rabbit digging in litter box

Hey everyone! I need advice on how to keep Rory from digging in his litter box. A couple weeks ago he started digging in the litter box that's in the living room, spraying litter out the entrance (it's a covered box). I started blocking the door to that litter box when he was out and just hoped he wouldn't start digging in the boxes in his cage. No such luck. I came home from work today, and he had completely emptied BOTH litter boxes in his cage- the floor of his cage is covered in litter :grumpy: And of course he chose to pee on the litter on the floor instead of in his box.

Why does he suddenly feel the need to dig? What can I do to discourage it? The digging makes such a mess... I thought of getting some of that embroidery plastic to put on top of the litter, but I'm sure he'd just pull it out.

:vacuum:

At the rescue almost every litter box has a metal grid inside over the litter to prevent them from digging. I believe they are cheap dish racks or something similar.

What kind of litter are you using? I found with the soft yesterday's news, my guys LOVED to dig in it, but would leave the wood pellerts alone for some reason.

Also if you don't like him digging in your garden why not get him a flower pot and fill it with soil or the litter to satisfy his digging needs!

Becca, I thought of getting him something to dig in, but I'm afraid that would just be reinforcing the behavior and he'd do it more! And Spring, yes, it is Yesterday's News. I did use stove pellets for several months which he left alone, but they were a little dusty and after a while seemed to be making his nose run, so I switched. Maybe he'd leave Feline Pine alone? And Happibun, I didn't mention it in the original post, but last night I bought a square colander that I may be able to put in his litter box, the hard part though is finding a litter box it will fit in! None of the litter boxes or storage boxes at the store really worked with it for one reason or another.

I had the same digging problem with mine when I was using Carefresh, now I've switched them to Equine Pine and have not had a problem since. I wonder why they don't like to dig in the pelleted litter :huh

Get a fluorescent light grid at a hardware store. The hard part may be cutting the plastic grid.

Good job Flick. :goodjob :yeahthat:

I'm going to copy and paste your post to...

http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=10792&forum_id=1&page=1

I'm happy to help when I can!

Flick, what an awesome idea! I'm going to go to the hardware store to buy some of that grid :biggrin2: Hopefully after a month or so of the grid making it so he can't dig, I'll be able to remove it and he'll have forgotten about digging. I can hope, anyway!

Thanks again!

Flick

that is awesone!!

I also found a cat litterboxbox at Farm and fleet that has a plastic grid that fits over the side and the box it works just like the one Flick posted.

I'll take a pic of it tomorrow.

SnowyShiloh wrote:

Becca, I thought of getting him something to dig in, but I'm afraid that would just be reinforcing the behavior and he'd do it more!

Click to expand...

Hmm True, Sorry i couldn't help

Wish I could take credit for the idea, but I can't. A friend told me about using a lighting grid, and another friend told me about using hardware cloth. All I can take credit for is the pictures. But, to prove that I'm a sucker for positive reinforcement, here are pictures of using hardware cloth.








Some rabbits figure out how to get the grid out of the litter box. They are clever engineers! So, it sometimes helps to cut the grid bigger than the bottom of the litter box, then bend the edges down so the grid, itself, sits on the bottom of the litter box, but covers the litter.

Again, all I can take credit for is the pictures, not the ideas. Hope the pictures help.

Well, Ror's had his regular litter box back for over a day now, and no digging yet. Let's hope it stays that way! But I'm ready to try the hardware cloth or the lighting cover if it doesn't! How do you advise cutting the lighting cover? Also, Becca, I appreciate your input and Rory probably would like a digging box of some sort!

My husband used a dremel to cut the lighting grid. I thought that was overkill, but it did work nicely. No jagged ends. Also, be aware that the lighting grid is pretty big. I don't remember the exact measurements, but it's at least 4 feet by 2 feet. So, you have alot of grid left over.

The hardware cloth is easier to cut. A pair of wire snippers will do. And, even though you have to buy more than you need, it's easier to store than the lighting grid.