Difference between types of weeing

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toyabrooke

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Hi Everyone,

Horatio has been doing very well. His toilet training is still coming along - He has found 2 spots in his crate that he LOVES to go in which have has pads cut up and put there since I noticed him like those spots a few weeks ago. He now ONLY goes there though! He will soak the pads and even do a few piles of poops on them too! The thing is though, he won't go in his tray with pads which is really where I want him to go. I know this is probably a good step though, but I am not sure whether he knows he is going on the pads and that's why he goes in those places, or if he just likes to go in those places and even if I moved the pads away he would still go there. Each morning though I take the soaked pads and put them in his tray I want him to go to, and sweep all the poos from infront of his food bowls away and put some in his tray.

He also has been good when he is out - Most of the time he won't even go at all in a whole hour out and seems to save it for when he is back inside. He does though do little wees near me sometimes when I am sitting by the pen wall that stops him from going any further into the study. I put his tray there after he makes the mistake, and then put him in it. He doesn't seem to want to go in the tray at all though and seems to aim to do it on the border of his play pen on purpose. They are really tiny wees though most of the time. I also clean everything with vinegar, and today after he did this 3 times in a row I sprayed all around the boarder of his play pen with vinegar.

My questions are:

1. Is this weeing by the pen walls a territorial thing? He is only 11 weeks and shows no signs of hormonal-ness at all. He is the calmest, tamest and loving little thing you will ever meet. He doesn't seem to wee though when I am not in that spot. If I am up at my desk not sitting with him in his pen I have't seen him do it.

2. What should I do to get him to actually go in the tray in his crate rather than those little areas he likes? They are in little nooks by his water bowl and by his food bowl, so the tray wouldn't fit and wouldn't cover both favourite areas.

He has stopped going in his house now since I decorated it, and now LOVES to sleep in it all the time rather than his tray. Can rabbits tell if you put more effort into their houses that then they should care about it too and like it? It was so strange - the second it went back into his crate after I made it pretty he was in it in a flash! So cute :)

I just really want him to toilet train ASAP so he can get more time out. At the moment I struggle to juggle all my uni work and normal work with him having enough time out but also having to be supervised the whole time. I get up an hour earlier now every morning to make sure he has an hour out before I start my days, and then he comes out as soon as I get home but then I have SO much to do that he isn't out as much at night as we would love, but I also don't want to give up and just have him roam the study because then it will take longer to toilet train him. He doesn't seem bothered though - he is more the sleeping kind of bunny than the active type :p

Any advice would be great!

T
 
I believe the little wees are territorial marking. Kreacher did it and now Neville is doing it at 13 weeks. Once Kreacher was neutered the small wees went away. Neville is only in the kitchen so the throw rug is easier to clean. He won't have the run of the house like Dobby does. Dobby is a true angel when out. No territorial marking at all.

Regarding the litter box training, it seems Horatio has found his spot in the Nic unit. Shame you can't get his tray there. At least he's going on the pad, right?

Sounds like he's doing good. And you are such a good bunny parent, getting up 1 hour before you have to to give Horatio his exercise. I worried when my schedule would change at night, and I couldn't get them all out like I did at the very beginning. They don't seem to mind. Just as long as I don't mess up their eating schedule. lol

K:)


 
Okay well at least I know he is kind of getting trained then and it's not his fault his does little wees to mark his area :p In regards to him getting neutered - If we can palpate him (my boyfriend has almost finished his med degree here so he suggested this) and see if his testes have descended, can he be fixed before the 4 month mark? I haven't heard or know anything about getting an animal fixed before the recommended time of when hormones begin, but just because hormones start at 4 months doesn't mean that is when the testes drop does it? They could already be ready to go couldn't they? I know Ray would never get as bad as Poe, but I am just so worried about hormones coming in and changing his beautiful sweet nature. My mum said he should always be how he is now because that is just his personality, but I can't help but be a little anxious about it.

I have managed to block one of his areas by his food bowls and am working on a solution for his water bowl. It's true though, at least he is only going on the pads so it seems to be a good thing. The tray it just too wide for the little tiny corner where his water bowl is, partly because of his house. I don't want him to not have a house though because he seems to love it now. I will have a little play around and see what we can do. For now though I will watch what he does with one of his favourite areas gone. Fingers crossed he heads for his big tray with his lovely pee smell all over it! It even has hay at BOTH ends! What more could a bunny ask for?! :p

Thanks for all the help and advice everyone!

T
 
It depends on the vet & the rabbit's size as far as when he can be neutered., so some vets won't do it before 6 months. And a short period of hormone-caused behavior won't affect how they are after spaying. For some rabbits there isn't even any behavior changes with the hormones. So try to be patient, hard though it is.
 
We had no signs at all with Dudley! And he was done at around 6 months! He is a much bigger bread though (English Angora), and I hear they mature slower. Ray is a Netherland Dwarf so he is already tiny, so I just worry that doing it earlier may cause problems in the surgery. I might just take him to our vet friend though and let her just tell for herself if he would be ready because she would be the best to know if she can perform surgery on him at his early stages or not.

For now he has no signs of anything hormonal apart from these little wees. I am far from worried about that though compared to the aggressive and behavioural problems Poe is still exhibiting months after he was fixed. Lets hope it won't be a round 2!

T
 
I totally agree. It depends on the Vet's view on when he/she feels they are comfortable with the age of the male rabbit.

My experience:

Dobby and Kreacher, being my first ever bunnies, were neutered at 4-1/2 months. I was hoping it would be before any hormonal issues started (marking, mounting). Dr. Joe wanted to wait until they were a year old. We discussed it and he felt comfortable with doing the surgery after 4 months. I nervously waited until the day the surgery was scheduled because they were getting a bit feisty with each other and I was afraid of any fights. This activity started right at 4 months. Their testes had not dropped yet either.

They did well with the surgery at that age. And today, no marking, no mounting and they are both sweet neutered males. The marking and mounting stopped for Dobby in about two weeks after the surgery. Kreacher took about a month.

(I really believe it was food aggression that caused the split and not a hormonal issue.)

I know how you feel about your sweet boy turning into a hormonal monster. lol. But I think you would be wise to talk to your Vet friend and get her advise on when. The Vet has to be comfortable with what he/she is doing for the sake of your bunny.

Patience is DEFINITELY needed at this time in a male bunny's life. lol. They are stinkers some times but I have to say my experience with neutering my boys was very positive. They both have turned into such snuggle bunnies with such sweet personalities.

K:)




 

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