problems with pooing!

[Lucianne]

I have a doe lionhead, around 6 months old, wholives indoors. She comes out of her cage every evening. When we firstgot her she would just be on the sofa, using a litter tray in thecorner of the sofa. Now she is bigger though, she explores the wholeroom. The problem is that her urine and poo, and therefore the littertray, really smell, and she scatters pills all over the sofa (only thesofa, not the rest of the room). I got pretty fed up with it, sodecided to move the litter tray off the sofa. She pooed even more onthe sofa, so we began pushing her off the sofa when she'd poo, saying"No Poo!". The situation just got worse, until now she's banned fromthe sofa at all, which has to be enforced using a water pistol. Sheseems to treat this as a game, and manages to leap on the sofa andsqueeze out about half a dozen pills in the ten seconds it takes topick up the gun and squirt her. If she's left alone in the room shejust covers the sofa with piles of poo, which smells really unpleasantand is generally pretty revolting. She has also peed on the sofa manytimes.

I'm fed up with it, and my boyfriend is even more so. I bought her alarge hutch when I got her, and a smaller cage for travelling. Sheseemed to much prefer that cage, so that's the one she lives in, butit's really too small for her to be in a lot. I'd like to let her outmore, but the way the situation is at the moment, I can't leave herunattended so she gets less and less time out - ie I used to let herout as soon as my daughter went to bed a 7, but now she has to waituntil I've done chores, cooked my dinner etc, as I don't trust heralone. It's also a real shame, as she used to lie on the sofa for ageswhile I stroked her, but now if I let her do it, then when she gets upthere are poos there. It means she's getting much less affection andpositive attention.

I realise it's a territorial thing, but how on earth do I stop it? I'mseriously considering rehoming her, as I don't think she's getting whatshe needs, and I'm fed up with the smell (she does seem to be anespecially stinky rabbit!).

 

[naturestee]

Don't rehome her! You've actuallyfound one of the #1 reasons why rabbits are given up... they hitpuberty. The best thing you can do is to spay her.She is pooping and peeing on your couch because she is marking herterritory. She's like my Mocha before she was spayed- shegets upset when you stop her and then poops even more. Mochaimproved a lot after spaying (at least until I brought two hated rivalshome).

Another part of this is age. She's a "teenager," now, and herhormones are raging. Teenage buns are usually more messy anddestructive than buns at any other age. She's also making agame of disobeying you, so it's fun for her now. They do calmdown with time. Sometimes it's difficult to dealwith. I know. I've been there. But itdoes get better, and I can't stress spay/neuter enough for helping dealwith this. Not to mention the health benefits for females-uterine cancer is very common in older does.

Also, have you tried blocking the couch off from her? Itmight be less comfortable for you when she's out, but it will removethe temptation.

 

[Nadezhda]

I agree with naturestee! Don't rehome your baby!

As for the stinky thing... How is her diet? Is she old enoughto get greens? Does she eat too many pellets? Areher pellets too low in fibre and too high in protein? Do youfeed her 'novelty bunny food' like carrots all the time?

 

[Maureen Las]

I agree with everybody posting above me...sheneeds to be spayed as it will help her withhorribleadolescent behaviour which she will eventually outgrow

 

[Spring]

Is there another room you can let her in?

Don't rehome her. They do get more mature and go out of this stage. Spaying would help too.

 

[bunnydude]

Spaying would help a lot. Bunnies are alot easier to litter train once they are fixed

 

[Lucianne]

Thanks for the advice. I have been saving up toget her spayed, but can't afford it yet. I know that it would probablyimprove things, although now that she has the habit of pooing on thesofa, I'm not sure that she'll stop. I do feel sad about it, as sheshould be out of the cage now, but I've had to put her back in while Icook and do computer stuff, as she's already managed to deposit a few,and that was with me sitting there! She's such a sweet natured bunny,and by far the most friendly rabbit I've ever had, but this is drivingme nuts!

 

[Lucianne]

Her diet is good, I think. She eats Burgess SupaExcel pellets, and lots of hay - sometimes timothy, sometimes normal,sometimes alfa. She gets greens or parsley most days, and thensometimes kale, sometimes carrots. Her pills smell really strong, whichis not something I've come across in any other rabbits - they don'tusually smell much at all. It's revolting because if you pick them up,your fingers stink afterwards (I now use newspaper to avoid having towash my hands every few minutes!), and when she leaves them all overthe sofa, there's a residual smell on the upholstery. And let's noteven mention the smell of urine - also much stinkier than I remember myother rabbits being.



Thanks to everyonefor your advice.

 

[Spring]

I think she's thinking it of a routine sinceshe's been on it since she's a baby. Is there anyway to block off thesofa? Maybe put boxes on it so she can't get up? Her poop shouldn'thave a smell that extreme. My rabbit if I pick up her poop used to makemy hands smell a bit but it was faint, now I use gloves espicially withmy new one because she isn't really litter trained. I don't know whatcould be in her diet that would be from the stinky poops.

I'm not sure about the urine but I know sometimes myrabbit'ssmells sort of seafoody (very gross) and I think it'sfrm her not drinking enough water (or too much.. I can't remember) orholding it in her bladder too long. It could also be from the Kale? I'mnot sure since kale as a lot of calcium in it.

 

[Lucianne]

I can't really think of an easy way to block offthe sofa, as it'sa pretty big sofa and even if I could getboxes that large, I don't know where I'd put them the rest of the time.She could still get on the arms of it too.

Last night I went into the kitchen for a minute, and when I came back Icaught her peeing all over the cushions. I was so furious I reallyshouted at her and shut her in her cage. At the moment I don't feellike letting her out at all, but then it feels cruel not to. I reallythink she might be happier with someone else.

 

[naturestee]

What about putting a tarp over thesofa? Just when she's out. It wouldn't solve theproblem but it would make it easier to clean up.

What she really needs is to be spayed. Rehoming her is notgoing to help that. Like I said, I've been through this withMocha. Wait it out and save your money to get herspayed. You won't regret it.

 

[Spring]

If you look at the option of rehoming her itmight not work. She might do the same for another family and either getshut awy in her cage or rehomed again.

 

[FlopsnWills]

also, just to add in.. the smell from her poopsis because she's being overfed alfalfa. the alfafa should stopcompletely since she is 6 months old now, and her pellets should bemeasured. she should only be getting 1/4 cup a day and unlimited grasshay. if she still has stinky poop, give her a little bit less and thepoops should get to be like normal rabbit poop.

i agree, rehoming her is not a good option because she's just going todo the same thing for the next home, who might just kick her out thedoor.

 

[Pipp]

Pipp did the same thing when she hit puberty -- except it was my bed. :growl:

A month after her spay, she was back to being perfect.

And I doubt very much yourbunny will be happier somewhereelse. It's you, not her, whowould be happier, she'squite happy peeing on the couch. If you do give her away,do your best to make sure she doesn't end up in a small cage the restof her little life, or as snake food. (Those feeder typeswill tell you how well they'll care for the bunny, and then go and tossher in a snake pen). :cry1

NIC (Neat Idea Cubes) panels can be built into very easy to use andeasy to store fencing. You can use themto block offthe couch when she's out. I pull mine open like a little gateto get in and out of rooms and areas where one bunny or another isn'tsupposed to go, and it works very well. A box ofthem here is only $20 or so here in Canada.

You can have them two panels high and as wide as your couch with one tothree panels deep at the ends so it stands up on its own and blocks thesides of the couch. You can pop the sides off andstash the whole works behind or under the couch until her next runtime.

If she is banished to the cage, at least put her in the bigger one andget her a friend to keep her company. Although that meansshe'll have to be spayed, too. But at least she won't havetolook to you for friendship, and she'll have better thingsto do than pee on the couch. (The NIC panels can also be usedas an exercise pen).

Please let us know how everythingworks out.

sas and pipp :bunnydanceand the warren)

 

[Lucianne]

Thanks for your reply.

She's getting neutered tomorrow, so I'm really hoping that will sortout the problems. The situation has now got worse, and she just thinksit's a big game. The other night I got up to use the bathroom and leftmy guest armed with the water gun and instructions to shoot if therabbit got on the sofa, and she STILL peed right in the middle of myseat - completely ignoring the water. She also pees and poos on theother couch too, which she never used to.

It's such a shame, because she's got a fabulous, cheeky personality,and I don't want to spend all my time feeling cross with her. Orresenting the smell!

Thanks for the advice.

 

[Maureen Las]

Hi..Here in the USA you can buy throw away dropcloths to cover furniture while you paint walls etc.. You can buyplastic of varying thickness, some are light plastic with a feltbackground. I have a dog that pees everynite in the same place. He is16 yrs old so I can't get angry. I buy drop cloths and string them overthe chair and table and tv in the area that he pees..then I throw itaway in the Am. Maybe you could clean your couches..cover them with aplastic drop cloth and then cover that with some heavy but inexpensivethrows. Then you could still squirt her when she wants on the couchesbut you wouldn't have such a mess on your couch. You could wash thethrows. I had my Babette spayed when she was 6 months old...she hasalways been clean and after her spay she got even cleaner,however shestill had a bad habit of chewing EVerything. This went on maybe a yearor so but by the age of 2 she had turned into a really nicenon-destruvtive bunny. I agree that the alfalfa might be causing thestrong odor; she doesn't need that now.

 

[Lucianne]

Thanks for that - I'll look around to see if we have similar affordable throws here in the UK.

She only has alfalfa as a very occasional thing - maybe once afortnight or less, so I can't see that it's that. On an everyday basis;meadow or timothy hay, burgess supa pellets, greens or parsley, andoccasional carrots. She's very stinky (much more so than past rabbits),but I'm hoping things will improve with the spaying.

She's so high spirited and affectionate, and also bold and cheeky. I really hope this sorts her out.

 

[Maureen Las]

So do I ..Good luck with her spay!

 

[naturestee]

Hi Lucianne! I'm glad you're gettingher spayed. Hopefully this will help with her markingproblems. Sometimes it takes a few weeks for the hormones todecrease, so a tarp/drop cloth on the couch will help keep things clean.

Let us know how the surgery goes!

 

[Lucianne]

I'm really worried about how she's been since the operation!

I brought her home seven hours ago, and she doesn't look well at all.She's all huddled up and her eyes look glazed. She moves when she hasto (I put her on the sofa with me, but she jumped off and went back toher cage), but otherwise just sits there looking ill.

Most worryingly, she won't eat anything. I tried all her favouritefoods earlier, and called the vet when she wouldn't eat, as I know howimportant it is for them to eat regularly. They said call again laterif she still hasn't eaten, then shortly afterwards she nibbled a bit ofhay, so I wasn't too worried. Now though, she looks more ill, and shewon't touch any food. I offered her a raisin and she went to nibble itbut then changed her mind.

What can I do??