bunny pooping and peeing area

[yuuko]

Hello, I have a bun whose around 4 months old and is pooping a lot like a healthy rabbit should.

Right now, he has this box at the left side of his cage which contains his food bowl/water bowl and tons of shredded paper. I read somewhere that bunnies like to poop while they eat so his eating box has become his natural litter box.

I was wondering if this was a bad thing to do. He doesn't seem to poop anywhere else. But he poops so much that by the end of the day, the box is covered with poop which he just sits on top of while he eats.

How frequently would you suggest cleaning his litter box? Since it fills up in a day or two, maybe every other day would be best?

Also, I was wondering about how to make the pee area.. easier to clean? Right now, my bun likes to pee on either corner of the left side of food box. Usually, he climbs on a corner of the box and does his business which causes a mess in and outside the cage. The pee goes into his food box and also drips out into the surrounding area around his cage. I tried covering the corners with plastic but he'll simply tear them down and eventually get pee through anyway. How do you guys usually handle their designated pee area? Do they always have to pee in a corner or can I train my bunny to pee on say, the center of the cage, where I can place paper towels.

thanks

 

[funnybunnymummy]

I know there are some members who keep their rabbit's food and water bowls in their litter boxes, but most don't. They do, however, hang a hay rack over the litter box to encourage what comes naturally.

I'm wondering how big this box you're using is, though? If it's filling up in just one day, then it can't be that big. That may be why your bun "climbs on a corner of the box" to pee.Or the sides are too low. Consider investing in a small or medium sized cat litter box (whichever fits your rabbit most comfortably).

I don't know many rabbits that would easily train to pee on paper towels in a center of the cage. Their instinct is to use a corner.

As for cleaning, there's a thread somewhere just recently on how often people clean their rabbit's litter boxes. I think the average was every two days, but some go longer and others clean every day. It just really depends on how quickly their litter box gets dirty.

Hope that helps!

Rue