Litter training stubborn older rabbit

[Aleeta raugust]

So two weeks ago I adopted a three year old lionhead rabbit who had been neglected in his previous home. Since having him I’ve noticed that he refuses to pee and poop in his cage whenever he is allowed out of it. He isn’t neutered so I’m not sure if that affects it. I’ve spoken to his vet who said to get a litter box and place one in his cage and the other in the house where he can find it. The first time I tried this he ended up using the litter box as a bed! Then I spoke to some friends who have rabbits and they said that I should try putting hay in the litter boxes. This morning I wake up to find his litter box upside down in his cage. The sides of his cage are alittle bit wonky so his litter box dosent fit properly the way it should however no matter what I try whenever he is allowed out of his cage he will not do his business anywhere other than the floor. I’m starting to get very frustrated as my floor is always covered with rabbit crap. I have no idea what to do, I am at my wits end with the little guy and it’s becoming very frustrating

[CoolBeans]

It is very easy to become frustrated when litter training, but i think the key is repetiton and consistency!

Have you tried restricting his play area? Maybe an exercise pen connected to his cage, that way you can cover the floor with a blanket and put a litterbox in the play area and his cage?

For the flipping of his litterbox, if his cage allows drill two holes near the top of the litterbox and affix it to the cage using zipties, or use duct tape? Be creative! My boy used to move his around and make a mess but finally figured out it wasnt a toy when it wouldnt budge.

Its going to take some time and patience to create a good litter habit. As much as it sucks, pick up any poos, soak pee with tissue and put it in his litterbox.

Another thing that works for my bunny, is praise. If you find him in his litter box pooping or peeing, even eating hay to begin with! Praise him and give him a small treat. You could also try clicker training!
Im still trying to get my bun to associate a clicker with reward for good behavior.

[tobyluv]

Three years old is not too old for neuter surgery. It usually is difficult to fully litter train a rabbit who hasn’t been spayed or neutered.

I agree that restricting his area with an x-pen would also be a good idea, to keep him in close proximity to the litter box, and to make cleaning easier since the poops wouldn’t be as scattered.

[sarahthegemini]

He’s probably marking his territory – It’s only been two weeks.

[princessbookworm]

One thing that helped me litter train Julie (who still leaves the odd poop outside her box) was baking soda. I would move her to a travel cage, then sprinkle a bit of baking soda anywhere the litter box wasnt. I would let it sit for a few minutes, then vacuum it up. Then I would use the age old water-vinegar solution to wipe down the other parts of her pen. I think the baking soda neutralized the smells until she realized that only her litter box smelled like a place to potty, lol.

[jerseygirl]

Is he using his litter box when he is caged? Or waiting until he comes out and doing most of his business then?

Do you know much about how he was housed previously?

I do agree about restricting his out-of-cage space while training. Too much space can be a set-back.

[Wick & Fable]

When you’re free, it’s good to just monitor that rabbit bottom like a hawk — immediate intervention for poops/pees outside the litterbox is a really effective way to drive the message home.

Another litterbox (or two) could be in order when your rabbit is okay to free roam, after learning the litter box ropes. Wick started with training in the pen, then was given free-roam space. I soon realized it’s asking a bit much to run from the bedroom all the way back to the pen in the living room when he needs to poop/pee, so he has two additional litterboxes in the free-roam space. For training, when he would poo/pee outside the boxes, I pick him up immediately and bring him to the closest of the three litter boxes, that way he got the message that he should travel to them.

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.

[Author]

Messages