Wont stop pooping in one spot… Litter box or not

[quirkygirlx]

Hi all,

My rabbit is fully house trained and starting to drive me crazy!

He is really really good with his litter box in his cage. and outside of it he is great as well–except for one corner of my apartment. He is INSISTENT on pooping in front of anything that is there. My cat’s litter box used to be there so I lifted it hoping he’d stop pooping in front of it, and he still insisted on pooping in front of where the box USED to be… then I sprayed the whole area (doused) with Vinegar hoping the smell would deter him as I was told it would, still no dice… then I disinfected the area 100% so that he wouldn’t smell his or my cat’s scent there. I just walked out and he pooped in that area again!

I’ve tried keeping him locked in his cage but he is miserable. Blocking it off doesn’t work either, as he will poop right in front of whatever is blocking the corner. I’ve also tried clapping my hands, saying “no”, or spraying him with water when he hops over to that corner to poop and nothing helps. It is SO gross and it drives me nuts because other than this habit he really is very good!

Any advice how to stop this? I’m willing to try just about anything.

[JackRabbit]

Bunnies do have a way of choosing where their bathrooms are! This may sound like cheating, but you could put a litterbox in the spot where he’s pooping. Some bunnies are determined that their litterboxes belong in a certain spot and others will follow the litterbox wherever it goes. If you ultimately don’t want a litterbox where he’s going, you could try starting it out there, and once he’s using it regularly, slowly move it (even if just a few inches a day) toward where you would like it to be.

[quirkygirlx]

I tried that. I put his litter box there and he still poops in front of it. I have NO idea why..lol he has perfect litterbox habits except for this one spot and it is driving me absolutely nuts.

[JackRabbit]

What kind of litterbox is it, and does it have hay in it for him to eat?

[quirkygirlx]

Yes and it’s the same litter box he has and uses in his cage. the litter box isn’t the issue, his stubborn-ness is

[JackRabbit]

There’s a reason why he’s going there, especially since he goes in front of the litterbox there. Have you tried swapping the litterboxes and putting the one from his cage (that smells like him) in the spot where he’s going? If not, try that and leave some of his poop on it. If he goes in front of the box, let him see you clean the poops up and put them in the litterbox to help him get the message that this is where they go. I’m a firm believer that having the “poop talk” (“poops go in the potty”) while doing this helps!

[quirkygirlx]

Unfortunately I’ve tried all that. It doesn’t matter where the box is or what box it is, he is INTENT on using the spot in front of it. I even deep cleaned the rug and surrounding part. 

[Author]

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