Bunny pees in litterbox only to show off?

[karitamura]

Help! I have a 6 week old bunny, names tobi chan, netherlands dwarf. and i've been trying to litter train her, and shes a smart one and learnt how to on the first day. After that she still peed all around the area(not in the litterbox),but thats okay, I didnt mind because its only been a few days.

but now I've realized she only pees when I'm around watching her, perhaps maybe cause i reward her for peeing in the litterbox?
when i'm asleep or out, the whole cage is filed with pee once again! but when i wake up and pet her, she immediately goes into the litter box to pee! I'm so confused. Tried googling it but no one seems to talk about it.

how do i get her to stop peeing in the litterbox only when she feels like it?
Thank you!

 

[wabbitmom12]

Sometimes they are stubborn, aren't they?

One thing about rabbits is that they like to mark their territory. I would think by now she would have her scent everywhere she wants it, though. Do you consistently put her poos in her litter pan so she begins to know that the pan is THE PLACE to go? I would also clean up some of her urine with a paper towel, and put that in her litter pan.

Out of curiosity, what kind of litter are you using? Some buns are picky about the litter...maybe she doesn't really like it enough to use it consistently - but she will use it just to get treats from you.

You will probably have to do some detective work to figure out what will work best for you and your bunny. One other thing that others will probably mention also: spaying your rabbit almost always improves their litter habits. It's smart to do anyway (if she is a pet and not a show rabbit) because it greatly reduces the risk of uterine cancer...one of the number one diseases they are prone to as adults.

Good luck, and let us know how it is going with tobi chan.

 

[Imarni]

I thought they marked their territory with chin glands? I found my males toiliting did improve also though with desexing.

 

[karitamura]

hey! yes since day one ive been putting back her poo in her litterbox, letting her smell it first.same with pee. and when shes about to pee sometimes,i pick her up and carry her to the litter box, and then she pees there, and then i give her a treat.

mmm litter wise i bought it straight from a shop specializing in netherland dwarf bunnies(its the grey absorbent kind, threw in a little hay too) , they recommended it, so i'm dont think its really the litter. Or should i go ahead and try changing it?

I used to put the cover for the lid, but it kept missing its pee, so i took it out.

i also think its still too young to spray!

 

[elrohwen]

Do you have bedding down in the rest of the cage?

Describe your litter box - what size is it?

 

[wabbitmom12]

Imarni wrote:

I thought they marked their territory with chin glands?  I found my males toiliting did improve also though with desexing. 

Yes, they do chin to mark their territory...but leaving poos and urinating are also marking behaviors. It doesn't have to be large amounts, either. Just a little dribble or a few pellets, here and there, is enough to say, "Mine...mine...mine!"

 

[wabbitmom12]

karitamura wrote:
i also think its still too young to spray![/quote]


How old is tobi chan? Small breeds like Nethies can start maturing sexually as young as 3 months...and, obviously, the hormones develop over days and weeks, not overnight. In any case, a rabbit doesn't have to spray urine to mark...sometimes they just piddle a little.

One other important thought that just struck me! Buns do like to choose the potty area of their cage. Have you tried just moving the litter pan to the area where she seems to prefer to pee? Obviously, you might have to rearrange a bit...but strangely, they can be quite adamant about where the potty zone is.

 

[karitamura]

i bought the biggest cage there was, ill upload a photo of it you can see it if you like! you can kind of see the litterbox too!
right now it is at the side of the box, im trying to put the white cage on top so that it wont get its feet dirty but i take it out as well to see if shell pee better there when she gets closer to the smell of his droppings/urine. I don't know which ones better

I also like to clean her cage often, i mean not the intense way, but clear dropping and put it in the litterbox, or throw some away altogether, and wipe the cage so she lie down comfortably.but i'm afraid he cant eat his own droppings that way. so many questions..

 

[karitamura]

Tobi's only 6 weeks old coming to 7! we don't even know if its definitely a girl or a boy. but i'm guessing that could be a reason!

Also yes, his favourite area is.. right next to the litterbox. haha, which is infront of his hay stack. he loves to pee after munching on hay. I cant move the hay stack cause the container comes with the cage.

 

[wabbitmom12]

Some owners have had success putting a layer of hay over the litter in the litter box. Buns like to eat and poo at the same time.

In addition, you might try putting it under the water bottle (assuming you have the gravity type). That way they stand in the box to drink...and the natural thing happens next: pee.

 

[Imarni]

wabbitmom12 wrote:

Imarni wrote:

I thought they marked their territory with chin glands? I found my males toiliting did improve also though with desexing.

Yes, they do chin to mark their territory...but leaving poos and urinating are also marking behaviors. It doesn't have to be large amounts, either. Just a little dribble or a few pellets, here and there, is enough to say, "Mine...mine...mine!"

Just out of interest, when they just poo in a general area, is that saying, ok near the fire is my area? As both my buns that come indoors do this but generally don't poo elsewhere, they always wee in the litterbox. So when you move the poo as you do, do they then think bugger, I now need to re spread my area markings as that stupid human just messed it up?

 

[wabbitmom12]

Imarni wrote:

wabbitmom12 wrote:

Imarni wrote:

I thought they marked their territory with chin glands?  I found my males toiliting did improve also though with desexing. 

Yes, they do chin to mark their territory...but leaving poos and urinating are also marking behaviors. It doesn't have to be large amounts, either. Just a little dribble or a few pellets, here and there, is enough to say, "Mine...mine...mine!"

 

Just out of interest, when they just poo in a general area, is that saying, ok near the fire is my area?  As both my buns that come indoors do this but generally don't poo elsewhere, they always wee in the litterbox. So when you move the poo as you do, do they then think bugger, I now need to re spread my area markings as that stupid human just messed it up?

Well, as a rabbit owner, you probably already know that buns think EVERYTHING is theirs, and all humans live to serve them! "ALL AREAS belong to ME!!"

So, yes...if you clean it up, they will usually re-mark it . If not right then, the next time they are in the area. "I don't want anyone (or anybun) else to think that this is their area. It is MINE!!"

 

[karitamura]

another help guys! nothing I do seems to help. I have another question for this same problem. I have a white cage/metal grill netting like thing thats placed on top of the litterbox for cleanliness.
Should I leave this there? When i put it there, the rabbit jumps ontop of it, pees, but misses and pees on the floor, and its downhill from there, it just starts peeing everywhere.
But when I take it out, it just starts chilling in his litterbox and gets incredibly dirty, and it still pees outside of it.
-_-

sigh

 

[missyscove]

One of my buns has two litterboxes for that reason. If I give him just one, he'll use it as a bed and pee all over the cage. I I give him two, he uses one for lounging in and the other he uses as a litterbox.

It really is helpful to have the litterbox under the hay so they can eat and pee/poop simultaneously.