Bunny droppings question

[ntwhelan]

I have two new (to us) bunnies. Both are about the same age just over 1 year old. The male has been neutered and the female spayed. They use their large litter box just fine in their pen. The pen is inside our house and is about 6' x 4'. They have a blast running and jumping around their pen and running in and out of an 8"x 5' tunnel as well as their Cottontail cottage. We have a piece of linoleum under the pen to make clean-up easier. The litter box is used for all their pee and 99% of their poo. However we are always cleaning up stray droppings around the pen probably a dozen or more each day. Some droppings end up outside the pen where they are kicked out during the "Bunny 500" race. Will they ever stop the droppings outside the litterbox? I wish to let them join us in a room to run around freely but we don't want the poos everywhere.

My wife and I are new to rabbits so as inexperienced bunny lovers don't know what to expect.

Thank you all for your help.
Nelson

 

[golfdiva]

Will they ever get 100% of their poop in the litter box? Maybe, but probably not. You will continue to find stray poops around. But they are VERY easy to clean up!

If it's just one or two, I just pick them up with my bare hand and put them in the waste basket. If that doesn't go over well with you, you can get a carpet sweeper fairly inexpensively (@$35.00). Just keep it handy and roll it over the stray poops whenever you find them!

 

[jamesedwardwaller]

i have to agree with golfdiva//as long as they pee in the box that,s the main thing,//.the day time (round) poops need to be checked daily anyway,,the night time poops are eaten directly from the anus to keep good flora in the gi tract,.//.you need to study poopology anyway to become an acurate poopologist/no joke/ you can be the first line of defence in the event of an emergency-because prey animals would rather die than tell you what is wrong-and most do!!,..sincerely james waller

 

[ntwhelan]

Thanks to both for your answers. So where do I get the straight poop on becoming a poopologist? You indicate that good information about the bunnies health can be assessed from there poop so I'm interested in any available articles on the subject.

 

[crystal]

if 99% of the poo goes where you want it then I think you should count yourself very fortunate!

assuming they're not just a weird aussie thing... a dust pan and brush works really well for sweeping up some poos. that's what I have been using while my boy bunny has been living 24/7 in our bathroom for the last month haha I think he does more like 99% of his poo outside of the litter box... maybe more like 80? so look on the bright side, it's only 1% that you have to clean up!

 

[bijoux]

how funny, yes, i have a brush and dustpan too. I also have a sweeper and I pick them up with my hands all the time.

Bijoux does go 99% in the box but when he jumps out, some stick to his fur and come off as he bounces away. The majority of the strays are by his box but sometimes I find random ones here and there.

I put a grill in the box and this helps but he doesn't like it under his feet. He needs a haircut again but its a chore so I haven't done it this month

 

[crystal]

man I would love 99% of poo in the box! poo isn't that hard to clean up though thank goodness.

my boy lopsy has two dodgy legs so he is a bit uncoordinated... so he flicks the poos around all over the place. if he wasn't so adorable he would be a pain. he mostly urinates in his box though which is great. I'm gonna look out for a grill type thing, but I'm not sure if he would be too uncoordinated for it to work for him.

 

[bijoux]

As I was just cleaning up bunny poops this morning, another thing occured to me. My bunny is totally free in the house. He doesnt even have a cage, just a litter box in the corner behind a soji(sp) screen.

If the concern is that the poos you are finding all over his cage or pen will be all over your house if you let them out, I think that won't happen. The only area where they usually still poo is around whatever area is "theirs". Rabbits are territorial. They are marking their area with their poos. I almost never find poos in any other part of the house besides the room the litter box is in. He has only once not peed in his box and that was because I had moved it from one corner to another, so he peed in the corner where it used to be. I keep a rubber mat under the litter box, a bathroom or front door rug would also work. This would catch any poos that pop out of the box when they jump out from getting to far from the box.

As for the poo-information, I think they are referring to a forum for faq. under behaviour and nutrition one of the first two forums. My biggest poo issue is with wool block. so I have to watch for the signs all the time which are easy to spot since reading the information.

I say let those buns out, you'll enjoy them so much more and its actually easier to keep clean, no cage, just empty the toilet whenever it needs it.