Pooping

[thebills]

I have two dwarf rabbits one is ten got her from the Toronto humane society
the other one is eight.I seem to be having a problem now i have two separate cages joined together for them i have noticed now they are not using there liter box always.I think it might be the oldest one.I have noticed when she is by the later box i noticed underneath there is some poop.I am really confused why this is happening all of a sudden .Any suggestions....THANKS

 

[JBun]

Do you mean she is just pooping normal droppings outside of the litter box, or is it that the poop is mushy and sticking to her bum? Is she still peeing in the litter box?

 

[thebills]

Her poop is normal

 

[JBun]

It could be that now that she is getting older, she is getting some arthritis that is making her a bit stiff and painful, so may not feel as inclined to hop into the litter box. If the litter box has a high edge on it, you can try cutting the edge down lower, so it's easier to hop in. If she does have arthritis, an rx of metacam suspension from your vet to be given daily, can help ease the pain and stiffness, and may also restore her litter box habits.

Another possibility is that she is feeling the need to mark her territory(eg. the litter box) as hers, so is leaving some poop outside of it. This marking behavior can sometimes occur when there is something new in the home or something has changed, or in bonded buns if there is a dominance dispute.

 

[thebills]

The edge of the litter pan is about inch and a half i always used that one

 

[Nancy McClelland]

I've had a few that got that way as they aged. They always had great litter habits, but, as they got to be really senior they would just go wherever. They would both be considered to be geriatric as most don't get to that age. We had a Rex that made it to 14 and I cut the front entrance to her pan down so she could get in and out easily.

 

[tinalebrun]

I have a two month old rabbit and it has been peeing orange... Should I be worried? What steps do I take

 

[pani]

Rabbit pee can vary from pale yellow to dark red, so don't be too concerned. My two have the same diet but one pees significantly darker than the other, and always has.