She keeps going to the bathroom where I sit to watch her

[Tracy]

I got a polish doe a few weeks ago. Previous owner is an established breeder. He said she was ‘about 5 months.’ I’m not sure if she’s neutered. I’m guessing not.

Right away she was extremely skiddish. Wouldn’t let me touch her. I definitely didn’t handle her very well a couple times trying to pick her up to get her back in her cage and she squealed. So that didn’t help matters. We’ve gotten better and I can actually pet her when she’s in the cage. But when I let her out, she’ll still come around and sniff me, put her front paws on my legs and use them as hurdles to jump, but no cuddling.

I have a 24×30 cage with a pan underneath with some kitty litter.

When I let her out to run and play she would originally end up dropping a few pills and I would usher her back to the cage. Now she is peeing and dropping pills mainly in the spot in front of my couch where I sit. Last time I let her out, she did it almost right away.

My dad used to show and raise rabbits and he just got a mini rex buck right before I got my Eevee. I live in a small apartment (not with my parents) and I keep Eevee in the living room and keep that to her running room as well. My dad keeps saying I should keep Eevee in her cage for a week and not let her out. That just doesn’t seem right. She needs to run.

I bought hay yesterday and put some in with the kitty litter and a little nest/bed made of hay(?) and put some fresh hay in there as well. She seems to like it.

So anyway, what should I do to keep her from going to the bathroom on my carpet?? I keep finding little spots where she dribbled urine. I feel like my carpet will never be clean.

[DanaNM]

Hi there, welcome to the forum!

A couple things:

You should get her spayed. Her litter box habbits will likely stay bad until you do, and female rabbits have an 75-80% rate of uterine cancer if unspayed. it is important to find a rabbit-savvy vet to do this.

Dribble urine makes me think it could be a urinary tract infection, or her marking because she is unspayed. I think a vet visit is likely in order.

Does she use a litter box in the cage, or is the whole cage her box?

second, clumping kitty litter is very dangerous for bunnies if they ingest it. I (along with many other ppl on this forum), use compressed pine pellet litter (sold cheaply as wood stove pellets or horse stall bedding, more expensive as “feline pine”). For first litter training, carefresh is great, because many rabbits like to toilet on soft things.

Also, I know you didn’t ask for this advice, but that is a very small cage… you can easily give her more space 24/7 by adding an x-pen “front yard” attached to the front of her cage, and then keeping her cage door open. Check out the “housing” section on this forum for more ideas on how you could improve her home. Often rabbits have poor litter habits when in small cages, because they just think of everything as the toilet.

Finally, a few weeks is a short time for her to trust you. Here are some tried and true tips for bonding with your bun and earning her trust:

– First, and very importantly, be sure that your bun can come out of it’s cage/hutch/pen/condo on it’s own. The pen/condo/hutch should be your bun’s “safe space”. If your bun’s home is elevated, you can use a ramp or steps to allow it to come and go as it pleases.

-Only pick her up unless absolutely necessary. Never do this just to spend time with her. (and please research the correct way to handle a rabbit to make sure you don’t injur her)

– Once your bun decides to come out to explore, play “hard to get”. ignore her. Lay on the ground while she is out, read a book, etc. If she comes up to you, don’t try to pet her (yet). Be patient and calm around your bunny. Respect if they want to be left alone. “floor time” is seriously one of the best things you can do.

– Hand feeding! You should feed at least some of her veggies and pellets by hand. You could do this with just the first few leaves of veggies of the day, or a few pellets when you give them. Fragrant herbs (cilantro, basil, mint, fennel) are all good at enticing shy buns. Talk to her calmly when you feed her so she associates your voice with good things.

– When she has become comfortable enough with you that she will lay down or relax near you on the ground, you can “ask” her if you can pet her, by placing your hand on the ground in front of her, so your pinky is on the ground and the back of your hand is facing him. If she puts his head down, she wants you to pet her head! If she doesn’t, then don’t force it. Stick to petting only the head and ears until she gets really relaxed with you. The back and bum are very personal and sensitive areas for rabbits.

. . . 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]

Nothing else to add but I am wondering, you said the cage has a pan underneath. Is it a wire bottom cage?

[Tracy]

Yes, it’s wire bottom and the pan and kitty litter is underneath so she can’t get to it. 

[Tracy]

Yes, it’s a 14 gauge wire bottom cage so the pan and kitty litter are beneath and out of reach. The entire cage is the litter box. 24×30 is not too small. She jumps around plenty.
I’ve tried hand feeding and she won’t go for it.
How can I play hard to get while I have to watch her to stop her from going to the bathroom on my carpet?
Is there any benefit if I leave her in the cage for a week?

[sarahthegemini]

Posted By Tracy on 9/24/2017 10:13 PM

Yes, it’s a 14 gauge wire bottom cage so the pan and kitty litter are beneath and out of reach. The entire cage is the litter box. 24×30 is not too small. She jumps around plenty.
I’ve tried hand feeding and she won’t go for it.
How can I play hard to get while I have to watch her to stop her from going to the bathroom on my carpet?
Is there any benefit if I leave her in the cage for a week?

Please do not keep your rabbit in a wire bottom cage. That is cruel. And do not leave her confined to a cage for a week. That is also cruel 

I don’t know why people insist on keeping rabbits on wire cages. Not to mention, in regards to litter training them – it ain’t gunna work. They need to learn to go in a litter tray. Having them in a wire cage with a pan underneath for them to drop poop into isn’t teaching them anything, 

[ThorBunny]

Bunnies don’t have pads on their feet like dogs and cats, it’s just fluffy fur on their soles. So wire bottomed cages can really hurt their paws. She could very well end up with sores on her feet that would require vet attention, or begin sitting strangely so that she develops movement problems

I know a lot of media shows rabbits being happy in small wire bottomed cages, but this is really just a by-product of how they are kept in the rabbit meat industry. As pets, solid bottomed cages and a bit more room to run makes for a happy healthy bunny

You can put down blankets and a cardboard bottom to cover the wire floor, and then place a litter tray in the cage like Sarah mentioned. Almost all rabbits can be easily litter trained once they are fixed! My Thor is very good about her litter box, and it allows us to have her free roam our apartment 24/7 since she never has any accidents.

[Puffbaby]

the only thing I have to add is even though she can’t get to the kitty litter, the dust from it can really bother rabbit lungs. could you imagine being that close to kitty litter just breathing it in. I definitely suggest using a different substrate underneath and removing the wore bottom, and maybe if there is a shelf in there you could use that as the “bed” and then maybe she will go in her cahe to poo more. but honestly she will never really be 100% littertrained just so you know. alot of ppl consider there buns trained if they do at least 1/2 there poos pops in the box and pee in there. if you are wanting an animal that is 100% trained you should opt for a cat, and shooing her into the cage when she goes on the carpet is honestly hindering the bonding and trusting issue with her. if possible try laying down a big blanket for her to be on so if she goes it won’t hurt your carpet and she can still run around and bond with you

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