Toileting habits

[MyGrandbunns]

Hello there dear Bunny Community.
My dear Grand-bun- who is now a Widower( since his Wifebun passed suddenly 1 year ago) has stopped using his litter tray consistently. He used to be very tidy but over the past few months he will toilet around it and on his little mats- and sometimes wee's just on the lino. He is an indoor man and has full use of the kitchen and dining/living room. He has an open pen area with his litter tray and own setup, food area etc. I always change his litter trays daily but now i have added a second and am putting newspaper down around his area as well. He seems fine otherwise and eating/drinking well. It is cold here in NZ now so he doesn't get to spend a wee bit of time outside each day but i don't think that should have affected his toileting habits. He is my special man- he was my daughter's rescue bunn and she couldn't take him to her new flat. We nearly lost him 4 years ago when he got stasis. I know now that good bunny droppings say alot about a bunns health. Any comments much appreciated. Sorry for going on so long!! ) best wishes, Mary

 

[Blue eyes]

A litter trained rabbit that starts piddling in different places may have a urinary tract infection. That is a typical sign of one. May want to have a vet check him out.

 

[MyGrandbunns]

A litter trained rabbit that starts piddling in different places may have a urinary tract infection. That is a typical sign of one. May want to have a vet check him out.

Thanks Blue Eyes- Yes I will. It's more the doing poo's not in his litter boxes. Maybe he's not being as tidy because he's a bachelor now?

 

[Preitler]

It also might be mobility issues if getting into the litter tray offers a hurdle. If there's a step, put a flat, well structured ramp there and see if it helps.

 

[alexandra the great]

If it is a mobility issue, i've seen some people use litter boxes with openings in the side for easier access.

 

[MyGrandbunns]

If it is a mobility issue, i've seen some people use litter boxes with openings in the side for easier access.

Many thanks Alexandra..appreciate your reply- best wishes Mary and Jett the bunny

 

[JBun]

If he's an older bun, arthritis can make a bun reluctant to hop up and over into the litter box. Like suggested, a low sided litter box can help with this. Also getting a bun on the appropriate arthritis meds(at an adequate bunny dose), can also prove helpful.

https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Arthritis
http://rabbitvet.net/AustralianRabbitVets.htm
If it's mainly stray poops and not urine, that can be territorial behavior, or just laziness. Some buns will start leaving poop balls everywhere, when they get really comfortable in an area. This is them establishing this new area as theirs, and it can be a hard thing to teach them not to do.