Einstein's Pooping Dilemma

[thatkiidsean]

Hi guys!

There's a small (but not serious) dilemma about Einstein and litter-training him. He seems to pee in his litter box all the time, and for the most part, he also poops in there, so my guess is that he knows where to go. However, there are times where he will also poop all over his pen, with all his poop basically scattered on the ground. Is this normal for a young bun?

My boyfriend suggested that because his litter can get scattered all over the ground as well (the litter catches his fluffy Lionhead mane all the time!) that Einstein may think that because it's all over his pen, he can poop all over his pen. I question his hypothesis, but I feel it could be a valid reason if other people agree. Let me know what you guys think! Thank you!

:boxing

 

[JBun]

Rabbits pooping everywhere is completely normal, especially for unneutered/ unspayed rabbits, as it is something they automatically do to mark their territory. A few things can sometimes help with this. Sometimes it is just being in a new home or area, and over time the bun will gradually not do it as much. Spay/neutering when your rabbit is old enough, will often help decrease the need to poop mark as much, sometimes the bun will stop doing it altogether(no guarantee though). Also providing a large litterbox with your rabbits hay in it or in a hay rack above, will help as rabbits poop while they eat. It doesn't really have to do with a little bit of litter scattered on the floor, though if there is a lot of litter all over the floor, this could sometimes confuse a rabbit into thinking the whole area is a litter box.

If litter is sticking to your bun and getting tracked everywhere, you should probably switch to a different litter. Pine pellet litter is what I like to use. It absorbs pee and controls odor well, doesn't tend to get tracked out of the litter box or stick to the fur, and is usually pretty cheap compared to other litters. Here is how I pretty much set up most of my buns litter boxes.
http://www.sandiegorabbits.org/litter-box-training/litterbox-setup-success-0