Hello,i just adopted my grand daughters bunny.Shes only 8 and was seriously neglecting her(midnight) i felt sorry for her.Anyway,Midnight is 6-8 months old,dont know her breed.My daughter said she could never get her to use a litter box,but i wanted to try.She has 1 in her cage and 1 in the middle of the living room.Oh yea,she has been an indoor bunny her whole life.At first she did great and only went potty in her cage,but lately she has been peeing all over the living room.Im at a loss,any ideas? I dont want to have to get rid of her,i really like her.Any advice will be greatly appreciated....
to litter box train her put her in a small cage with a litter box, place all her accidents in the litterbox. its their insticks to keep their den clean. when she gets the hang of that gradually increase her rooming area such as a bathroom or hallway.
Its possible she is a he. It is very hard to sex rabbits. When I was in college, I had a rabbit (he lived to be 13, btw) Her name was alma. About the same age as yours, she started peeing on everything. talked to the vet, turns out she was a he and he was marking everything. He got neutered and lived happily ever after. The only other time I had problems with him peeing is when his best buddy (my giant schnauzer) died...he went through a spree for about two month of peeing everywhere (the bun was 10yrs old at the time)
As a doe matures she will start urine marking her area. That would be my first suspicion if she's otherwise a young, healthy bunny. Our two doe's got much better about using the litter boxes after we got them spayed at about a year old. I'd seriously consider it for an indoor pet bunny. Spaying also removes the threat of uterine cancer and other reproductive problems that rabbits are highly prone to. For the time being you might try keeping her in a smaller area with a plastic table cloth for flooring to protect your house. In the past I've used portable baby gates/playpen's set up around a cage so the rabbit could come and go from it's cage but still be in a confined area.
Thanks for all the advice.Im thinking maybe i let her run the house to soon.Maybe i can make her a small run off her cage til she a little better trained.Ive tried putting the litter box where she pees but every time i do that she just picks a different corner..Also my cat keeps trying to go into the bunnies litter box,will that keep the bunny from using it? Thanks again..
To train a rabbit to use a litter box, you first must give her/him time to adjust to the new home. Rabbits are major creatures of habit and any change throws them back. The majority of rabbits pick a back corner of the cage as their "restroom". After a few weeks when this has been established, that is where you place the litter box. Once the rabbit starts to consistently use the litter box, you can allow some "out time" of the cage, leaving the cage door open (assuming cage is on floor and accessable to rabbit) so rabbit can go in to use the LB. And yes, if the cat uses/tries the box the smell of the cat will stop the rabbit from using it. Rabbits may leave poop marbles behind as they run around. This is normal as their digestive systems are always functioning-what goes in must come out as they cannot throw up. (just like a horse) Also realize that a rabbit will chew on anything it can get those cute little lips on-power cords, wires, carpet, table legs.........a puppy pen limiting access to bad stuff but allowing exercise is ideal. Lynne
Quote:Thanks Lynne,im getting ready to build her indoor habitat.Shes a small bunny,maybe 2-3 lbs.and i was thinking maybe a 4x4x4 would be big enough? As far as safe wood to chew,any wood thats not treated,correct?I usually research before i get a new pet but i really didnt have time so im kinda learning as i go and doing the research now.I appreciate everyones help.
