Hard time litter box training :(

[shelby_jonesss]

My rabbit is 10 months old. I had him almost litter box trained but then I expanded his cage and then he would poop and pee everywhere. That was about two months ago. Two weeks ago I got him neutered, and am trying really hard to get the litter box training down. His cage is an extra large dog crate, and I have news paper down for him. He has a litter box about twice his size and his litter is some type of old recycled newspaper that I get from the pet store that is rolled into clumps. I put hay in his litter box and I also have two hay boxes next to his litter box. I pick up pee and poop outside and put it inside his box. I also move his box to whatever corner he decides but nothing is working .... HELP

 

[Bville]

What a stubborn bunny!! My first idea is to start fresh and clean his cage and litter box with a 50:50 solution of vinegar and water, get rid of the newspaper that you have been putting down on the floor, and keep the hay in the litter box set up that you have. Check on him as often as you can and if he pees outside the litter box, soak it up with a paper towel and put it in the box. Pick up any poops that are outside the box too and put them in there. I have three rabbits and two of them still poop outside the box sometimes so I think with some bunnies, peeing in the box and pooping most of the time in there is the best you can hope for.

 

[shelby_jonesss]

I clean the bottom of his cage everyday with animal urine cleaner. I was hoping it would take away his smell. I guess he's just being stubborn! Thank you for help!

 

[Tally943]

I would try different kinds of litter or bedding. When I was litter box training mine, I used "rabbit litter" and "aspen litter" and he seemed not to like either of those at all. So I started just using aspen bedding, and it worked! That combined with some hay made a perfect litter box, and I never had any trouble again.

If that doesn't work, there's a few other things you can try. I never use newspaper with my rabbits because they always tear it up and make a huge mess , and they do seem to like to poop and pee on it as well. Always pick up the poop and put it in the box to show him that is where it goes. Lastly, try rearranging the entire cage. Remember, you have to make the litter box desirable, finding out what hay he likes or bedding can really make him want to use it more. Also, make sure the only hay in the cage , is in the litter box.

If all of this still doesn't work, try changing the actual litter box. You can get a corner one or a square one. You can even use a cat one that is covered. Once, you find out what he likes, you will have no problem litter box training him.

Here are the ones I use: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002ASBBS/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003RQVGKC/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

-If you use that last one, make sure to take out the black thing on the top (that will get chewed) and well as the plastic door , because it will make it harder for him to get in and out.

 

[PaGal]

You do need to remove the newspaper from the floor of the cage as it can confuse him. Clean the cage with a mix of vinegar/water. The vinegar breaks down the urine smell so the bun cannot smell it anymore. If he pees outside of the litter box, soak the urine up with a piece of paper towel (it doesn't have to be big) and place this in the litter box. Pick up and place any poops in the litter box. Confine your bun until the litter habits improve.

Once your bun is litter trained then slowly allow him some more space. You don't want to give him too much extra space too fast. Keep in mind a rabbit is considered litter trained when it pees only in the litter box. It is rare to find as bun that does not drop at least a few poos outside of the litter box.

I have litter trained two intact females and one intact male this way, one was ten weeks old and the other two a year and a half. Good Luck!

 

[shelby_jonesss]

I was going to pick up the newspaper, but I was worried that pee would dry up before I got to it, which means I would think he's peeing in his box. I most definitely will take the advice everyone gave me, so lucky you have you guys!! This forum is great! I will keep you guys updated within the next couple days, thank you so much for the help

 

[PaGal]

Since you have an extra large dog crate, I assume it has the normal black, plastic tray in the bottom. If you're bun pees outside of the litter box and it dries it will leave a bit of white on the plastic. It is the calcium in your buns urine that has dried. So you will know and to clean the white residue you can either pour just a little vinegar on it and let it sit for a few minutes and then clean up or even soak a paper towel with vinegar and lay it on the spot for a few minutes and then wipe up.

My buns are housed in extra large dog crates as well.

 

[Hagrid]

Hi I wouldn't suggest hay in the litter box, as he would have that for eating and they like to eat and pee in separate places. Rabbits are very clean and choose to pee and poop in one area. Try and put a different substance in the litter box and if you find pee then scoop some up and put it in the litter box, hop this helps x:brown-bunny

 

[Hagrid]

Hi I wouldn't suggest hay in the litter box, as he would have that for eating and they like to eat and pee in separate places. Rabbits are very clean and choose to pee and poop in one area. Try and put a different substance in the litter box and if you find pee then scoop some up and put it in the litter box, hop this helps x:brown-bunny

If you put hay in an holder above the litter box that will help with pooping as they eat and poop at same time

 

[Bville]

Hi I wouldn't suggest hay in the litter box, as he would have that for eating and they like to eat and pee in separate places. Rabbits are very clean and choose to pee and poop in one area. Try and put a different substance in the litter box and if you find pee then scoop some up and put it in the litter box, hop this helps x:brown-bunny

Actually, it is common practice to set up a litter box with hay in it. If it bothers you to have them peeing and pooping on the hay in there, you can keep it at one end, but rabbits usually pick out the choice pieces of hay anyway and don't eat anything that is soiled. A hay rack above the litter box solves that worry too. Here's a link that someone posted before and I saved because I thought it was good advice. I used to use the Carefresh litter, but I switched to pine horse stall pellets because they are cheaper and they work just fine.

http://www.sandiegorabbits.org/litter-box-training/litterbox-setup-success-0

 

[shelby_jonesss]

Hey everyone! I'm back to update you and to ask questions. Cheerios bathroom habits definitely have been improving. He mostly poops in his litter box with the exception of a few drops (which is expected) and pees mostly in his box but he is still peeing outside of it about once a day. He has been confined in his cage since I started the litter training which was 6 days ago. People told me (and I also read) that I shouldn't let him have free time again until his litter habits are on point. I feel bad no letting him out. Should I?

 

[shelby_jonesss]

Correction - I started the litter box training 10 days ago which means he has only been out of his box for about 10 minutes each day when I clean his cage.

 

[Kati's Holland Lops]

I breed, show and sell holland lops, and from my experience as long as the mother rabbit is potty trained she will teach her babies so I suggest to visit the sight of the breeder that u got it to see what she does ( if u got it from a pet store or a rescue center I can't help)

 

[Azerane]

When he pees outside of his litterbox, is it always in the same place, or is it different places? I'm asking because I'm wondering whether it might be worth moving the litterbox to that spot. Is the spot where the litterbox is sheltered, some rabbits won't use a litter box if it's in a location that's too open.

Then again, maybe he is just a super stubborn bunny, haha. Also do you know if he's peeing outside it while it's still quite clean, or does it happen when he's already used it a lot? Perhaps he's just very fussy with how clean he likes his litterbox to be, and won't use it after it's been used a few times.

Also, what sort of surface is he peeing on when it's outside the box?