Too much freedom too soon?

[Kyela]

I have a Holland-lop bunny that is almost 3 months old. When I got him I felt really bad leaving him enclosed in his x-pen, so while I am at home awake I let him roam in the living room where I work.

But I think I made a mistake because he keeps pooping all over. He is mostly good and goes to his litter box, but he still drops a lot poop here and there. Not always in a corner, it is more like at random places. One thing I noticed the other day, he did one poop and then ran to his litter box, maybe he is not so good at controlling his poop? But every now and then, instead of just having some loose droppings, he poops all over the place, like purposely. And when he gets on the couch he always poops and sometimes pees, but I think that is some marking behavior. 

I have also noticed that when someone visits me, like my boyfriend or a friend, after they leave he poops all over the place also.

Should I reduce his freedom to his x-pen? I just feel really bad, and he looks at me and tries to open his cage. His x-pen is pretty big, but he likes running and sleeping under the couch. But I need him to be better with his litter habits, I want him to use his litter box and not literally every inch of the floor. It is worse closer to his litter box, but I think a 1,5 meter (3 or 4 feet) radio for his pooping from the litter box is too much.

Please advice, I feel dreadfully leaving him in his x-pen, but I want to do the right thing. Will he like me less for doing it? Right now he really likes when I pet him, I am afraid he will grow distant if I enclose him on his x-pen, he has quite the personality when he gets offended, but he forgives me with a treat, in general.

Thank you!

[pinknfwuffy]

The first question for this problem is always whether or not your rabbit is neutered. Since he is only 3 months old I am assuming he is not and that is probably the root of your problem. A rabbit that is not yet fixed will mark their territory. Sometimes a lot. Sometimes a little. But it is a natural instinct that cannot be controlled unless the hormones in their system are handled. I would suggest keeping your rabbit in their xpen for a little while more until you can have him neutered, usually around 6 months old but check with your vet to see when he’s ready. Since he has had a taste of freedom he may be a bit cross about having to stay in but it won’t ruin your relationship, I promise. Gradual progress will make your bond stronger in the long run.

Beyond that, yes. You are right that too much freedom too soon can lead to accidents. I gradually opened the xpen for my rabbit adding a little more space every week to give him more and more access. Once the xpen was full size I started using it as a fence to make the space bigger, but still in a gradual manner. I would also sit inside with him for a while every day so he wasn’t lonely. This will help ease your rabbit into understanding their territory but getting his hormones under control in the future will make a big difference in his habits.

[Kyela]

Thanks pinknfwuffy!, yes he isn’t neutered yet, he is too young, I am going to check in a couple days. 

I just feel so bad about having him enclosed! Would it be ok to take him out a little bit every day at least?

[Wick & Fable]

Hey Kyela. It’s never too early to litter-train your bun a little more (although neutering sometimes resets all your hard work…). You won’t be able to prevent all of them, but you can lessen them if you use some litter training tactics. This includes seeing him poop and moving him to the litter box. Additionally, if you’re okay with it, you can leave a singular poop in an area he’ll re-visit so he doesn’t mark again; I’m not sure if this works for all rabbits, but Wick doesn’t mark the living room if there’s a poo on the rug and by the door (usually). Wick is also too young to be neutered, but his out-of-litter-box droppings have definitely decreased.

Also, over time, it should lessen because your bun will believe it’s his territory anyways. I’d say give him freedom in your supervision only.

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[sarahthegemini]

Of course he isn’t going to be happy if he had all that freedom and it’s now going to be taken away. My bunnies were allowed to free roam after we had them for about two weeks (and it only took that long because we were bunny proofing) Yes they pooped everywhere but I just got over it and picked it up. After a few weeks of constantly picking it up and putting it in the litter box, the amount of stray poops did decrease but only a significant change came about after they were neutered and spayed. I decided that I wasn’t going to limit their space for months just because they pooped a lot. I’d rather they had freedom and I just picked it up. I don’t agree that they can have “too much freedom” at all. 

[pinknfwuffy]

It’s not that they have too much freedom in general, it’s just that when a rabbit goes from living in a small space to a larger, unfamiliar one it can be overwhelming and they may lose their good habits. Not only for their litter training but for establishing their territory. Early on I got too excited about having Olaf out and about so I let him explore the whole living room for the first time straight out of the cage. He was anxious and a little scatter-brained, distracted by so many smells and new things. I found it much easier to slowly increase his play space so he could really know his area. I attached the xpen to his cage like a playpen. Every week I opened another panel. That way he was never too far away from his litter box and, therefore, never forgot to run back and use it. He now has free range of the living room. I haven’t had any trouble with marking or litter problems since doing it this way.

That said, all rabbits are different and you know your pet best. Good luck!

[sarahthegemini]

Posted By pinknfwuffy on 3/27/2017 11:25 AM

It’s not that they have too much freedom in general, it’s just that when a rabbit goes from living in a small space to a larger, unfamiliar one it can be overwhelming and they may lose their good habits. Not only for their litter training but for establishing their territory. Early on I got too excited about having Olaf out and about so I let him explore the whole living room for the first time straight out of the cage. He was anxious and a little scatter-brained, distracted by so many smells and new things. I found it much easier to slowly increase his play space so he could really know his area. I attached the xpen to his cage like a playpen. Every week I opened another panel. That way he was never too far away from his litter box and, therefore, never forgot to run back and use it. He now has free range of the living room. I haven’t had any trouble with marking or litter problems since doing it this way.

That said, all rabbits are different and you know your pet best. Good luck!

Ah I see what you mean. When I transitioned my bunnies from pen to free roam, I started by simply opening up the pen so they could leave when they wanted. I suppose that’s sort of what you did. Plus my house is super tiny 

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