Help with potty training

[featpete]

Hi all! I've read up on numerous sites on how to do potty training for bunnies but I definitely need some help. Most sites will say to watch for a "spot" in the cage where the bunny likes to go and move the litter box accordingly. My problem is that he will essentially go all over the cage! He definitely prefers corners but if there are objects (like food bowls or hay or what not) he'll even go somewhere near the center of the cage.

I do see that he pees and poops in his litter box, but I guess he kind of likes to use it as his resting area so he also pees elsewhere. I'll use animal safe cleaners to try and get the smell off but it doesn't really seem to do anything in particular towards making him "forget".

Granted, I've only had him for a short period of time. I just don't want to constantly have to wipe up pee! Any suggestions on getting him to use his litter box more often? The whole "move it to the spot where he pees" thing doesn't work because he will pee all over the cage. He doesn't have a set spot.

Thanks for any help!

 

[SweetSassy]

Where he is peeing, try using half and half of vinager and water to get the pee smell up.

Is he neutered? That will help. He maybe marking.

I just used paper towels and soaked the pee up and put it in the litter box. Also the poo's. Try putting some of his hay in the litter box. They like toeat where they go potty. Or hang the hay rack next to the litterbox so he can reach from standing in the litter box.

Good luck

 

[PerpetualAnimalLover2011]

Hey Peter. Litter training went well for me, so I can share my tricks and see if it helps you. Maybe some of the issue is your bunny associating the litter box with the "relaxation spot"; if you could make another area of the cage more attractive as a sleeping spot (a hutch like the plastic "igloos' that Petco sells worked for my rabbit), then he may chose to associate the litter box with its real purpose!

Also, do you have a paper or other sort of litter down, with a little hay on top? they seem to like the texture under their feet when they go.

Hope this helps! Keep us posted on progress.

 

[featpete]

Thanks for the suggestions!

He's only 9 weeks old so he hasn't hit puberty yet. I think it MAY be that he does associate his litter box with his "relaxation spot". I have both bedding and hay in the litter box which he likes. I'll try adding a house of some sort for him and hopefully that'll help. I'll let you know how it goes!

 

[SweetSassy]

He's still young. Give him some time.... and be on top of picking up any pee or poo left out of the litter box

 

[maxysmummy]

featpete wrote:

Hi all! I've read up on numerous sites on how to do potty training for bunnies but I definitely need some help. Most sites will say to watch for a "spot" in the cage where the bunny likes to go and move the litter box accordingly. My problem is that he will essentially go all over the cage! He definitely prefers corners but if there are objects (like food bowls or hay or what not) he'll even go somewhere near the center of the cage.

I do see that he pees and poops in his litter box, but I guess he kind of likes to use it as his resting area so he also pees elsewhere. I'll use animal safe cleaners to try and get the smell off but it doesn't really seem to do anything in particular towards making him "forget".

Granted, I've only had him for a short period of time. I just don't want to constantly have to wipe up pee! Any suggestions on getting him to use his litter box more often? The whole "move it to the spot where he pees" thing doesn't work because he will pee all over the cage. He doesn't have a set spot.

Thanks for any help!

animal safe cleaners arent the best thing to use. vinegar will disolve the urine and rabbits dont like peeing in places that smell like vinegar. every time he does a wee somewhere that isnt his litter box, soak it up with some tissue, put the tissue in the litter box then spray the urine spot with vinegar and wipe down. keep doing this untill he gets it.

some rabbits it takes longer than others, our nethie was a pain in the butt to toilet train

 

[featpete]

Thanks for letting me know about the animal safe cleaner! I didn't know that stuff like Nature's Miracle wasn't good for urine.

I just added a little "hut" for him a few hours ago and he kind of goes in and out of it, but he hasn't decided that it's his comfy spot yet. At the moment he's decided to pee in the middle of the cage. I guess I'll have to vinegar it up! Pooping outside of the litter box I don't mind. I just don't want his whole cage to get the urine smell.

 

[maxysmummy]

it's not so much that it's not good for urine, just that white vinegar is best. and its sooo cheap, costs like 80cents for a liter. it disolves the calciums in the urine so you dont get that cloudy white stain.

if he's consistently peeing in the one spot - even if it is in the middle of his cage - put a litter box over that. it's much easier to train him that way and once he gets the hang of going in the box you can gradually move it around. (ie, move it from the middle of the cage back to somewhere easier - like a corner