First rabbit!

[roomieboy]

Hi guys!

So i just got my first rabbit only a few weeks ago. He is a 10 week old blue holland lop named Romeo. He has warmed up to me pretty quickly and enjoys showering me in bunny kisses and relaxing with me on the couch while I watch TV before bed. However, I have a few questions regarding training, housing, etc. So here ya go...

First of all, I know he is only 10 weeks and I've only had him for 3 or 4 weeks so far but he has not used his litter box once yet. I put the box in the corner of his cage that he was peeing in, but when i moved it there, he just started going in a different corner. I have also tried my best to pick up his pee and poo and put it in the box when I can. I just am worried he's not getting it. I plan on getting him neutered when he's of age, but until then is there anything other little tricks I can try?

Secondly, Romeo hates being taken out of his cage and being put back in. Once he is out of the cage he is fine and seems to love being out of his cage but actually getting him out is a process. He panics and runs around the cage every time I reach in to get him. Similarly he freaks out when i put him back in. Sometimes, I find him more comfortable if I cover his eyes while i put him back in. He also hates being picked up in general. Do i just continue to handle him as much as I can? Any suggestions?

Last question... what is everyone's opinion on "bunny trances"? A trance definitely helps when I cut his nails but he doesn't particularly like it.

I think that's all of the questions I have for right now. Please feel free to give me any advice or new rabbit owner information you can think of. I would love to hear it all! Thank you!

 

[PaGal]

By all means if your bun is more relaxed being picked up when his eyes are covered then go ahead and cover his eyes. Most buns do not like to be picked up. Being prey animals they associate being picked up with being eaten. However, they can learn to tolerate it. As your bun is young you can try giving him a treat of pellet after you have picked him up to help him start to associate being picked up with something good.

All I did for litter training was to place the litter box in the corner the bun chose to pee in, placed all loose poops in the litter box, soaked a piece of paper towel in any pee outside the litter box and placed the piece of paper towel in the litter box, clean the cage bottom with a mixture of water and vinegar which gets rid of the smell so the bun will not automatically go there and hang a hay rack so that when the bun eats the hay it has to be in the litter box as they tend to go potty while munching. Limit the buns space until it is using the litter box only for peeing. With the two new buns I have since they are over a year old and had been kept in a wire cage with no litter box I waited a few days before cleaning the litter box so that their smell would build up in it hoping that would make them more likely to use the litter box. Good Luck!

 

[Azerane]

Hi there, you seem to be doing most things right for the litter training. I'm assuming that you've only got litter inside the tray? Have you lined the rest of his cage with anything, if so, he may be getting confused.

As for taking him out of his cage, you have to be persistent. Is it a top opening cage? Reaching in to get a rabbit from the top is a very frightening experience for them, it's like being taken by a predator, that doesn't mean he can't get used to it though. Since Romeo is still new, he may still be getting used to it. What I would do, is open his cage a lot and instead of picking him up, just pet him and reward him when he doesn't run away so he gets used to you reaching in. If you're unsure of yourself when picking him up he will pick up on that too, what can help, is gently laying a towel over the top of them so they can't see, and then you can pick them up using the towel, that way, even when he struggles he won't be able to get away. Bandit didn't like being picked up either but my method was to just be persistent so that he would get used to it. As for putting him back in, covering his eyes is a good idea, also, once he is on the ground again, you could reward him with a treat. The same for once you've got him picked up, try rewarding him with a treat.

As for bunny trances, I think the opinions vary greatly. Yes they can be useful, but it's not actually good for rabbits. It can be quite stressful as it is a prey response. Another option to try instead of trancing is called a bunny burrito, there are videos on youtube of how to go about it

 

[NDrAbBiTs58041]

That explains why thumper poo's on his hay.

 

[roomieboy]

Uh oh...seems like everything I typed up never got posted. Let's try this again..

As far as potty training goes I am currently using carefresh bedding as litter in his box, and then putting kaytee bedding everywhere else in the cage. Should I not be putting any bedding in the cage at all so he doesn't get confused? Also, while on the topic... any suggestions on what I should be using as litter? I'm using the bedding because that all I have right now but i've heard using horse pellets is a good idea because they are a good odor absorber.

Secondly, the advice you both gave me on picking him up and getting him in and out of the cage definitely helped! The cage I currently have has both a top cage door and another door on the front side. I usually take him out of the side door. I guess this is just something were going to have to start working on! I will keep you posted

Thank you for the great ideas

P.S a bunny burrito is just too cute! I am definitely feeling inclined to try a burrito rather than a trance. Next time I clip his nails we'll try it out and see what he thinks!

 

[Azerane]

Agree with removing the kaytee bedding from the rest of his cage, that will certainly be confusing him As for what to use for litter, you can continue to use the carefresh, or switch to horse stall/kiln dried pellets (which I'm told are super cheap as well as being good for odours), or you can also use recycled paper pellets. It also depends what your bunny prefers too, some can be picky about it. If you are going to switch, mix the two types together for a little bit to get him used to it.

Hope it continues to go well

 

[Bunnylova4eva]

Congrats on the new bunny! Cute name, too-I almost named Ripley that when I got him

I find Carefresh works wonderfully in a litter box, but yes, I put it nowhere else in the cage except the box. Many people here love the woodstove and horse pellets. I haven't had such luck with them though (my bunnies went ahead and quit using their boxes) so we've stuck with the Carefresh.

 

[roomieboy]

So I took all the bedding out of his cage, but now he pees in the same spot even without the bedding! It's making a mess of his cage and even when I pick up his pee and place it in the litterbox he still has no idea what to do. I'm getting sad because I really want him to be able to run around my room but I just worry that he's going to pee everywhere... he's already had a few accidents on my carpet and on my bed. Do i just let him continue peeing on the bottom of the cage without bedding and just keep picking it up and putting it in his litterbox? Or should I put the bedding back in and try something else? I'm just surprised he hasn't used the litterbox once.

 

[Watermelons]

Let your rabbit pick a corner, then put the litter box with the dirty litter in the spot they picked.
We can't always choose for them.

 

[roomieboy]

I spoke too soon! So I literally just cleaned his cage out and cleaned his litter out and put new bedding in it. I'm sitting here on my laptop and letting him run around my room and wouldn't you know, it he hops right into his cage USES his litter box and hops right back out!! This is the first time he's used his litter box! I think me posting about it 15 minutes earlier was a sign :happybunny::goodjob

 

[Azerane]

Wow, that's fantastic news that he's getting the hang of it! Good job there. I remember cleaning out Bandit's litter tray once, when I brought it back into the room and set it down he jumped straight in it and straight out again, but left a single poop in the tray. It was the funniest thing to think that he'd been holding on to that single little poo.

 

[PaGal]

So glad to hear he is starting to use his litter box. One thing, remember to clean any pee up and use vinegar as it gets rid of the smell making it less likely for them to pee there. As for your bed, many buns seem to like peeing on soft items such as beds and couches.