Litter training down the toilet!

[Snickers&Marshmallow]

Snickers and Marshmallow are bonded brothers who are 7 months old. They were neutered at 3 months. Bonded at 4 months. Prior to bonding, Marshmallow’s litter habits were PERFECT! Snickers’ habits were fairly good (always peeing in litter box, but pooping was probably 80% in the box). They are now both going everywhere all the time! Both pee and poop! During the bonding process, I attributed it to marking territory but now they are very well established in their bond and are the most loving, sweetest little pair you ever saw (for 2 months now). They have a cage to share, their own room to run around, and lots of box tunnels and hideouts. They have a litterbox in the cage and one out in the room. They generally pee in the litterbox but they are getting worse and worse about peeing outside of it too. Pooping is just a complete free for all. I change their litterbox every other day and keep it well stocked with hay. I also throw all the droppings back in the litterbox so they know it’s their “toilet.” I’ve tried to limit their space to just their cage to see if that would help (it didn’t). I’ve also tried to switch out flooring (from rugs to blanket to plain hardwood floor). They don’t seem to have a pattern for where they go – not in a corner or a particular area. It’s just all over the floor/cage/everywhere. HELP PLEASE!

[RubyTuesday]

Breaking litter box habits can be a sign of a UTI, but they are not just peeing outside their box so IDK hope it works out!

[Tgbarber]

OMG. I have no expertise or experience to offer, just moral support. You have a way with words. I know it’s not a funny situation but the way you described the problem had me laughing. “Pooping is just a complete free for all” still has me chuckling. (Again although i know is not funny).

I hope you get it figured out soon. I often wish i were a bunny mind reader!

[Snickers&Marshmallow]

Oh… thank you for your sweet reply! It does help to laugh about it – even when it is maddeningly frustrating. This morning I went in the room to say good morning and I stepped on a whole big pile of poop ?! Ugh. Sooooo does anyone have any suggestions??? My husband is over it and I’m afraid he might suggest we give the rabbits away if we don’t get this littertraining under control. The room is starting to stink unbelievably bad because of the per in the rug.

[Tgbarber]

What about trying a different litter material? My bun is very picky. I bought a new kind which is both cheaper and more absorbent…a win/win but he hated it. So i had to go buy my old brand and to use the brand he disliked i had to mix it with his litter material of preference.

Not saying that is the issue but maybe it would motivate then or shock them back to using the box? Just an idea

[LittlePuffyTail]

Maybe try adding a couple more litter boxes? Not ideal set up but if it helps reduce the mess. You could try later on reducing them.

[Snickers&Marshmallow]

Oh thank you so much for your advice!!!! I’ve switched litter and moved them to a different room with litter boxes everywhere. So far, it has improved. I’m tentatively hopeful??? A little worried that it might just be the novelty of a new space but hey, I’m taking it!!

[Vienna Blue in France]

Reduce the space so they HAVE to go in the litter tray – and if they still don’t then reduce it still. To even the size of the litter tray if you have to (temporarily)
Or cover the space where they do pee with someone so they can’t get there.

I sympathise, having gone through that just now with my recently bonded pair. The smell is awful. However well you clean. There is a specific area in the indoor run where the female weed (5 inches from the litter tray), so I put two litter trays in there, to cover the area she went in and then reduced the space too. She started going in there. I have increased the run area again and covered the area where she peed with an upside down litter tray so she will have to go in the proper area. So far so good.
It’s habit as well, so if they are being good in the new room they should continue to be so.

[Snickers&Marshmallow]

THANK YOU!!! Thank you for the great advice!!! I’m going to do it RIGHT NOW!

[vanessa]

First off, I’d cover the floor with something that will protect the carpet and your nerves. Increasing the number of litter boxes is good, I would also place them in corners. Reducing the space size is good too. One of my rabbits pees/poops outside the box when he has eaten all the hay from the box, so I keep it well stocked, but that doesn’t seem to be your problem. Sometimes, there are weird things that are hard for us to figure out – for the cause of this behavior. Guinivere pope outside the box for territorial markings, and just because Lancelot does. He poops/pees outside the box because he had damage left over from E.Cuniculi. I would take them to the vet for a checkup. There are possibly health reasons for why they are doing this.

[Snickers&Marshmallow]

Thank you for all this advice! I really appreciate you caring enough to comment. Ill definitely take all your suggestions! Btw, I lovethe names of your bunnies! Very original and sooooo cute!

[Vienna Blue in France]

I have increased the run area again and covered the area where she peed with an upside down litter tray so she will have to go in the proper area. So far so good

I take that back…. lol… woke up this morning and somebun has climbed on top of the upside litter tray and peed !!!
Can’t have been comfortable !!
Vanessa is right – CORNERS !!

[Rookie]

believe it or not…at first Rookie was started out with the blue colored carefresh….if I got him any other color he would refuse to go in the litter box….well of course blue was impossible to get after a while and he refused to use any other color….but now I use Yesterday’s News and he seems to like that.

[Rookie]

believe it or not…at first Rookie was started out with the blue colored carefresh….if I got him any other color he would refuse to go in the litter box….well of course blue was impossible to get after a while and he refused to use any other color….but now I use Yesterday’s News and he seems to like that.

[Snickers&Marshmallow]

That’s hilarious!!! Both peeing on top of the litter box – AND preferring only blue litter. And they say rabbits don’t have personalities… mmm-mmm, they live to keep us on our toes!

[Nishi]

I’m having a similar problem. I have two bonded, neutered males. Their litter habits were nearly perfect until I moved to my current apartment. I know they went through a lot of stress in between, so I feel like that threw their habits out of whack.

They still use their litter box faithfully to pee but poops are just scattered everywhere, especially in the middle of my two carpets. Hoping someone can give us some wisdom.

So far I noticed when my mom was visiting that they were much better about their litter habits when enclosed over night. Could it be that they have so much space they forget to return for anything but peeing? I’m so tired of stepping on poops everywhere I go. I try to keep up with vacuuming daily but grad school is just work enough.. sometimes I just give up and co-exist with the poops!

[Snickers&Marshmallow]

Uhhhhh… In a way, it’s comforting to know I’m not alone with this struggle. I’ve been keeping them pretty contained in the cage the last few days and it’s been wonderful to not worry about what is happening to all our floors! So today, I let them out and it was so sweet to watch them run around and binky and have some running room. Then tonight, Snickers started peeing everywhere. I “caught” him mid-stream about 3 different times. What in the world??? What do I do? I’ve got litter boxes everywhere and I’ve changed their litter type several times. I literally feel like crying. I can’t keep them penned up in a small cage all the time – but I also can’t have them peeing on all our floors either!!

[Author]

Messages