Litterbox training

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rabbits

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One reader wrote:
I recently got a New Zealand White and she was already 4 mos old. I amhaving a problem box training her. She pees in the box but poops besideit. She was living outside when I got her and brought her in the house.She is such a sweet rabbit. Do you have any suggestions?
 
Hi!

Congratulations on your new bunny!?

As my own experience with litter boxes go, if my rabbit urinates in thelitter box, I feel I've won the battle for the most part. Many rabbitswill have mishaps just outside or around their box. When I noticeTucker squatting, I'll tell him to "Get in the box". He will usuallyshake his ears at me (shaking off my nagging) and then jump in.

In the early stages of training your rabbit to go into the litter box,don't yell at the rabbit when it doesn't. Just quietly go over andscoop the poop and put it in the litter box. This will indicate to therabbit where the poop should go. Yelling at your rabbit will only scareit and confuse it. When your rabbit does behave correctly by going inthe box, even if you had to tell it to get in the box, cheer the littleone on. Positive reinforcement is everything to rabbits. They seem tohave a sense of guilt when yelled at, at least mine does, and hecertainly gets really happy when I applaud his efforts and tell himwhat a good boy he is. No need to throw many treats their way. Thecheering-on is pay-off enough, but of course you can if you want to.(Don't give a treat to your rabbit every time. Too many treats/sugarare really bad for their systems.)

Tucker now pretends to poop in his box and then jumps on the couch fora treat. If I give him one, he'll go right back to the box, and comeflying at me again for another treat. Beware of the Con!

As time goes on, when you notice your rabbit squatting, you may tellhim to 'get in the box' and point to where he should go. I just say itin a command to Tucker and more times than not, he stops and jumps inhis box. If he starts chewing on the furniture or doesn't listen to mewhen he starts to go after I've warned him twice, I may give him alittle squirt in the tail with my watergun. That usually gets hisattention, but it's to the point now where I never have to use thewatergun, I just tell him and act like I start to get up and he'll jumpin the litterbox before I leave the chair.

As I said, if your rabbit is urinating in the box, that's more thanhalf the battle. I'm not sure that you'll ever get your rabbit to be100% with getting the poops in the box. The way I look at it is atleast they're easy to scoop up and get rid of them.

-Carolyn
 
:)Hi Carloyn: Thanks for youradvise. I dont mind scooping up the poops like you say I justget out my Dustbuster it works good. But in the past I havehad other rabbits and boxed trained them with no accidents except everynow and again when they jumped in and out of the box a few poops end upon the floor. I never tried a squirt gun though maybe I willgive it a whirl. I know my rabbits dont like being scolded asthey hunker right down when I scold them. Then I feel bad forscolding them. They are such awesome pets. Have agreat day and thanks again! Kathy Sleutel
 
Hi Kathy,

I didn't realize you had some experience in the area of littertraining. That's great! My rabbit absolutely hatesgetting squirted by the watergun. It's gotten to the pointwhere all I have to do is pick it up and he jumps in thelitterbox. I'm in the Northwest corner of CT and watergunsare considered 'seasonal toys'. I can't buy them in the fallor winter. If you are in an area which this is the case, youcan simply ask the people at the desk of the store you're in if they'llcheck 'in the back' for some they have stashed for the warmer weather.

You're lucky your other rabbits have been so well behaved.I'm sure you will have them trained as best as you can in notime.

-Carolyn
 
I had almost come to the conclusion that the poopsjust fall out of them....remember the pepper grinder theory Carolyn?And that they have NO control over that aspect of their "litterboxtraining" I have almost no problems with Jade and Jezebel urinating inthe box, but for the past two weeks the poop IS OUTTA CONTROL..

A quick background-nothing has changed for them environment/food/basiclifestyle wise:(The box is changed everyday-but now (they arenot of age to be fixed yet..) they are dropping them EVERYWHERE, I dontthink it is just to leave a scent since I have experimented with notusing baking soda/vinigar solution on part of the floor (so they mayNOT feel the need to re-scent that area)-I have tried placing them inthe box and I get the look "LADY?? I dont have to go...already did,thanxs..." tried hurding them back into the cage when ithappens...showed them how the poops get into the box LOL but they willstand right next to the box and do it, on the couch (this is theworst-since the smell is starting to stay in the leather), Jade haseven done it while being tranced on me....etc. Getting alittle distressed here with the amount of almond sized M&M'sbeing deposited (who ever said raisins have not met my bun's *gringrin*) because they are starting to leave a pretty heavy aroma and likeI said earlier it is getting out of control........My partner is goingback home to Canada this week and when we all go home to be "reunited"I am afraid they won't be allowed on the couch or for that matter freerun of the living room due to this excessive (and I am not exagerating)droppings...Last night I must of had about 40+

help?? pwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwease

OHand I am almost positive the apartment didnothave another pet in it before we occupied it, but even ifit did-when we first brought the buns into it they paid specialattention to leaving both their urine scent and pellet scent in everyarea physically possible in that livingroom....


last "edit" Ipromise, is it possible *scratching my nogginhere* the hormones arethe reason??? I found a pee spottonight whilst they were out, that wasnt reallyyyyyyy a peespot.....hmmmmm

Cher







 
Hi Cher: Isnt it just amazing how maypoops fall out of those little buns butts? I have two rabbitsas well. I only wrote in about on of them as my baby, Myrtleis very good about the box, It's Phoebe the wihite New Zealand thatIam having trouble with. Did you try putting litterin the box to coax them in there. That seems tohelp with my two anyway. The other problem I am having now isall the rugs in my house have the edges chewed. I have neverhad this problem with my other rabbits. Hopefully they willoutgrow this. They are such awesome pets I have a hard timescolding them as they are so cute! :DGood luck withyour babies! Kathy Sleutel
 
Hi Cher,

I hear your desperation, and I'll do the very best I can to try to help you.

-When rabbits get overly excited, they can sometimes lose control andaccidents (not going in the litterbox) can happen. You maywant to put down another litterbox in the house and limit the spacethey're able to travel in at the moment. As they get betterabout using the litterbox, you can increase their 'freedomspace'.

-Some people put a bit of hay in the litterbox to encourage the rabbits to use them.

-Do you have the right size litterbox for your rabbits? Theyseem to like corner litterboxes or ones with a high back better thanthe cat litterboxes.

-What type of litter are you using for them? If the litteryou're using creates a strong scent after they've gone in the box, theymay not like it and stay away from it. Perhaps a change oflitter, but I'd stay away from cedar and pine shavings. Iknow a guy that uses pine shavings, but the jury is still out on howgood it is for rabbits, so I stay away from it and use recyclednewspaper pellets. For those that don't know, cedar shavings,and some claim pine shavings, when mixed with a rabbit's urine puts outa toxic fume that causes respiratory infections in rabbits.

-Have you placed the litterbox in the area your rabbits continually gorather than where you'd like them to go? Once a rabbit makesup its mind where s/he likes to poop, there's little chance a human hasof changing it. Since Tucker was going in two places in myapt., I put a second litterbox down and heusesboth.

-Hormones definitely have an impact on their bathroom habits.After a rabbit is spayed or neutered, they seem to be less anal abouthaving to mark their territory, and are in more control over themselvesas they get a little older as their bladder controlincreases. You just have to be patient at this time untilthey get a little older and neutered or spayed. Time flieswhen you're having fun!

-You may want to invest in a watergun and give the rabbits warningsthat they need to get in the box. When they start to squat,go over and shoo them into their litterbox, saying 'get in the box' orsomething to that effect so they know what the phrase means.Once in there, give the rabbit high praise. After a while, ifyour rabbit doesn't respond to 'get in the box', you could give him asquirt, tell him to get in the box, and 99% of the time, my rabbit willhop right in not wanting to get squirted again. This willteach the rabbit that pooping outside of the box is bad, but pooping inthe box is good.

I agree with your partner. When you go home, I wouldn't letthe little buggers on the couch. They'll be fine,Mom. They're sure lucky they get so spoiled and loved by you.

-Carolyn

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hi Kathy,

I'd suggest you get some wood and put it around for your rabbits tochew on. There was a post here where I listed sometoys. I forget which one it was in. You may want toput some of those things around for the rabbit so that they'redistracted from chewing on your rug. No matter how cute theyare, and they know it, they must be corrected whenmisbehaving. You don't want them ingesting the fragments ofthe carpet. It could really lead to a biggerproblemwith them.

Little Stinkers giving you that cute look and getting away withmurder! We're so wrapped, aren't we?!

-Carolyn


 
Hi Carolyn: I have newspaper for them toplay with, I have wooden chew sticks and a few puppy toys and theystill want the rug. I'm just concerned if they get those rugfibers in there bellies, especially my little one. Maybe Iwill have to try the squirt gun and see if that works. ThanksKathy S.
 
*laughs* I sympathize, Kathy.Once they make their minds up, it's hard to change them. Thesquirt bottle or gun would be perfect in this instance.You're absolutely right, you don't want those fibers in theirbellies. Although I think they would passthrough,it's the chemicals and treatments the rug has hadthat make it sketchy. It's just not something youwantdoing, for their own health and for the beauty of therugs.







 
I use a litter called Cat's Best (NOOOOOOOOO, it'snot that scoop away stuff) it is actually an organic litter made out ofpaper that puffs up when used...so it doesnt create a smell atall...they quite like it <----I posted a while back that itworried me that Jade was "hanging" in the box all the time.

I have a water bottle/squirt gun~but I have only used it for the corner floor nibbling..perhaps that will do something.

I sat down and had a chat with them (okay, really I did) and said.."seethis?..with you know what in my hand....it goes here" ONE AT A TIME.The box has been put in the area they chose to use in theVERY limited run space they have. The livingroom is approx 12feet by10f? not really sure, with a board put up to keep them out of the restof the apt until this gets a little under control.

My other thought-as I bang my head on the wall, that I actually DIDNTthink about this. My partner is heading back to Canada...HULLOOOOO??and I said nothing has changed in their environment......well they arelosing a parent, correct?

jeeeeeeeez

Thanks so much for the advice :)



 

Greetings HB104,

I suspect you're having such a hard time with the terrible twosomeright now because of their ages and hormones. Most of the issues youdescribe of them stem from youth and hormones.

-Carolyn
 
Hehe, yup terrible two's is right!

BUT.....now my partner is gone :(and things have gone back toa bit of a routine~since Sunday night I have been FULLY concentratingon the litter box issue-I sit on the floor for their entire "nightimeromp" and last night when Jade was right next to the box, andI saw that determined look on her face (and her tail was just startingto raise) I said very sternly.."in YOUR box"

boing boing :p

mind you, she missed a bit (also due to the fact that I am using akitty box vs a rabbit corner box) but HEY, she listened!! I was sooooohappy-plus I put a little hay in their box AND I am using a squirtbottle for keeping them off the couch-until the usage of the box is infull effect. OH they know why~since they 'test' me, Jade will come andpretend my pants are the most interesting things she has ever seen inher life, to create a diversion for Jezebel to JUMP on thecouch..AHA-little does she know I am up on that trick and Jez gets alittle squirt on the backside..

tiss quite funny actually-those two conspiring against me.....LOL, j/k

In summation of my long ramble here, I just want to thank you all forsuch great advice :Dnext step---> switching them to abunny box. They are coming up on about 4 months I believe(could not get their exact age ) have you an idea when a rabbit isconsidered out of "puberty" and hits adulthood? or is this an age thathas direct influence by spaying?

Cher


 
Hi HB104,

Your story about the Jade and Jezebel is priceless! Thank youso much for reporting that you're having some luck with thelittertraining - it made my day.

Puberty happens for a rabbit ('teenage years') between 3-6months. At that time, you may experience them leaving morepoops around to mark their territory, some rabbits take up grunting andaggressive behavior. It's highly recommended to have themfixed because a good portion of females develop uterine cancer if notspayed anytime after 3 years old,besides it calmsthemdown, aregenerally more loving, and betterbehaved in the long run. Littertraining will beeasier too because they seem to have more control after theoperation. I realize you're in an area where it might not befeasible to have this done, but it's something to consider for thefuture.

-Carolyn
 
Update-:p

There was a break-out fest last night, and Jade (the usually complacentone of the two) had it in her mind she was breaking out of the livingroom-with ME in it! When that girl gets an idea in her head it is sooootransparent on her face-I swear if you could see "rabbitdetermination".....She BOINGED right over the wooden barrier and sentit crashing down to the floor~ she was unharmed, and unphased! Did'nteven scare her-I think I jumped higher. Since I really did'nt think shewould do it, let alone make it!

Needless to say, the piece of board landed on their box and broke thecorner off, so off I go to pick up a corner bunny box. As faras the surgery for them goes, I am not sure if I posted but even thoughI was told it cant be done here (Tainan, Taiwan) their newish vet gaveme a hospital and doctor's name in Taipei where they DO do it. Now Ijust have to try and figure out a way to get them to Taipei-sinceanimals are not "suppose" to be taken on the train..where there is awill , there is a way....

Glad their antics are giving ya a smile...Tucker looks like such a"good" bunny...wanna trade off till they are over this phase? hahaha,you know I am kidding, I wouldnt want to miss out on this part of theirlives!

Cher
 
Greetings HB104,

*laughs* Tucker scared the dickens out of me last night, but he jumpedas well. He didn't expect to knock something over and when itfell, it went with a bang. The both of our eyes were as bigas quarters looking at each other. That's too cute aboutJade. She sure was determined and she was rewarded for it bygetting to where she wanted to be. Oh My, it would seemyou've met your match in these two!

I certainly hope you can find a loophole to get them to Tainan and thatthe operation isn't overpriced and the vet is saavy. I knowyou'd go to the ends of the earth for Jade and Jez.I'm so glad that you have them especially now that your partner's goneback home. Keep us posted as you learn more about that and gothrough it.

-Carolyn
 
Hi Cher & Carolyn: Ihave been reading your messages all week. I triedthe water bottle on my two rabbits and feltlike ameaney, I couldnt do it! As far as fixing thebunnies I have had two female rabbits in the past before my two newbabies and my vet is awesome but she is to afraid to fix femalerabbits. Apparently they dont do well underanesthesia. I had my first rabbit for ten years and she wasnever fixed nor did she have any problems. Is it reallynecessary to have them fixed? Kathy S.
 
Hi Kathy,

You do feel somewhat mean when you squirt them with thewaterbottle/gun, but it's only for when they're doing something bad andyou've given them warning and they blowyou off. By the time Isquirt Tucker, I feel like I've warned him enough and he deservedit. Like I said, I rarely use it now, and even if I'm pushedto the point of having to pick it up, he hops-to immediately.

It's highly recommended to get the girls fixed because it's commonforfemales develop uterine cancer usually between the ages of3-5 years old. Your vet is correct in it being risky duringtheanesthesia, but if your rabbit is healthy and you have arabbit vet that is experienced in the surgery, then most operationsseem to have a high success rate.Spayingis more invasive than neutering and recovery is usually a little longerfor the female than the male. Overall, between the longevityof life, their health, the more relaxed attitude, and the need not tobreed, is why people do it.

Do what you feel is best. If your other rabbits did so wellwith this vet, you may decide that it's not something you wish to havedone. It's your call and your own personal decision tomake.

-Carolyn
 
i had the same problem with my rabbit, this is justa sugestion but maybe if you put her/him in the litterbox right afterhe/she eats, they might get used to using it because rabbits ussualy goto the bathroom right after they eat.

good luck!:cool:
 
A vet who is unable to successfully spay a rabbitin today's day and age, what with all the new techniques and anesthesiaavailable, is incompetent or uncaring in my estimation.

Spaying ofdoes reduces uterine cancer to almost nil, asopposed to the 70% cancer rate that can be expected in unbred does ofsix years or more in age. Spaying eliminates a great deal ofthe hormonal driven rabbit behaviors that cannot be much fun for thedoe to endure. In essence, spaying provides a better qualityof life with an increase in longevity.

Buck
 
I am working on box training my 1 year old notfixed yet. He dose good but some times when he is out and weare playing some of his favorite chase games he leaves pelletssporadically around the floor. I am not sure if he is marking territoryor if he is just excited. I keep picking him put and thepellets with a Kleenex and putting them and him in his box. So he knowsthats where they go.

Dose any ones bunnydo this too?
 

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