Rabbits leaving droppings all over their pens

[Tiffany312]

I'm sorry in advance that it's long, I just tried to get all the information out, I appreciate anyone who reads it and can offer help! Thanks!

Ok, so I first started off with a young lop named Lily. She is not spayed. She's about 7-8 months old right now and she was completely litter trained. I'd find maybe half a dozen droppings around her cage and pen but for the most part she was a very tidy bunny.

I then rescued two rabbits, Chopper and Fawn. They're alterd, and a bonded pair. They also are litter trained.

When I brought them home, their pen that I purchased wasn't delivered yet so their area changed a few times til it came and I could set up the permanent one. Lily used to have a very large area sectioned off for her, but I then split it in two sections for her and the other section for Chopper & Fawn once their pen arrived. So right now they share a fence down the middle where they can sniff each other. When I first got Chopper and Fawn they COVERED their temporary pen with poop. I mean every nook and cranky! When they were transferred to their permanent home they did the same thing. Everyday I'd use a vacuum to clean it up and I'd have to move stuff around. I then noticed that they would rub their chins on everything afterwards like they were marking it again and just start pooping everywhere. So now I just sweep it up and try not to move much stuff around besides when i change the litterboxes, but still they do it (not as bad though, I think) It's now been three weeks of this, and it's not that hard to sweep up the droppings but sometimes i miss a day and it looks like the place hasn't been cleaned in a week. :/

What are you opinions on this? Do you think it's territorial because their pens are together? I thought it was just til they got their scent everywhere but they are persistent with it. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Or advice of what I could do, or what I did wrong. Thank you!

 

[jeanluc_pippen_merry]

Did you get Lily when she was already 7-8 months or have you had her since she was a baby? Because territorial poo is different in the way they are dispersed from their litter poo. If she's doing her business outside the litter tray, you'll find little piles of poo together. If it's territorial, they'll be spread out all over an area.

If you haven't had your bunnies long but they are both litter trained then my guess is that they are just marking their territory. It takes time for them to become familiar and comfortable in their new surroundings.

If you had Lily for a while and she wasn't doing that much territorial poo as she started to do once you introduced the new bunnies into her environment, i would assume that is the reason she started doing a lot of territorial poo. And with the bonded pair, they not only are in a new a strange environment, but they also have a new and strange bunny living next door to them, so that's why they are leaving territorial poo everywhere.

You just have to give them time to adjust.

As for chinning (im not even sure if people use that word to describe it, just seems like the right word to use, to me), all rabbits have scent glands under their chins which they use to mark their territory. I don't believe this every stops but it's nothing to worry about because you can't see or smell it.

Don't quote me on that though as i am still learning myself. =)

 

[tamsin]

I think you are doing the right things, and it will hopefully gradually lesson. It can take rabbits several weeks to settle and they'll mark more during that period.

How often are you cleaning the litter box? It may help to put a bit of poop back in afterwards and clear up the poop on the floor as often as possible. Also, if there is space, try adding an extra litter box or two, you may find that the current position isn't optimal for where they think they need to mark (often along boundary lines) so they are still scattering poop too. Often if you can get them to use the trays you can then reduce the number later.

Also, if you don't already, try adding hay to the tray to encourage them to sit in it.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

It usually takes a little time for things to normalize. Plus, all buns are different. We've got some that poop everywhere and others that only go in their own litter pan. We have a heavy duty shop vac and it gets a workout. As to the chinning, the first ten minutes our buns get out is spent examining all surfaces and putting the "mine!" on them.

 

[Tiffany312]

- I got Lily when she was about three months old, she was easily litter boxed trained, so that's why i assumed she was marking her territory.

- I change litterboxes either every day or every other day, and I was thinking that, too. I think I'm going to get more litterboxes and put them around the boundaries because that does seem to be like the main area they go.

- I used to use a shop vac, too, lol. It works great for cleaning up after the bunnies.

Thank you guys for the advice and information! I really appreciate it. :]

 

[jeanluc_pippen_merry]

I decided to get a hand held vac for quick and easy clean ups. That way i can vac every time i see poops or stray hay laying around and don't have to lug around teh big vac all the time. It's proven to be of great use. I'm even thinking about getting a couple more, 1 in each of the rooms they visit. They're quite affordable on ebay. ^.^