Does Darla need a Litter Box?

[kukupecpec]

I've got a little bunny girl - Darla - who has had some trouble. Fell out of the nest box at only a few days old and was lost for at least 3 feedings. The other little bunny that was lost with her didn't make it, Darla was half that size of her siblings and so I brought her in the house to live with us where we could keep a close eye on her. She has since become a regular member of the family! She lives in my room and spends her days roaming the bedroom/bathroom.

Darla is just over 7 weeks old. She picked my dirty clothes basket as her pee spot while out and about (go figure LOL, at least they weren't clean clothes!). I gave her a bigger food bowl to accommodate her veggies and more pellets since she's started eating more, and I've found that she spends all her time (while locked in the cage) sitting IN her food bowl. After inspecting it a few days in a row I think she is peeing in it exclusively. I don't see any new pee on the fleece floor, but her food bowl is filled with wet disintegrated pellets and it reeks!
So my question is about litter training. Can she be litter trained this young? Do I need to just go back to a smaller bowl? If I move my dirty clothes basket and replace it with a litter box will she use it (ok technically I already did this and she hasn't used it yet... but it's only been a day)?

I'm also wondering if her cage size has anything to do with it? Her cage is SUPER tiny, probably considered a "travel cage" really, but when she was itty bitty it made it easy to take her and her whole cage with me everywhere I went. She could still lay down totally stretched out more than twice in the length, and not stretch out completely in the depth, BUT it's full of stuff so she can't really stretch all the way out anywhere in the cage (a hay ball turned into a veggie toy, a hay rack, a water bottle, a very large food bowl, and her shoe box for hiding in/jumping on/chewing).
I can't fit a litter box in her current cage, but I do have a larger cage I could set up for her with a little box if that would make more sense.

She is also currently living with a baby standard rex boy who will be going outside with the other buns when he starts to sexually mature.
Darla will be spayed when the time comes, she is for sure going to be a house bunny with us and we want her to just focus on being healthy after her rough start. I have another bun who is transitioning to house bunny who is already spayed that we hope to bond with Darla after she gets spayed.


Cute Darla Pictures (the first 2 are Darla and her Sister at the same age to show the difference between their size and coats)
It's hard to see, but if you look really close at my hand you can see the base of my palm in both pictures and that gives a good comparison even though the camera is pulled back for the larger sister. Darla's whole body fits in my hand while her sisters back end barely fits.

Sittin' on momma's purse with Jackie

Frolicking in the grass Easter Morning

This is their new big food bowl

And this is their cage and her current size

This is how they nap

Sittin on a box of notebooks waiting for me to look away so she can mess up my JUST cleaned and vacuumed room... snot

 

[PaGal]

I see no reason why she cannot be litter trained. However, you may want to limit her space until she catches on. Usually starting litter training in a smaller space can make it easier. Keep in mind that they poo/pee while eating so hanging a hay rack above the litter box so she has to be completely in the litter box to eat will help.

My boy would sit in his pellets and potty when I first got him. I fixed the problem by simply replacing his bowl with one too small for him to sit in. I had to do the same with both of the hay racks I have. I have basket type container I use as hay racks and big enough to hold plenty of hay but too small for the flemmie to sit in and the girls is long and narrow.

 

[Azerane]

She's not too young to be litter trained, she's already trained herself to use one spot, just not the correct spot. Definitely introduce a litter box, I'm sure she'll pick it up in no time, put hay at one end to encourage her to sit in it, and pick up any messes elsewhere. I agree that you might need a smaller food dish in the meantime.

 

[Jas]

My bunnies will spread poo and pee when they are playing and jumping around on sofa. They are litter trained though. But for me its ok as its easy to brush off small round balls from the cloth we spread on sofa for them. they are lovely eat coriander,fresh grass, pellets, hay, yellow carrots, french beans and dried garlic vine leaves. they ride over my shoulders while playing and give a gentle bite on my ear lobes and also try to pull my Pyjamas.