need litter training suggestions and any other advice

[DUSTBUNNY-CLYDE]

Hi I'm new to this!! Just got 2 lionhead boys 3 weeks ago. they are 10 and 12 weeks old now. I have them in a x-large dog crate, built a resting shelf on one end that has a cuddle bed on it( which they love), I also put plexi glass around edges to cut down on the mess, which doesn't work that well. I put 2 large litter boxes with carefresh litter in them, and then I put aspen chips in the rest of the cage. They think the litter boxes are their beds and the cage is a giant litter box. the cage and the garage floor is a disaster, and they also have wood chips and carefresh stuck all in their fur all the time! So I did a lot of reading and put 3 corner litter boxes in the corners and put just the aspen in and they peed next to the litter boxes. so I put all the poopie and wiped up pee in the litter box along with fresh hay and moved the litter boxes where they peed last. then they peed in another spot. bottom line, i'm out of ideas?? they're not getting it and everything is an absolute mess!!

I had a lop earred bunny when I was little. used wrong food, wrong litter, wrong everything. wasn't educated on anything and the bunny was totally litter trained immediately???? no problems!! hahahhaaha!!

Please help!! I love these little guys and want to get this right!!

 

[missyscove]

Hi and welcome to RO!
You're right to only put litter in the litter. The corner boxes may be too small. Some bunnies hang their butts over the edge. Also keep in mind that they're young and (presumably) not spayed/neutered (please be sure they're the same gender so you don't end up with any oops litters) which generally means their litter habits will be less than perfect.

My advice would be to stick those two large litterboxes one in each of two corners with their litter and a pile of hay. They do like to eat and poop at the same time so they hay usually helps with that. Whenever they pee outside the cage do wipe it up ad put it in the box. I also clean up accident spots with a 50/50 mix of white vinegar and water that I keep in a spray bottle.

Are they not peeing in the bed? Lots of buns like to pee on soft things (although I too have a bun that loves his bed).

 

[DUSTBUNNY-CLYDE]

Thanks for the advice. I have been using 50/50 vinager to clean up the cage. I changed to the corner litter boxes because they will not pee in the big ones at all, even with the wiped up pee and poopy in there. they have been dry as a bone for 2 weeks now. they aren't getting it at all. should I use different litter?? what should I use on the bottom of the cage for bedding?
They are definitely 2 boys. I stopped at my vet for a well check on the way home from the breeders. My vet wont neuter them until they are 6 mos. old. I rather have him do it sooner.

 

[missyscove]

If the cage has a solid bottom, don't put any bedding on the bottom of the cage. I use a 42 inch dog crate with just the plastic pan on the bottom. Once they've proven their litter habits, you can give them a blanket or something if you'd like, but I wouldn't do it before then.
Once your two boys hit puberty you may find that they start fighting. Your vet should be able to neuter them as soon as their testicles descend although lionheads are a pretty small breed so most vets prefer a larger patient when (e.g. a 2 months or 2 lbs rule on kittens).

 

[Imbrium]

yeah, you definitely need to be prepared to house them separately at some point before their neuters - hormones can provoke vicious or even deadly fights. I'm glad you had the genders double-checked - that was something I was going to mention as well, since rabbits are notoriously difficult to sex.

not using bedding in the cage is definitely the way to go - bedding in the cage confuses them and tends to make them think the entire cage is a litter box.

 

[DUSTBUNNY-CLYDE]

ok. should I switch to a different litter for the litterboxes that does not get kicked and get stuck in their fur also? I keep on switching something every week. Their all mixed up!!

I read about them fighting possibly, so when i bought the dog crate ,I bought one that was tall also ,so I can split the cage in half, one on the bottom, one on the top! I hope they don't! If they get along after the neuter I want to put another level for more room in the crate. also I just ordered a big excercise fence too. they did start humping each other when they're out of the cage yesterday! ugg!! silly bunnies!!! thanks for the advice!!!

 

[missyscove]

I've never had a bunny with any long fur so it hasn't been a problem for me. Personally I use pelleted pine litter (pellets are kiln dried so the harmful phenols are removed) on top of a layer or two of newspaper in my boxes.

 

[Imbrium]

the humping means someone's probably hormonal, so keep a close eye on them from here on out! look for things like tufts of fur that have been pulled out to tip you off that fighting might've happened while you weren't around.

for litter, a lot of people use wood pellets (from a feed store) or wood stove pellets (from some hardware stores), which is very absorbent and has good odor control - it's like $4-7 for a 40 lb bag, so very inexpensive! (if you get the stove pellets, make sure they don't say they have an accelerant added)

you can also build a litter box grid to stop them from standing in their waste/litter - I love mine. this thread has instructions (about 1/3 of the way down the first page) on how to make one. helped a ton when my lionhead had a skirt as a baby that everything would stick to. http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=53690&forum_id=93

 

[mochajoe]

Everyone has given you wonderful suggestions...I hope and pray they all work! Unfortunately bunnies with longer hair present a greater challenge when it comes to litter box training and their fur in general. From my experience as well, trying to litter box train two in the same cage is a whole different challenge! With my daughters two fuzzy lops, we tried EVERYTHING and then resorted to a wire bottom cage with a pullout tray. I used pine pellet litter in the corners they preferred to help with the urine smell. Our two new babies (Holland lops, I will never have long haired bunnies) did really well with two litter boxes and no shavings or bedding of any kind in the cage itself. I highly recommend the pine pellets for the litter boxes! I have horses as well, so I just use the equine pellets! They are cheap and work really well! I wish you the very best of luck!!!

 

[DUSTBUNNY-CLYDE]

thanks for all the advice and support friends!! its been over 24 hours and only 3 accidents outside the litter box. I think thats pretty good!! I had pine litter here for my chihuahua's litter box so I put the 2 big litter boxes in, pine litter, newspaper and hay on top! they are humping each other still, but not any aggression yet!! In the cage they groom each other and snuggle. I am making the neutering appt. tomorrow for them. since they are half brothers I'm hoping they wont fight!! hahahaha!! my vet wants to wait until their 6 months old, but i hope he will do it a little sooner!!!

 

[missyscove]

Rabbits do not take relatives into account when choosing who to fight, or breed, with.