Driving me nuts

[colebunbun]

My rabbit has picked one place to go to the bathroom in the house, and I spray the area with vinegar water mix, and put down litter boxes, vinegar is great on carpets makes them look like new! but ahem, he peed right in front of it. Granted, I read that it's easier to litterbox train(I use yesterdays news) AFTER he is clipped but that won't be until the third and I would hate to have him confined in his cage. He is a free range bunny in our home, even picked up one of those carpet sweepers that were silent to pick up the hay and poop which works great. Any ideas?:bed:

 

[Blue eyes]

Is there a place with solid flooring where he can roam until the big snip? If you can keep him off of carpet, until then, that might be easiest.

 

[Whiterabbitrage]

Did you put stuff with pee on it, into the litter box? The pee scent helps.

 

[colebunbun]

yeah I did , he did it again last night. The big snip helps though right? So long as he hasn't gotten used to the house being a big litter box?

 

[colebunbun]

update: I went to him after posting and when he was in that area, I put my finger to the top of his head and gently pushed down I read somewhere that it shows bunny dominance, and now when my husband or I go to that area, or simply stand up he stops going there.......it's great but was that ok to do? I know what you read online is not always the right thing to do. He hasn't peed or pooed in that area or in the living room since. He does kinda use his litterbox in his cage. Is it just litterbox training pains or something?

 

[samoth]

I'd say it's because he's young, unfixed, and in a new area. He just needs time, patience, and some training.

My female was (and to an extent, still is) the same way. I adoped her at 3 years old, and she was only spayed just before I got her -- so she had formed some bad non-houserabbit habbits. I've trained her to recognize the voice command "litter box," but it took time, treats, and some variations on the voice command.

Nowadays, if it looks like she's going to pee in front of the litter box (her preferred spot) and I catch her, I've gotten to the point where I can say "GOOD GIRL LITTER BOX!" and she hops into the litter box. I repeat the phrase a few times, and sometimes use "GOOD GIRL LITTER BOX TREAT TREAT!" and give her a treat -- this incentivizes her to jump in the litter box

 

[colebunbun]

I put one of his treats in the litterbox after making a fresh one. He is interested in the box and sniffs it, but can't quite get him to take the leap into the box(a low to the ground one but still a bit of bunny humor never hurts ). Now though when he goes into that area he looks around and stretches out trying to "sneak" in there, but I put up a gate, he didn't like that AT ALL. He immediately attempted to go outside of his box and I sprayed him with water bottle, he hasn't done that since. I think it could be about catching him in the act before he goes over there, because he only goes in one spot. He does know this water bottle now though I can simply stand with it, and he knows to leave that area alone. He gets the big snip very soon.

 

[Blue eyes]

I wouldn't stress over the potty training at all right now. Just go with the flow and keep him off of carpet. Hormonal bunnies just aren't in the right frame of mind to be trying to train.

Don't expect an instant change after his neuter either. It can take hormones a number of weeks to fully dissipate. Once hormones are gone, the real training begins.... well, actually, they typically train themselves at that time -- especially if they have an enticing, roomy litter box that is topped with yummy hay.