Litter training advice

[Leo koni koni]

This is my first rabbit and I just got him on the 3rd. Found out 2 days ago it’s a boy and he’s only a few months old. I’m told when he’s twice the size of his current 1.6 pounds I can neuter him. In the meantime I did work on litter training him. I’ve been using Nat Geo recycled paper litter for small animals and I keep hay in the boxes at all times. He consistently pees in the box and poops in it regularly however he still poops outside the litter box. He doesnt poop in his cage or around my room when I let him get some roam time. However the playpen I attach to his cage so he can play safely while I sleep he poops in. Theres a litter box in his cage and the play pen. He prefers the playpen litter box but still poops in the playpen scattered around. Is it just him marking his area? I clean the area every other day and whenever I do he seems more excited. After cleaning he flops everywhere and even runs around at times. I’ve read he may not get fully litter trained until he’s neutered. Just curious if anyone has any suggestions for what else I can do to improve this last bit of training? Any info is appreciated thanks a bunch

[Willow Lien]

Pooping outside the box is quite normal. He could be marking but I find my rabbits do this only when other animals are around. However, both my adult fixed rabbits still poop outside their litterboxes. I call them my little Pez dispensers They do this in their room and not when they are out, though they are not outside their room much except for some ‘couch time’ and they never poop on us or the couch.

My new little girl is 3-4 months old and poops EVERYWHERE and constantly. While she is in her room, she mostly confines it to her litter box. She has gotten much better at this lately. When she is out, she poops all over. She is not spayed yet and it definitely marking her territory. You can tell because it is scattered, one pellet at a time. Since I got her, my older buns poop close to the gate constantly because they can smell her in the adjacent room. As I said, they are both fixed and still exhibit marking behavior (poop only).

It seems to be a normal behavior. If anyone has ever gotten their rabbits to ONLY poop in their boxes, I, too, would love to know how!

Anyway, when you clean up the pellets, be sure to put them into his litterbox and not the trash.

[Leo koni koni]

Thanks for the reply! I do have 3 cats (all orange tabby) so maybe he feels a need to mark bc he knows they’re here too. Ive kept them only at spectating distance of Leo when hes in his outdoor hutch in the evenings for nice fresh air. My oldest cat wants to slap Leo and probably chase him a bit because he’s a grouchy old man. One is absolutely terrified of Leo. Won’t even be in his vicinity which I find surprising bc he’s very much a cuddler cat. My final cat wants to hunt Leo but he’s learning that’s a no no.

I realized my bunny has peed twice maybe 3 times total on my bed in the last few days. Two times were on my pillowcase which I washed. Cleaned things up with vinegar easily enough then sprayed the area with some lavendar freshener in hopes the scent will deter him from doing it again. Just found a spot tonight though. Seems he just found a different spot on my bed to do it in lol. I’m repeating the process tonight. I’m guessing he’s marking territory because when I’m in my room i spend most of the time relaxing on my bed with a book. He peed on me once and on my bed in front of me but I said no and put him in his cage while I cleaned up and he didnt do it again. But he’s started up again lately. Maybe I should confine him to a cage to work on training some more. But I always feel bad leaving him in a cage without the freedom to run around a little lol. I figure part of this is due to him being young though and it might cease as he matures. When he does mark territory it seems to be not long after I leave my room and when I’m back in minutes I find out he did it. I’ll have to start catching him in the act

[Deleted User]

Before I got my bun spayed she peed on my bed too, only once though and then she was not allowed back in that room for that reason She has also peed on the couch once. Those are really the only little accidents she has had. She’s very good about pooping in her litter tray besides when she gets into the bathroom or goes near my bedroom where I currently have my new bun living. She will leave a single poop at the door, which I always think is kinda silly lol. I have heard that some people have success by rubbing bun down with a cloth and then rubbing that cloth on the surface that they are peeing on. This way, it already smells like them and they may be less inclined to pee there. I know people have said this works on a couch, but it may not work that well on a bed since you use it for hours at a time and you will mask any smell that you rub on with the towel. Once he is neutered the peeing will probably stop and he will just leave some stray poops to mark his territory.

[Wick & Fable]

Watch that rabbit bum like a hawk when you’re free. For Wick, my weekend time was reserved for just staring at his bottom, or if I wanted to watch TV, literally putting my hand under his bottom, so once he poo’d outside the box, I could immediately put him in the box. It’s also essential to establish a quick sound of discontent that your rabbit doesn’t like or recognizes is a bad sound. This way, if your rabbit it does it far away from you, the instant bad feedback from the sound you make is still there. For Wick, it’s a tsssk sound.

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.

[Leo koni koni]

Yea when I’m free I watch him very closely. After keeping him in a cage for a whole day I felt bad and let him run around my room. He ran around doing head flicks and everything. After an hour he got on my bed and smelled one of my cats who had been on the bed an hour before. I stared and the minute he lifted his tail I caught him in the act lol I do have a displeasure sound which I think he understands because he stops everything he’s doing and freezes in place for a second. Gave me enough time to grab him and set him in his litter box. Good news is he didnt poop anywhere! Yaaay progress lol. I don’t blame him for this times incident since I’m pretty certain my cat triggered his behavior.

My cat I think is getting used to Leo. I’d like to eventually have my cats used to him enough for him to roam with me nearby and they not try and attack him and scare him. My scaredy cat Rudy actually approached within 1 foot of Leo and looked at him! Though he’s still scared of bun. My hunting cat Oliver watched Leo roam my room freely and they sniffed at each other. Oliver stays watchful but he doesn’t chase or attack so fingers crossed there’s improvement! I can see my bun getting bigger though and showing my cats who’s boss though too. I think thats ultimately going to make my cats leave him alone. They definitely back away if he approaches them and sniffs them back so they’re leery which I see as a good thing. I stay within grabbing distance at all times so my cats know they can’t get away with anything. I’m surprised and proud my bunny isnt the least bit intimidated or scared of my cats. He honestly seems more curious about them than anything if that makes sense. His demeanor with them in the room or out of it doesn’t change aside from him hopping to them to sniff them out. After a sniff he goes back to his business lol.

Think I’ll keep my cats out of my room though from now on so bun doesnt feel the need to mark as much. Though I’m sure he’ll still try seeing as my scent is all over the bed.

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