Lop digging out litter.

[BunnyBusiness]

For a few days now Clem has been digging out her litterbox, sometimes even right after I clean it out. I use shavings or carefresh with hay on top and around the sides, it's a ferret litterbox but she's never had any problems with it before.

It doesn't stop at digging out litter, she was pushing it around her cage and eats some of the hay, and I've had her push the litterbox from behind somehow and get it on the other side of the cage, so I moved the litterbox to that side and it hasn't fixed the problem.

She is not spayed yet, soon will be, but even if she wasn't spayed she was still good on her litterbox training.

What could fix this?

 

[Blue eyes]

Most ferret litter boxes are quite small for a rabbit. Could you post a photo of your litter box?

This behavior may very well stop after she's spayed. But there are several options anyway.

I'd start with getting a larger litter box (if yours is as small as the average ferret box). I recommend a box that is quite roomy. Mine is about 16" by 23." -just a wal-mart storage box.

Carefresh and shavings (only aspen shavings are safe) are both very light weight. That is why I am not crazy about either one. That fluffiness not only seems to entice rabbits to push the bedding around, but tends to get tracked everywhere too. However, if you really want to stick with that bedding/litter, then putting a fuller layer of hay on top might help.

Your other option is to switch to a heavier bedding like the wood pellets (not shavings). These are quite inexpensive and, imo, do the best job of odor control. Many here on RO use this type of litter. I still top it with hay as you do.

But if all else fails, you can also get a grate to put over top of the litter. This will prevent bunny from digging. But you may not need to go to that extreme if bunny is soon to be spayed.

 

[BunnyBusiness]

I will give the wood pellets a try, and here is a picture of the litterbox to her size + mess. -_- Now I would get a bigger litterbox but her cage is a bit small for an upgrade, so I plan on moving her to my room after her spay with a storage grid cage.

 

[samoth]

My neutered buck started doing that on occasion this spring. I don't know if it's weather-related, or if he's trying to tell me something, or if it's just fun. I use high-sides cat litterboxes with shavings on top of pellets.

I have one of those grates that go over the litter, but my rabbits hate/are confused by it and immediately hop out and refuse to use that litter box.

He's gotten better, because I tell him "no" whenever I catch him doing it... actually, it's probably because the EVIL LOUD VACUUM THING comes out whenever he makes a mess, but I'd like to think that he listens to me at times.

 

[stevesmum]

Sigh.. my spayed doe digs out her litter box almost daily. I use wood pellets. She pees in them, makes them sawdust and then digs out the whole works. Her litter box is big with high back and sides. She just loves to dig and I haven't been able to find a way to stop it. So I feel your pain.

 

[BunnyBusiness]

I was wondering if it may have been triggered by the other rabbit in the room because I heard this behavior may be a way to reclaim territory, it's an unneutered male and they do not enjoy it when one is out for exercise and gets triggered by binkies, almost seems like "if I can't have fun you can't either " and they start grunting.

I have them separated at a safe distance from each other's cage so they don't hurt each other.

 

[BunnyBusiness]

This causes another problem. She hates bottles for water and she bites and shakes them making them drip, but if she uses a bowl she gets litter in it and I have to clean it every hour. I've tried all the bottles we have and they're either too big or drip too much