Forum

OUR FORUM IS UP BUT WE ARE STILL IN THE MIDDLE OF UPDATING AND FIXING THINGS.  SOME THINGS WILL LOOK WEIRD AND/OR NOT BE CORRECT. YOUR PATIENCE IS APPRECIATED.  We are not fully ready to answer questions in a timely manner as we are not officially open, but we will do our best. 

You may have received a 2-factor authentication (2FA) email from us on 4/21/2020. That was from us, but was premature as the login was not working at that time. 

BUNNY 911 – If your rabbit hasn’t eaten or pooped in 12-24 hours, call a vet immediately! Don’t have a vet? Check out VET RESOURCES

The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

What are we about?  Please read about our Forum Culture and check out the Rules

BUNNY 911 – If your rabbit hasn’t eaten or pooped in 12-24 hours, call a vet immediately!  Don’t have a vet? Check out VET RESOURCES 

The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet.  It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

Forum BEHAVIOR A very grumpy bunny litter training

Viewing 5 reply threads
  • Author
    Messages

    • ChelsAndLil
      Participant
      2 posts Send Private Message

        Lily is a 3 year old Netherlands dwarf I’ve had since he was only a couple months old. We already went through the fun adventure of marking and getting neutered when he was a year old. He was litter trained for the most part the following years. Summer of 2016 he got an ear infection and had head tilt for a month but he is back to normal now. It was about this time last year that he forgot how to use his box and I’ve been trying every method to retrain him. I am not sure what set him off from litter training considering I’ve used the same carefresh natural bedding, Timothy hay from our local feed shop, oxbow food, and regular veggies with some treats here and there. He’s always lived in my room as a free roam bunny and likes to sleep at the foot of my bed in a little bed of his own. Since he has regressed I have had to bring his old hutch back up and stick him in it because I don’t have any better way to keep him secure. I try to let him out as much as possible but he always poops all over the place and if I leave him out overnight he pees on my bed! So unfortunately he has been stuck in his cage which is about 3 feet long, a foot wide and two feet high. I hate having him stuck in there because I know he is unhappy but I can’t let him out because he just makes a mess. The old method used to work where I have a “kitchen” for him so his butt has to be in the litter box if he wants to get to his food, water or hay but this is no longer working. He is mostly pooping and peeing in there but when I wake up there is usually and handful of poops where he lays down. I made him a little play pen out of C&C squares which is not honestly as big as I want it but it’s big enough for me to sit in there and him to run around a little (probably 5×5 to 7×7 Area). But I have discovered even with 3 litter boxes (1 in the cage and 2 in play pen) he is still refusing despite me scooping any poops into the box. He has his favorite bed in there and he likes to pee on it so I’ve just given up on having that in there until he is litter trained (he used to never pee in it but maybe poop a little sometimes). Anyway, he’s been stuck in his cage for a past two days and I’ve been trying to clean up after him and move poops into the litter box and when he is in the little box to poop or pee I give him praise and treats. However he is a very grumpy bunny and always grunts and nudges at me for picking his poops up to put them in the litter box. He never has been one to like pets or being held and I respect that and generally just let him do his own thing but I’m trying to bond with him and gain his trust. I’m just not sure what to do! Some people say scoop the poops into the litter box and put the bunny in the box but I feel like me reaching around in there and moving him to his box is just making things so much worse! He was super easy to train the first time around but this time I’m just not sure what went wrong. I understand he won’t be perfect at this litter thing but he is peeing and pooping everywhere! I don’t mind having to scoop up his poops here and there, I just want to not have to lock him up in this cage anymore. Thank you for your time!


      • Wick & Fable
        Moderator
        5771 posts Send Private Message

          You definitely need to give him more room regardless of the clean up. The cage is small so having him in there will cause problems to develop because he cannot move freely. This can escalate into sanitary issues, sore hocks from inactivity, obesity, and destructive tendencies for not having freedom.

          I suggest using the playpen set up for training sessions where you do pick him up and put him on the box at every accident, poo or pee. Designate a sound so the connection is more clear. For Wick, a snake hiss sound very much spooks him, and that’s what I use. If I’m across the room and I see him perching to pee, I make the hiss sound and he immediately dashes to his litter box. This is the kind of connection you want made with the litter box training.

          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
          Participant
          5584 posts Send Private Message

            Yep I agree with Wick. Poor litter habits are no excuse for keeping a bun confined in a tiny cage.

            Is he pooping everywhere or is he marking? Is he doing full pee puddles or is he leaving drips and drabs?


          • Deleted User
            Participant
            22064 posts Send Private Message

              I agree about cage frustration. It won’t help to try to train an angry bunny. But I also understand that if he is refusing to use the box, you can’t really let him run around and pee/poop everywhere. As wick suggested, I noticed that a snake hiss also spooks Ophelia and she will often stop in her tracks from whatever she is doing and look around. This may be a way that you can associate something bad with pee/poop outside of the box. If you notice him going to pee, make a hiss sound and then move him to the litter box.


            • ChelsAndLil
              Participant
              2 posts Send Private Message

                He poops here and there when he is running around and when I leave his cage open so he can run around in the little play pen you can clearly see where he slept. I have one of those wooden ikea beds for him and he will just leave a little pile of poop and also pee through the sheets on the bed. He is doing full on puddles. Thank you again!


              • sarahthegemini
                Participant
                5584 posts Send Private Message

                  Hmm the piles are definitely a sign of marking. I’m currently dealing with 2 bunnies that have decided to mark around the immediate vicinity of the litter trays. So frustrating lol. It’s good that the pees are full on puddles because at least that decreases the chance of it being a uti, so it sounds like a definite behavioural issue which is very annoying but better than it being health related!

                  I think your best port of call is to let him out of his cage but keep him in his pen temporarily and as Wick suggested – really set aside time to observe him and immediately act on his ‘accidents’ Shaking a jar of coins might work as a deterrent too!

              Viewing 5 reply threads
              • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.

              Forum BEHAVIOR A very grumpy bunny litter training