Litterbox training

[NotaCocoaPuff]

I want to be realistic in my expectations with these two new bunnies but I am getting frustrated and so is my husband. Mr. Rabbit really set the bar high and these two new ones do not measure up.

I had them a month now, they were born in foster. Both un-spayed females (scheduled for next week, yay!!)
I have two large raised litterboxes with their hay troughs in them. I only feed them in their litterboxes. They are the messiest rabbits!! Every morning and evening there are hundreds of poops scattered about or smooshed into my tile floor. There is always between 1 and 4 pee messes.
I was using puppy pads for easy cleanup but I eliminated them because I felt it was encouraging them to mess outside the box.
When I clean up after them I sprinkle the poops over the two litter boxes. The pee usually has to be wiped up.
They are peeing in the boxes a little because when I clean them there are clumps of pee. I just feel like I am making no headway. I want to give them more freedom but I can't have them peeing all over my house.
I always used raised litterboxes for Mr. Rabbit but I'm wondering if they won't work for these two. Maybe I should go back to just litter with hay on top?

Will spaying them really make litterbox training that much easier?? I feel like I am putting so much faith into the idea that spaying them will make their behaviors so much better. I'm afraid I'm going to be sadly disappointed when life is still the same after surgery. These girls are all work and no fun... I would like to get to the point where I look forward to seeing them rather than sighing out of frustration every morning and night.

 

[Hermelin]

I can tell you neutering would had made it a lot easier to make my first bunny litter trained faster. He was great going to the litter box until he hit 4 months then he was a devil outside the cage. Peeing on carpets, sneaking into the wardrobe, using the couch and bed and so on. After struggling for 6 months he stopped going on clothes and carpets. Bed and couches first stopped when he was neutered at 2 years old. Had to wait because he was a bit small and I didn’t have the money.

So Neutering and spaying definitely helps litter training a bunny if you don’t want to the struggle for nearly 1 year which I had to do with him [emoji23]

 

[jess24rose]

It looks like there's wire floor on the bottom of the litter boxes maybe take the wire out to make it more comfortable for them to be in the litter boxes.

 

[Blue eyes]

I think you are fighting a lost cause trying to litter train hormonal rabbits. But don't worry. They should take to the training more easily once they've had time to recuperate from their spays.

In the meantime, you may want to get a scrap piece of linoleum to lay on the tile to protect the grout from staining. Just be sure the edges of the lino are beyond the pen walls so the buns can't access the edges. It should also make cleanup easier if they do happen to pee on it. (use a paper towel to wipe up pee and then place the soaked paper towel under the litter in the litter box)

 

[NotaCocoaPuff]

It looks like there's wire floor on the bottom of the litter boxes maybe take the wire out to make it more comfortable for them to be in the litter boxes.

Yes, it is PVC coated wire but I also usually have these plastic liners over that (kinda look like a broiler pan). I took them off because I thought they were contributing to the smell issue I was having. I have since replaced them with a lining of hay to see if that helps. They don’t mind being in the litter boxes, I see them in there all the time but they just wee/poo all over.

 

[NotaCocoaPuff]

I can tell you neutering would had made it a lot easier to make my first bunny litter trained faster. He was great going to the litter box until he hit 4 months then he was a devil outside the cage. Peeing on carpets, sneaking into the wardrobe, using the couch and bed and so on. After struggling for 6 months he stopped going on clothes and carpets. Bed and couches first stopped when he was neutered at 2 years old. Had to wait because he was a bit small and I didn’t have the money.

So Neutering and spaying definitely helps litter training a bunny if you don’t want to the struggle for nearly 1 year which I had to do with him [emoji23]

I think I’m just trying too hard and fighting a lost cause... at least until they’re fixed.

How long do females take to simmer down after being spayed?