Enclosure floor - Help

[PHH]

Hi everyone,

I have 3 rabbits, 5 ,4 and 3 years old, the oldest one a few months ago had a problem thats make him pee a lot. I don't now if you ear about but it's call Diabetes Insipidus. This disease is for life and he must take the medicine twice a day. Unfortunetly, i don't no why, but he only uses de wc two or three times per day, she must pee almost 10 times a day, majority small quantities at he time

They have a large place to stay, almost a half of a room to themselves but the problem that the oldest one have is killing me. The floor is hardwood and it's already damage, and i can't find a solution to keep the floor clean. I started to place a EVA carpet, didn't work... then switched to a rubber carpet and the problem continued, the last attempt was a mosaic floor similar to those in the gym, but didn't work to!

Someone know some material that's waterproof and don't let the water(pee) get under? Nothing i can think of is big enough to have no discontinuities where water can seep in

 

[Mariam+Theo]

Is she litter trained? If you litter train her she will only go in the litter box and you won't have the issue of her going to the bathroom everywhere.
If she is not able to be litter trained you can use foam puzzle mats or foam exercise mats.

 

[PHH]

He was litter trained... WAS! I don´t no why but he started to pee everywhere. The other two are litter trained and it's very rare to pee outside the box.
This two solutions i already tested! The exercise mats are two small for the space and the pee seep under, and the puzzle mats have the same problem (is what is placed right now)

 

[Mariam+Theo]

Is he neutered? Neutering helps with litter training. It sounds like he is spraying. When did you get the other 2 rabbits?

 

[PHH]

Yes he is, and is not spraying. They are all neutered (2 males one female).

When he started drink a lot of water we take him to the vet and after several tests he was diagnose with Diabetes Insipidus. He is very calm bunny. It's hard to explain his behaviour but seems like he doesn't realize what he's doing (in this case, peeing).

He turns 6 in November and always was an unhealthy bunny, eats very small amounts of hay and need to trim the teeths every year, at least.

We try to give him the best life we could, the only problem is to prevent the pee from damaging the floor, so look for solutions to protect the hardwood

 

[Mariam+Theo]

A metal pan might work, but you will need to put mats, towels, or blankets on top of it so that he doesn't hurt his paws. You could also lay tile or laminate hardwood in the area he is.

 

[PHH]

laminate floor already cross my mind, I haven't put the idea into practice yet because I would like the floor to be non-slip and it's hard to find.

 

[zuppa]

Hi everyone,

I have 3 rabbits, 5 ,4 and 3 years old, the oldest one a few months ago had a problem thats make him pee a lot. I don't now if you ear about but it's call Diabetes Insipidus. This disease is for life and he must take the medicine twice a day. Unfortunetly, i don't no why, but he only uses de wc two or three times per day, she must pee almost 10 times a day, majority small quantities at he time

They have a large place to stay, almost a half of a room to themselves but the problem that the oldest one have is killing me. The floor is hardwood and it's already damage, and i can't find a solution to keep the floor clean. I started to place a EVA carpet, didn't work... then switched to a rubber carpet and the problem continued, the last attempt was a mosaic floor similar to those in the gym, but didn't work to!

Someone know some material that's waterproof and don't let the water(pee) get under? Nothing i can think of is big enough to have no discontinuities where water can seep in

Lino maybe? You can get some offcuts cheaply and make nice floor, if possible choose textured so he could comfortably use it, some rabbits have fluffy feet and need better grip, otherwise stay on carpets

 

[PHH]

Lino like vinyl?

It's a possibility, we wil remodel their space in the next days, but finding the right material has been difficult.

Already with the litter box i made 7 or 8 prototypes, it was difficult but i think i nailed it but took a lot of try and error. The floor has been more challenge

 

[Diane R]

I second the suggestion of lino, you can get textured non-slip cushioned lino. But I very much doubt your bunny has diabetes as that is practically unheard of in rabbits. It is much more likely your bunny has EC. I would ask the vet about 28 days of Panacur and Metacam. You would also need to treat his mate(s) and disinfect the environment.

 

[PHH]

EC the three of them already had. The youngest (the female) last year stayed permanently with headtilt but have a normal life, inclusive can make small jumps.
When i say diabetes is diabetes insipidus, is a problem with fluids. He drinks and pees a lot, he had to take some medicine (don't remember the name) twice a day for the rest of his life, even though it's not 100% effective. These diabetes have nothing to do with insulin

 

[Preitler]

Cheap pvc flooring, you might get leftovers really cheap at vendors. You can cut the corners so you can bend it up at the rims.
I would put 2-3 layers of cardboard under it, just to catch anything that gets there. And some cheap or old rugs on top, or even cardboard (most of my house is covered with cardboard because my buck tends to get sore hocks, easy to replace when soiled).

 

[Diane R]

EC the three of them already had. The youngest (the female) last year stayed permanently with headtilt but have a normal life, inclusive can make small jumps.
When i say diabetes is diabetes insipidus, is a problem with fluids. He drinks and pees a lot, he had to take some medicine (don't remember the name) twice a day for the rest of his life, even though it's not 100% effective. These diabetes have nothing to do with insulin

Diabetes insipidus is also very, very rare in rabbits. Probably EC has affected kidneys? Has he had a blood test for kidney function? Might still be worth treating again for EC?

 

[PHH]

Cheap pvc flooring, you might get leftovers really cheap at vendors. You can cut the corners so you can bend it up at the rims.
I would put 2-3 layers of cardboard under it, just to catch anything that gets there. And some cheap or old rugs on top, or even cardboard (most of my house is covered with cardboard because my buck tends to get sore hocks, easy to replace when soiled).

Last week we clean the enclosure and remove the puzzle pieces and put a large towel and a rubber mat over. I'm not sure if is a temporary solution because they are in my ex house and i'm not ask for updates yet. But PVC floor sounds a good idea, time will tell

Diabetes insipidus is also very, very rare in rabbits. Probably EC has affected kidneys? Has he had a blood test for kidney function? Might still be worth treating again for EC?

Yes, he made a blood test (makes every year) and Diabetes insipidus seems the problem, because with the medicine he almost "look" normal.
EC have a crisis in 2018, was treated and never had symptoms since then.

He is a very kind bunny, if he feels that anyone is trying to help, he lets do anything

 

[Blue eyes]

The rolled linoleum or vinyl flooring found in hardware stores is usually displayed in sample racks. If you go to the store and physically feel them, you should be able to find some that are not just mildly textured but ones that feel almost rough -- similar to rubbing your hand on a stone paver or sandpaper. Those are the ones that won't be slick but will still be waterproof (pee proof). Last I checked, of the dozens and dozens on display, only about 2-4 were as textured as that.

 

[Diane R]

Last week we clean the enclosure and remove the puzzle pieces and put a large towel and a rubber mat over. I'm not sure if is a temporary solution because they are in my ex house and i'm not ask for updates yet. But PVC floor sounds a good idea, time will tell



Yes, he made a blood test (makes every year) and Diabetes insipidus seems the problem, because with the medicine he almost "look" normal.
EC have a crisis in 2018, was treated and never had symptoms since then.

He is a very kind bunny, if he feels that anyone is trying to help, he lets do anything

I don't know how difficult it is for you to find good rabbit vets where you live, especially at the moment, but I would definitely want a second opinion. If you or your vet are RWAF members, your vet can get advice from Richard Saunders, a specialist in rabbit medicine.

 

[PHH]

Where i live i have access to the two best exotic veterinarian in the country.

I started to go to one witch i have a small disagreement (not wit the vet but with the clinic/staff) about the treatment of EC of the youngest one and prices that doesn't make sense in same cases, then i started to go to the other and seems he knows is stuff. Unfortunately i came across with a number of vets and it was difficult to find the right one.

The three have to go to the vet (yearly check up and deworming) but with the current situation of COVID we decided to wait for next month

 

[PHH]

To do an update...

Last week i moved him to my flat, he stay no my room. I placed a shower courtain on the floor and on top used some towels, for the fence i used a fence panel. During the day his completely free to decided wherever he wants to be. The enclosure has 120x120cm (47"x47").

I replace the towels every two days, seems like he only uses the litter box whenever he wants. Last saturday was the worst day, i think every pee was make on the floor! If i let down guard for a few hours and he pees offside the towels and makes a mess when runs over the pee...

Everyday his a learning day...

P.S: The medicine that he takes is Desmopressin