Neutering a 3 year old Holland Lop

[KHett]

I recently acquired a 3.5 year old retired Holland Lop stud from a breeder about a month ago.

Here's the backstory:
I had rabbits growing up (one at a time) who lived free range in our home. It was my intention in getting a bunny now that it would also be free range in our home. I contacted a number of rescues and breeders as I was looking for a bunny who was outgoing, cuddly, enjoyed being held and good with kids - I wanted an older rabbit with a known personality. I had a rabbit growing up who was quite aggressive and another who didn't really like people, so I wanted the right personality. Anyways, I found the sweetest unaltered Holland Lop who has all those wonderful traits and more - he's amazing! He does not seem to have any raging hormone issues - no mounting, no spraying (just peeing regular peeing) BUT he poops and pees everywhere! I believe this is marking behaviour. I have a few litter boxes and put the poop and the paper towel I've used to clean up the pee in the boxes. It seems the only time he uses the boxes is by accident! His hay is just above his litter box, so he's in there when he's eating. I have him contained to a smaller area to try and train him, but this doesn't seem to make any difference. I have always had the intention of having him neutered and made the appointment with the vet as soon as we got him. His neuter appointment is in 5 days.

In your experience, do you think his marking behaviour will drop significantly after he's altered (since his testosterone doesn't seem that high to begin with) or is this behaviour part of his habits since he's 3.5 years old? I really, really don't want him confined to a pen!

Thanks in advance!

 

[Mariam+Theo]

I think it should stop, and he should use his litter box. One thing to be concerned about is that his behavior might change a little. He might not be as sweet, or he could be sweeter.

 

[Blue eyes]

The key with training him is to go slowly and limit his space. It can take 1-2 months for hormones to settle down after being neutered. So his behavior and potty habits can be in flux during that time.

Once that time is passed, you can begin training in earnest. The right litter box set up is quite important. Also, it is imperative that his space is confined initially. This teaches him to go in the box. Too much space too soon just leads to accidents which are then much more difficult to "un-train."

Take a read here (my website) for more detail on the actual process of litter training.

Being bred, it is likely he was kept in a cage with a pullout tray and didn't have a litter box. This litter training will be new to him which is why it's best to go slowly.

 

[KHett]

Thank you so much for your help!! Greatly appreciated!

 

[Pumpkin]

Definitely get him neutered! He will never be fully potty trained until he is. And you don't need to worry about his behavior changing. He will still be just as loving as he was. The only things that will change will be things like mounting or territorial markings. Lennon the Bunny is a great YouTube channel to watch. She has tons of videos about everything you need to know to take care of your indoor rabbit. This one is about litter training, but it's only going to work after you neuter him. She also has videos about neutering your bunny. . . You said that you were going to get him fixed in 5 days and writing 7 days later. Be VERY careful because he is getting a little old. Make sure your vets examine him thoroughly to make sure he can be neutered safely. I hope everything went well!

 

[KHett]

Thank you for your advice. His operation went really well and the vet was wonderful!

I love Lennons channel and watched her videos prior to getting our bun. We had him neutered 2 weeks ago and although not too much had changed yet, he is using his litter box more for pee. He still pees in other places in his pen, but its much more in the litter box now than it was before. Since its only been 2 weeks, I am still keeping him in the xpen, and will continue to do so until he has his pee in the right place!

Are older rabbits harder to litter train?

 

[Mariam+Theo]

I don't think it should be harder to litter train him. He is probably just marking his territory and then will start going in the litter box. Soak up the pee with a paper towel and put it in his litter box. Then clean the place where he peed with vinegar and a paper towel to prevent him from going there again.