Bunny Mom in Need of Some Answers

[Kelli Cottrell]

Hi all!

I'm having the hardest time with improving my bunny's litter habits. I took in my bunny, Echo, about three months ago when she was about 4 months old. When I learned that bunnies could be litter trained I immediately tried to start teaching her. She learned quickly and her litter habits were great for about two or three weeks. She then started peeing and pooping everywhere so I took this as a sign it was time to get her spayed. She has been spayed for almost two months and her litter habits have not improved. The only place she pees outside of the litter box is on my bed but I cannot get this marking behavior to stop. I have tried everything to attempt to deodorize and neutralize my bedding so that she knows not to pee there, but nothing seems to work. She also leaves droppings EVERYWHERE. The only time she uses her litter box is when she is in it to eat hay. Any other time she just goes anywhere she pleases. She is only seven months old so is this a behavior she will possibly grow out of? Does anyone have ANY suggestions on how to retrain her or improve her habits?? She was so good before she hit sexual maturity and I thought after getting her spayed that she would learn quickly again to use her litter box, but she just refuses to respond to anything I try. My living situation requires her to be confined to my bedroom where she free roams and I have tried so hard to neutralize certain areas but nothing works. I would greatly appreciate someone's help and any tips they could offer. I'd like to have some autonomy back over my bedroom haha

 

[Blue eyes]

The peeing on the bed is just irresistible to some rabbits. I'm afraid you just have to keep her off your bed. Either block off the bed or put something on it-- like large pieces of foam board (like what is used for school projects) or a plastic tarp--anything that makes it not soft.

The droppings are a separate issue. She's been doing that long enough that it is no longer territorial (unless the room is being re-arranged or if changes are being made). I'd suggest sweeping up the poos and putting them in the litter box. Do this consistently and often. Hopefully that will be enough to get her out of the habit. Rabbits tend to be better and easier to train as they get older, so there's certainly hope. Very few rabbits are 100% with their poos, but the bulk should be in the litter box.

 

[Jasminebunny]

Hi all!

I'm having the hardest time with improving my bunny's litter habits. I took in my bunny, Echo, about three months ago when she was about 4 months old. When I learned that bunnies could be litter trained I immediately tried to start teaching her. She learned quickly and her litter habits were great for about two or three weeks. She then started peeing and pooping everywhere so I took this as a sign it was time to get her spayed. She has been spayed for almost two months and her litter habits have not improved. The only place she pees outside of the litter box is on my bed but I cannot get this marking behavior to stop. I have tried everything to attempt to deodorize and neutralize my bedding so that she knows not to pee there, but nothing seems to work. She also leaves droppings EVERYWHERE. The only time she uses her litter box is when she is in it to eat hay. Any other time she just goes anywhere she pleases. She is only seven months old so is this a behavior she will possibly grow out of? Does anyone have ANY suggestions on how to retrain her or improve her habits?? She was so good before she hit sexual maturity and I thought after getting her spayed that she would learn quickly again to use her litter box, but she just refuses to respond to anything I try. My living situation requires her to be confined to my bedroom where she free roams and I have tried so hard to neutralize certain areas but nothing works. I would greatly appreciate someone's help and any tips they could offer. I'd like to have some autonomy back over my bedroom haha

My Bun does that all the time , for the pooping , i just let her poop outside if it's NEAR the litter box , and after a couple of days, i slowly pick up a few poops a day and put them in the litter box , and it helps her .
But i find i have to do that most times i clean her litter box .

 

[Nunu]

Rabbits are very smart animals and the reason she is peeing on your bed is because she is marking it, like you said. The way to remedy this is to deodorize anytime it happens (like you are doing) so she doesn’t continue to smell her pee spot and think she can still go there. However, you also have to train her out of the behavior, otherwise you’re just taking the scent off and she believes that she has to keep marking it. Just make sure to watch her whenever she is on your bed, (her tail will tell you if she is about to pee) she will lift her tail and if you see this happen immediately scoop her up and place her in her litter box. Also, make sure her litter box is big enough for her to do a 360° turn in. If her litter box is too small, she will be discouraged from using it. If you use a rag or some tissue paper to soak up any accidents before you deodorize, I would suggest dropping that in her litter box so she can learn where to go.