Carpet, Litterboxes, Bonding...oh my!

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FuzzButtLover

Bonnie
Joined
Sep 1, 2013
Messages
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Location
Pittsburgh, PA
Hi everyone!
I'm a relatively new member to rabbits online, so, hi! We are having some problems with our buns and need some help please. I apologize ahead of time for the novel that you are about to read, but thank you for your help!

I found Molly outside about 2 years ago. She was in relatively good shape (had ear mites, slightly underweight) so she probably wasn't a stray for long. Our vet guessed her age to be about 2, so now she's approx. 4 years old. My husband and I built a very nice condo for her and she had free reign of our apt except when we were at work or when it was time for bed. About a year or so ago we started to let her out all of the time except when it was time for bed. She had excellent litterbox habits once she was trained.
While she was out, she would often sleep under our love seat. We thought it was cute until we moved it several months later and discovered that she chewed and ATE a TON of the carpet. We covered it up with hard plastic as well as the underneath of our couch. That put a stop to her eating the carpet.

About 6 months ago I began volunteering at our animal shelter with the rabbits. We then also became bunny foster parents. Molly did pretty well with the guests and had some territorial peeing and pooping but we knew to expect it and she eventually got over it.

2 1/2 months ago we started trying to bond her with a bunny named Edgar. They didn't really like each other, so I let Edgar be adopted. I then brought home Mikey and started their dating that night. It wasn't love at first sight, but it did go well and they were officially bonded 2 weeks later. The love buns have been together now for about 1 1/2 months.

Their current set up is their 3-level condo (size is 4'x4'x2) with a litterbox (floor is mostly linoleum with a little bit of carpet on the ramps) which is in the corner of the room, an ex pen half surrounding it which makes the whole space a little under 7'x7' with another litterbox and a litterbox with hay (the floor is 20g vinyl). Since we put the ex pen up, I don't close the door to the condo so they have that whole area to do whatever they want in. When we are home, they have free reign, but not when it's time for bed. (see problems below for why they can't be free reign anymore) They have lots of boxes, a play tunnel (concrete form tube), bunny and cat toys to play with.
Here are the problems:

1. Molly has gone back to eating the carpet. She isn't being sneaky about it anymore and is doing it right in front of our faces. Clapping hands, water, or a spoon against a pot doesn't deter her. We have to get up and chase her away. I think she is doing it for attention but I can honestly tell you that she gets a lot of it from us and by Mikey.

2. Their litter habits have gone down the toilet. I know that it's normal, but I don't know what to do. They have 3 litter boxes in their area and are peeing beside the one in the condo and pooping everywhere on the bottom floor. I clean up the pee and set the paper towels in the boxes and clean the floor with vinegar water after each time.

3. Mikey seems to be less comfortable with me now, than when we brought him home. He knew me prior to because he had been at the shelter for 4 months. He enjoyed sitting on my lap, spending time with me on the floor, being held for short amounts of time, but not anymore. He only seems to want me when I have their food and treats. I understand that some bunnies don't need their humans much once they bond with another bun, but I didn't realize it would be like this.

I don't like keeping them penned up but with Molly eating the carpet, I just can't let them out when we aren't there. And any other suggestions for the litterbox habits?

Thank you again for reading this!!
 
I'm afraid that I don't have much advice to give, because it sounds like you're doing everything right in regards to the litter box problem. I also understand your carpet woes, Bandit is banned from carpet because he likes to pull on it and nothing I do will scare him off it, he's just very determined, and like you said, I literally have to chase him away from it and sometimes even pick him up to get him to stop.

As for Mikey, all that I can suggest is to keep encouraging him to interact with you for treats and pets, and just continue trying to grow that bond.
 
I cannot help on the carpet issue as I have the same problem. The only thing I could suggest is to try placing something over the carpet so that she cannot chew the carpet. Maybe even a sheet would work but she could wind up chewing that as well.

I would try limiting their space for a few days to a week to see if that would improve their litter habits. If it does then slowly allow them more and more space.

Just keep trying with Mikey. My two new buns aren't crazy about attention but I have noticed they are better about it after they have had some time to run around.
 
For their litter habits, I would agree with decreasing their area until they get better with using the box, and then increase it slowly. For the carpet, I don't really think you're going to be able to train her out of it. With bunny destruction you really just have to cover anything you don't want destroyed. I'd at least put something else down as the floor in their pen and go from there once you see improvement in litter habits.

How big are the boxes? Do they have high enough sides that they aren't just sitting in the box with their butt over the edge and then peeing? That's a problem I had with one of my first rabbits until I got a bigger box with higher sides.

Do they eat their hay in the litter box? That can help with the poops to some degree but at this point it may just be territorial.
 
Thank you everyone!
I scrubbed the heck out of the bottom floor of their condo last night and put there normal litter box in it as well as the one with litter and hay and this morning there were no urine puddles!!! :jumpforjoy:
What's strange is, neither of them ate their hay out of a litter box before they met, but now they do. Whatever...as long as they pee in the right place I'm happy! I don't even mind cleaning up the poops from the floor .
 
I have the two rabbits and we used to have one. The rabbits are bonded all right bonded to be like lil rascals into everything. Not twice the work 4 times the work. My last rabbit Sammy, RIP, had free roam and his potty habits where solid, about 5 years, until a bout of ecuniculi.

These current guys will mark the carpet in the corners, near gates to block out of bounds areas and I see them pee in the litter box, 10 minutes later pee in their corners and then back on the litter box. I might think it is something medical but when they mark it is pretty symmetrical spacing and they will mark the same area, the corners. I think the bruiser Snoopy is doing most of the dirty work, his brother Bandit is just a free spirited follower. I just had the carpet cleaned and want to keep it clean.

I can deal with the carpet chewing, lucky with have a thiclk faceweight style but I am limiting their area to a 6 x 9 tarp.

If only I spoke bunny but they mark their territory why? They are both 9 months old 4 plus months post neutered. The litter pen is the large triangle one, don't get me wrong they use it regularly but I just had the carpet cleaned and 20 minutes they leave a huge pee spot in the one of the corners they have peed in for a while.

The last rabbit quit chewing and settled down at about the year mark, he was neutered also, do they settle down around a year generally.
Are ya supposed to rub their lil face in the pee? I often get to it when it is still warm.
Sometimes the pee is darker than others and cleanup is usually not noticable but the darker stuff stains right away. Any way they get horse hay, pellets a grape or lil treat once in a while, but come to think of it I do give them the died veggie puffs the corn based marketed rabbit treats(could this or what causes darker pee)?

We enjoy the rabbits but will be limiting the cage area for a while and if bandit can roam and Snoopy is the culprit I will try to let him out more as the binkies are so cute, the rolls, the flops happen much more with a bigger space and are entertaining. I do feel like Elmer Fudd lately, chasing em up the stairs with a clenched fist, my eagle eye for fresh pee so it does not dry, and I do have a nice hole in the carpet. Love my rabbits though
 
I've heard of spraying vinegar on the carpet to stop them chewing; if you can stand the smell.
 

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