Stinky Bunny

[mollys1]

Hi everyone! I have a medium sized harlequin possibly rex named Wolfgang (aka Wolfie). I got him about 2 months ago and we’ve been having some issues with litterbox training. For a week or so he’ll do really well and then its like he ‘gets used’ to the litter box as it is and starts peeing outside it. So then I have to change it up and we’ll go well for a week or so again and then the cycle repeats. 

On our current cycle I am using a larger corner type box with wood stove pellets. He’ll pee in it a few times but overnight he always seems to make a mess very near to the box so that most of it runs underneath….*sigh* good thing I love him  

Well he had a particularly bad day today because I moved the box slightly to the left. This resulted in lots of peeing outside the box, peeing on poop, etc. and I came home from class to a very messy, smelly bunny. I know buns shouldn’t have baths but I was at a loss so I gave a little butt bath and wiped off what I could get off. Now he’s less messy but very smelly. Any suggestions on reducing the smell? And any ideas on conquering the litter training? My next step I was planning on is buying a bigger plastic ‘underbed’ sort of bin from Target this weekend. Thanks in advance!

[Stickerbunny]

The litter box should be big enough that your bun can flop out in it if they want to. The corner boxes are WAY TOO SMALL even for the smaller breeds, for the medium-large-giant breeds they are just tiny. A large regular cat litter box is much better. Some buns are also really picky about how CLEAN their litter box must be, so the larger boxes provide more “clean” area even after frequent use. Powder won’t use his box if he has to sit in his own waste, he simply refuses and will use the floor. I bought a “normal” cat rectangular cat box and I had to scoop it out three times a day for his highness. The x-large cat box lasts a full day before I need to clean it out for him. Another thing is bunnies like to eat and go potty at the same time, so hay in/above the litter box is a big incentive to them.

[mollys1]

Yeah we’re going to upgrade to a larger box I think. He actually can lay down in this box (its the largest corner litter box in existence I’m pretty sure) see picture below. Don’t mind the evil bunny death glare lol. Also he doesn’t actually pee when he eats and actually gradually stops using the box for a bathroom if I put hay in it. With hay it becomes a bed to Wolf apparently? I will definitely try cleaning it more often and especially right before I go to bed as night time is when we have issues.

Any tips for getting rid of the smell?

[mollys1]

He is neutered btw. Just trying to get rid of the pee/poop smell clinging to his fur not the smell of the litterbox.

[Stickerbunny]

I’ve never had to bathe a bunny, but here is an article on cleaning up messy bottom from House Rabbit Society of Miami :

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/buttbath.html

Note: If you’ve already bathed him with the procedures recommended, you may just have to wait until he cleans himself up over time. Powder has gotten pee on himself before and I just waited a few days and it all went away from his grooming himself after I wiped him down.

[Roberta]

Hi Molly,
Has he had a vet check recently ? or was his neuter done only recently ? It can take a month or so for his hormones to settle and sometimes their nehavior can get a little worse before it gets better… Otherwise it would be an idea to have him checked in case there is an underlying problem especially if his poop is particularly stinky and a bit moist… There’s also diet, what sort of diet does he have ?

[mollys1]

Hi Roberta! I haven’t had him vet checked recently. He was checked by the shelter vet when I brought him home. I’ll look into getting an appointment with the local rabbit vet soon to rule out any medical issues. The neuter was done at the shelter well before I go him so that shouldn’t be a problem. The only time his poop is stinky is when it gets peed on when he has an accident :/

Currently his diet is unlimited timothy hay (he doesn’t eat as much hay as I think he should so I’ve been trying a few different varieties as well as the timothy), 1/4 cup of Oxbow pellets in the morning, and an overflowing bowl of veggies in the evening. I’ve been sticking with a few standards (spinach, kale, cabbage) and introducing a few new things every couple weeks (bok choy, cilantro, etc). I also give him very limited treats. For example, this week he had the equivalent of a whole strawberry over a few days and then I gave him a baby carrot after our butt bath incident. Does this seem like an appropriate diet?

[mollys1]

Stickerbunny thank you for the link! That was very helpful!

[Roberta]

Spinach and Kale are very high in calcium and oxalates, best not to serve them together… Too much cabbage can also cause problems.. Maybe only serve spinach or kale with the bok/pak choy, cilantro, sweet basil, nasturtium leaves etc… Have you looked at the vege list in the diet section… I know my Starsky is a Kale addict but i have had to cut him back as he was having urine issues, large volumes and a bit more chalky than I consider normal… Since I have reduced his Kale there has been considerable improvement. Little monster won’t eat a lot of the other greens though but I am getting there.

[MoveDiagonally]

Just wanted to pop in with some diet info. Kale used to be considered a “feed sparingly” veggie but nowadays it’s thought to be okay for everyday consumption, it’s on the low in oxalic acid list. There’s no evidence that high calcium diets lead to urinary issues BUT it’s recommended that rabbits prone to urinary tract issues have lower calcium diets. Basically it’s not considered the cause but it can exasperate an existing problem or cause issues in a rabbit with a predisposition. Cabbage is considered a non-leafy green and should only be fed in small amounts (approx 1 tablespoon per 2lbs per day).

Very detailed article and list can be found here (I would read the whole article and not just the list):
http://rabbit.org/suggested-vegetables-and-fruits-for-a-rabbit-diet/

[mollys1]

I’ve seen all the food links but apparently did not read them as well I should. Wolf lovvvves spinach but I’ll cut him back. Actually I don’t think I bought any of that this week so we’ll be changing it up! Thanks for the tips everyone. Bought a new litterbox today so hopefully that helps with our litter situation…

[mollys1]

First of all sorry for bumping an oldish post. Just wanted to keep all of my problem in one place

So we’ve made a bit of progress in the litter training area. I have come to the conclusion that Wolf is very picky about what his feet touch. He doesn’t like wood stove pellets (even though they’re my favorite), Carefresh, or litter boxes with grids (such as this…https://binkybunny.com/FORUM/tab…fault.aspx). So I got desperate and bought some puppy pads from Target. He will pee on these and we haven’t had any problems with peeing outside the box! Yay! And we haven’t had any problems with him chewing on them (I was VERY worried about that so I watch like a hawk).

The only problem is that the pads don’t soak up all the pee so it smells and any poop is wet and therefore smells as well…Any ideas for reducing the smell? Maybe I need to buy better puppy pads? Use more of them? Anyone with a dog have experience with these?

Also I think reducing the spinach helped his pee not to be so thick so thank you for that suggestion! He went to the vet this week and she didn’t seem to think it was a medical issue.

[Hazel]

I have no solution for the smell, but since you found something he will pee on, maybe it will help you to get him used to the wood stove pellets. You could sprinkle a few pellets on top of the puppy pad. Slowly increase the amount of pellets, as long as he keeps using the litter box. That way you might be able to wean him off the pads and by the time the pad is mostly covered you won’t need them anymore.

[mollys1]

Thanks Hazel I will definitely try that because I love the WSP for decreasing the smell!

[Hazel]

I hope it will work for you.

The pellets are great, we use horse stall pellets. Works wonderfully and it’s the cheapest litter you could find!

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