Litterbox training help with 8 week old Lop

Hi,
I have a 8 week old Holland Lop buck that I just brought home a week ago. He hasn't used the litterbox yet, instead he urinates in front of it. He is in a x-pen that I feel is not too large for him. I put his hay in his litterbox to encourage him to get in it. I have placed urine soaked paper towels in the box and have had no success getting him to do his business in it. And he poops ALOT, is this much poop normal? I do have 2 other neutered Lops that I have had since they were 8 weeks old, they're now 2 yrs and I don't remember them having this issue. Just in case you were wondering they are not housed with the 8 week old. Any suggestions with litterbox training would be great. Or, is he just too young to understand the box and it will come with age

Thanks so much
Beth

Beth,

Hi there, from what I remember, I could not get my guys litter box trained until 3 months. Who knows maybe my bunnies were retarded? But after 3 months I had better luck in getting them trained to use a corner and then getting them box trained and whenever they were let out to excercise would use a box instead of using a corner of my bathroom!

Before then they just poohed all over the place and YES they poohed a hell of alot!

This is just my personal observation from my brother and sister I have...

Take care and let us know how it goes!
Vanessa

My little girl rabbit pooped a lot too. I couldn't believe how much. my other rabbit was litter trained within a few days and he was free roam in his bunny room except at night. He may get better over time. Just keep picking up the poops and make sure to clean the peed areas well with vinegar and water. It helps neutralize the odor. Also you could perhaps add a second litter box I did that when training mine. Best of luck!

After your bun gets neutered, his litter box habits will improve. I put a litter box in every corner and that helped my boys when they were little. Most bunnies don't really get it until they get older. Mine used to sleep in theirs when they were little. good luck!!

All I can tell you is what worked for me. My male bun was brought home at 10 weeks and was litter trained in 3 days. My two girls were brought home at 1 year old and were litter trained in two weeks. None of my buns are neutered/spayed as I got a male not planning on neutering unless he was very hormonal. The girls were a rescue situation and for now can't be spayed as I have cats that need done first. The male is kept away from the females.

Use litter only in the litter box, not in the rest of the cage. If your bun has chosen a spot to go in mostly then place the litter box there. Hang a hay rack above the litter box or place some hay in the corner of the litter box so the bun has to be completely in the litter box to munch on the hay. Buns potty while eating which is why you want the hay there.

Clean up any poops and place them in the litter box. Soak a corner of paper towel with urine outside of the litter box and place this in the litter box. Clean any soiled surfaces with a mix of vinegar/water which will eliminate the smell so the bun won't potty there again based on smell. If you are having difficulty getting your bun litter trained then you may not want to change the litter more than once every few days. You may also want to just rinse the litter box out with water so that some of their smell may remain, not enough for you to smell but enough for them. This seemed to help with my girls.

Limit your buns space until it is litter trained. A bun is considered litter trained when it pees only in the litter box. It is rare for a bun to not drop at least some poops outside the litter box. Once your bun is litter trained then you can slowly expand it's space. You may have to use more than one litter box.

Neutering/spaying may help with litter habits. Buns do poop a lot. Buns do mark territory not just with urine but also with poo. Usually poo marking will slow down over time as the bun feels it is at home/gets older.

The X pen space may be too large for your bun to start off with.

Good Luck!

Some of ours took right to the box and others required us to move them around a bit. With Peter, he was so much better after neutering. Spike is a special case. He'd get in his box but he was so close to the edge he'd pee on the floor. I put his pan in a cardboard box with higher sides and a cutout for entry/exit and it solved the problem with him. One trick I learned with all is to put a hay rack on one side and a water bottle on the other side of their litter box so they are in there when they eat hay or drink water. And, as you can tell by my byline below, all rabbits poop and it is a lot, unfortunately.