Bunny only using litter box 50% of time…

[Blair D.]

I have a very frustrating situation.  My two year old spayed Holland Lop recently had a urinary tract infection, from which she has recovered, per the vet.  Before the UTI, her litter box habits were pretty good.  She is now urinating in the litter box about 50% of the time and the rest of the time, just wherever she feels like it in the cage.  The vet cannot find any bladder stones or any explanation for this other than that it is behavioral. I have tried everything that I know to do.  If I have an open litter box in her cage without a grate on it, she will urinate in the litter box and just sit in it all day.  She has had some pretty bad urine scald from all of this, which is getting better but only because I now have a litter box with a grate and a wire-bottom cage (which I know isn’t good for her feet but if I put anything else down to protect her feet from the wire, she urinates on it, runs back and forth over it all day and then we have a urine scald issue).  I feel bad for her but I don’t know what to do.  Please help!  I don’t want to leave her running on the wire all day but I don’t want her to have urine scald either. 

[LongEaredLions]

What type of litter do you use? How have you tried to retrain Her?

[Blair D.]

I am using Care Fresh right now. I’ve tried to retrain her by cleaning up the mess and putting the soiled paper towel in her litter box. I’ve offered treats when she uses the litter box, as well. She isn’t really responding to anything I have tried.

[Moccasin]

I use the Yesterdays News litter and I have had great success as it collects a lot of moisture. Also, how about putting something in each corner under the wire mesh… like a small rock or a little brick so its on the litter but not smashing it down..

I say change the litter, or change your litter more often, add a little lift… the wire mesh can still lay on the litter but if there is support it won’t smash the litter down. does that make sense?

[Blair D.]

Thank you! I’ll try the new litter. I’m still not sure what to do to get her to use the litter box more often so that I can actually put a bed or something in her cage for her to stand on. I don’t want to have her running on a wire bottom cage long-term, though. I’m gone during the day so if I lay something down over the wire, it’s soaked (she is as, well) by the time I get home at 5:00.

[Moccasin]

also, her UTI may have not cleared up… if she is still wet all over. OR she could have sludge..

[Author]

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