Refusing to use Litter Tray - HELP!!

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Salt14

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Hi, I'm new and desperate

I have two netherland dwarf rabbits who I got from a rescue 3 weeks ago. They had entropian so are partially sighted as have scar tissue on their eyes, they also had their insicors removed.

They have to be house bunnies because of this but I just can't litter train them, they will NOT go in one place! If they are allowed out they poo EVERYWHERE! and in their cage they do similar. Even wee all over the place. And they SPRAY too! They were neutered back in March and are 10 months old.

I am ill myself so don't have the energy to clear up after them 24/7 so unless I can litter train them they will have to go back to the rescue centre :(

Ipick up poo and put it in the trays, i get newspaper soaked with pee and put that in too, they have a tray in the cage and one outside with newspaper and hay.

I've had three house bunnies before all of which I had litter trained in 24 hours. HELP PLEASE!!!!!!!!
 
I wouldn't let them thru the house yet. I would keep them in a area like their cage, hallway, etc... Use more than one litter box. Put them in the corners. When they pee outside the litter box, soak it up with a paper towel and put paper towel in the litter box. When they poo, put that in the litter boxes too.



Hope this helps :biggrin2:... April

Edit: Also, Welcome to RO :wave:

 
I would agree with confining to their casge too. For the first while you may need to be super vigilant and every time they do something outside the litter tray, pop it in. Clean any area that is not the litter tray thoroughly with a distilled vinegar solution, and any time they wee outside the box clean that with that too.

Yes, hay definitely works for me too.

What do you use in the litter box? How often are you changing the boxes at the mo?

And welcome to the forum :)
 
Are you using bedding in their cages? Some times that confuses them, if you are. I would only put litter in their litter boxes. And NOT use bedding.



Sorry so many posts. Just thought of it. :biggrin2:...April
 
Thankyou for this, I use hay in their litter box which is also their bedding, perhaps this is what is confusing them?

They sit in their litter tray in their cage all of the time and seem to be getting out of it to go to the toilet??? But then just go anywhere, even the food bowl.
 
That sounds like they don't realise it's their litter tray, but think it's their bed, and obviously they don't want to be doing that in their bed.
 
I would use something different in their Litterboxes then. Sounds like their using Litter boxes as beds, and peeing outside of it. Good Luck!



Let us know how the training goes. :biggrin2:




 
I just saw this and had to respond too. We've always been able to litter box train our rabbits...until Ebony that is. She was raised until she was 5 months old in a wire cage with no litter box. She was allowed to poo and pee anywhere and it just fell thru to the (gross) floor below. When we brought her home we figured it would be easy to train her but she'd have nothing to do with it!. Pulled all the litter out and pooed and peed everywhere else! Doesn't sleep in thebox either! We bred her and kept her son (Smudge) and he is the same way even though he's had a box available to him from the beginning! They are in separate cages but what a mess they make! Any suggestions?
 
Salt14 wrote:
Hi, I'm new and desperate

I have two netherland dwarf rabbits who I got from a rescue 3 weeks ago. They had entropian so are partially sighted as have scar tissue on their eyes, they also had their insicors removed.

They have to be house bunnies because of this but I just can't litter train them, they will NOT go in one place! If they are allowed out they poo EVERYWHERE! and in their cage they do similar. Even wee all over the place. And they SPRAY too! They were neutered back in March and are 10 months old.

I am ill myself so don't have the energy to clear up after them 24/7 so unless I can litter train them they will have to go back to the rescue centre :(

Ipick up poo and put it in the trays, i get newspaper soaked with pee and put that in too, they have a tray in the cage and one outside with newspaper and hay.

I've had three house bunnies before all of which I had litter trained in 24 hours. HELP PLEASE!!!!!!!!
Click to expand...


I have this problem with Prince, my Netherland Dwarf, but he uses the litterbox. He would poop all over. He would use different corners of the cage that he isin. I have been moving the litterbox from one corner to the other corner where he went more than in the litterbox, I would keep on doing this. Some rabbits take longer to train to use the litterbox than others do. Just be patient and they willuse the litterbox. Also be consistant.

To recap: Some rabbits take longer to litterbox train, my Sweetieisn't litterbox trained, but Prince is. Sweetie is my lionhead rabbit, Prince is my NetherlandDwarf. Be consistant and patient with them, eventually they will use the litterbox

Also April, Sweetsassy, is right. Usesomething different in their litterbox. Having hay in their litterbox and as their bedding is confusing them.



Welcome to the forum! Lots of good info here

 
I can't get to the pet shop at the moment so have switched to wood shavings (safe one) for the cage floor and hay in the tray, they were spending all their time sat in the tray anyway. I've then given them a hay rack to have clean hay to munch. i put some urine soiled newspaper in the tray and have spent all day picking up every poo they do and popping it in the tray for them. nothing, not a single wee or poo in the tray!

One of them weed in the other corner so I moved tray over to that side.

I'll keep trying. good luck cleanteeth with ur two too!
 
I wouldn't use the wood shavings. they may think it's litter too. Just use litter in their litter boxes. Their probably confused :)
 
Definitely confine them to a small area with a big litter box. And I wouldn't put hay IN the box right now, I'd put it in a hay rack beside the box so the have to sit in the box to eat the hay. You can gradually make the box smaller and the cage bigger.

Ease them into free-run. When you need to expand beyond the cage size, try putting an x-pen or wire grids around them at first to make sure they're still going in the box.

Always feed and water them inside their cage, never outside.

But three weeks isn't all that long for bunnies that have been through all that. Mine usually take three or four weeks to stop marking territory whenever a new bunny arrives in the house.


sas :goodluck
 
Right, I'm on a mission now!
Yes, my boys chin in different spots too.
What litter do people think is best to use instead of hay?

Thanks for all your help
 
I use Oxbow Eco- Straw. I have to buy it at the vet office. I'm not sure what to buy at the pet store. Sorry.



When I was buying from the pet store I was buying the stuff that was like recycled paper that was pellets.


Edit: if their still not using their litter boxes when you change over. Stop using the wood shavings in the cage. cause that may confuse them. :)
 
Great, thanks, I'll try that. My boyfriend has ferrets and uses something similar
 
I use Critter Litter for litter for my rabbits in their litterboxes. Today Sweetie has started using her litterbox, I am so proud of her, she is almost litterbox trained.
 
:woohoo Yay for Sweetie!

My boys have done wee in their box!!!! Still long way to go on their number 2's but it's a start!
 
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