we have to get a move on and just build them their condo so that I’m no longer spending most nights crying about everything. I have OCD with everything needing to be perfect so as you can imagine, this has taken a very heavy toll on me mentally.

Husband says if things don’t improve we will have to split them. This is definitely something I do not want to happen.

Has anyone got any tips on helping with chewing on the furniture? I’ve tried everything – lemon, hot sauce (Thane likes to lick these, 😐 ) perfume… everything. They have things to chew on, just seem to love my furniture legs!

[colleenbunny]

With the spraying- Take a dry cloth and rub it all over them. Then rub the cloth in the area where they are spraying.

Maybe try training them like to use a litter box like you train a dog to use puppy pads. That’s the last thing I can think of.

With the chewing – I found a couple articles:

http://rabbit.org/faq-chewing/

http://exoticpets.about.com/od/rabbitcare/f/rabbeotchewing.htm

Try giving them something that is okay to chew/dig.

[Baxter n Boos Mom]

@Emmie: I have not found a solution to the chewing on furniture – which is evident as all my furniture has chew marks now 🙁 I think the only way to completely prevent it, is to keep them away from the furniture.

I tried the vinegar, watered down tabasco, perfume, clapping while saying no….nothing seems to deter chewing. So I’m using Xpens to keep the boys away from certain pieces…. If you find a solution, please please share.

[MoveDiagonally]

I’ve heard that rubbing ivory soap on furniture can deter chewing but I’ve never tried it myself.

[tanlover14]

Just poppin’ in on this thread – your buns are bonded right? They cannot be separated. It’s something you take on as having a bonded pair. You CANNOT separate them. It can send one or both into a serious depression which can sometimes be fatal (they can refuse to eat). It is very, VERY difficult for a bunny to be separated from a bonded mate. SO this being said… separating is not an option. And would be completely unfair to your buns.

If you decide to get a wooden floor – you could do what a lot of bunny parents do and invest in some of those seaweed mats to lay around on the floor so they have something not slippery to be on.

Is there something you can cover the legs with until they get sick of them? If I put something around or down that doesn’t interest my buns in an area they won’t leave around they tend to forget about it. And lose interest.

As others suggested, I would limit the amount of space they have until she catches on and then slowly make bigger. We had to do this with our Tans a few times. It was depressing to see them confined to a smaller area but it really helped with their habits. And each time we made the area another litter box was added. And then removed when they got the hang of it.

[Monkeybun]

Agreed with the limited space. Don’t let them out all day, keep them in their little area. letting them out just seems to tell them its okay to just go wherever, if Siha waits until she is out to go.

And never split up bonded buns, they can get very depressed like Tan said. It’s very sad

[Sarita]

I think you should definitely confine them to an x-pen. There is really no deterrent for chewers no matter what anyone says – you aren’t there, they see a piece of furniture and if they are chewers, they chew.

I agree as well do not separate them, that would not be the answer to your problems.

[jerseygirl]

Oh Emmie I know this can be incredibly frustrating!

Have you considered having them in a reputable boarding place or with a good friend for a short time?

That way you can have a break if its mentally getting on top of you. You’d also have some time to get the flooring sorted.

The buns would be in a smaller space in a boarding place and it might help improve things also. It could also be like another “cementing” period for them as their bond is still relatively new.

Of course, do this at home if you don’t want to be separated from them. I’d even cover the sides of a pen so it feels like a very defined space.
I’d also use something under the pen to make clean up easier for yourself.

If you’d feel bad about having them penned for longer, would there be anywhere outside you could take them for a change of scene? I just think that would be better then allowing them into areas adjoining their pen at the moment.

[Emmie]

Thanks guys,

There’s no way I would or could seperate them. I love them too much even if they can be a pain in the neck!

I’m going to buy a bigger litter tray and try a new type of litter. I remember Thane hated the wood pellets so I might order some Yesterday’s News online to try. She has been better, definately. I’m just soft and let them run around too much.

I’m planning on building them a nice looking condo to go in with my furniture so I can give them the room they need and not feel guilty about not letting them out.

I’m taking Siha to the vets when I get paid as I suspect something is up with her tummy. Most mornings she wakes up, jumps out of the cage and leaves really sticky poops everywhere. I have no idea why, she isn’t being fed anything different. She was allowed outdoors alot by her previous owners so I’m wondering did she pick up a parasite or something? Anyways, worth checking out

Thanks so much for everyone’s support. I’m going to try be a little tougher on them. I’m far too soft as it is

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