Help! Dealing with Un-Neutered, Un-Littertrained 3 month old!

[cassjane]

Hi everyone! A month ago I got an 8 week old holland lop. He was born on Dec 6, so a little over 12 weeks old now. He is free roam in my bedroom (when I’m at home I let him free roam the rest of my house too)
For the first few weeks, he was using the litter box really well, then one day he stopped, poop and pee everywhere. I understand he’s just being a teenager- I’m just having trouble finding a solution, and I’m checking for testicles almost daily because I can’t wait to get him neutered!
Puppy pads are a hassle, right now the solution I have is baby gate blocking part of my room, with a blanket on the floor. But he’s learned how to jump the gate when he wants, and onto my bed, and sometimes I get home from work with him on my bed leaving me lots of gifts.
Having to climb over the gate whenever I go in or out of my room, and step over a million poops is getting very daunting! My best friend is coming to stay with me in a few days and this situation is not ideal! Anyone have tips for managing a pre-neuter rabbit? X-pen enclosing him in a smaller area? Any advice/comments welcome!

 

[cassjane]

I cant be too mad because he looks like this.. but still!

 

[Apollo’s Slave]

Welcome to the forum!

He’s so pretty! I love his blue eyes!

As for his litter habits! They will improve after neutering. But for now, don’t leave any poops or urine on the floor. For poops, scoop them up and put them in the litter box. And for urine, get a paper towel, mop it up with the paper towel and place that in the litter box. Then (for urine and poop), use a cleaning solution (I use baking soda, vinegar and water -1/2 and 1/2), and clean the area. If he’s peeing or pooping on a item - like a bed or a rug, clean the rug and then place it back in.
His pen looks like a good size. So I don’t think you need to change it.
I would also try moving his litter box to a spot that he often uses.
Good luck!

Also, what are you feeding him at the moment?

 

[zuppa]

Hi. When you toilet train your rabbit you want to have all hard floor in his enclosure and only soft in toilet box (or boxes). Rabbits like to pee on soft so no blankets/rugs around during the training. In your situation I see you have tales there so just leave them uncovered so as was suggested above you can keep it clean and put any poos and paper towels soaked in urine into his toilet and clean urine spots with 5% white vinegar (cleans, disinfects and removes odour) so only toilet box will smell like toilet and the rest of his floor won't, rabbits like peeing where they can smell their urine.

Also as already said I would move his toilet box where he likes to pee, they usually like corners and choose one corner, but you can add another litter box and place two on both sides.

I personally never use puppy training pads also most of rabbits can chew on them and get a blockage from ingesting plastic so it's a no for me.

I would get a piece of lino (preferably textured so he can have better grip for his fluffy feet). Lino must be bigger than his area so he can't have access to edges because some rabbits (actually too many of them) like chewing edges and can get very sick from chewing lino, same with plastic.

The size of his area is fine but his plastic gate is a joke most rabbits (except of the very lazy ones) would jump over it easily, and he is only 3 months old so not even his full size yet. I would recommend to invest into a metal playpen much higher, I use baby fireguard panels 66 cm high even some rabbits can manage to climb over them, they are very smart!
Same like in this link I can't post photos this is 66 cm high and made of panels you can connect then into a long fence very useful. You can get secondhand much cheaper as well
https://www.smythstoys.com/uk/en-gb/baby/safety/safety-gates/babylo-classic-fireguard/p/129094

For toilet training is good to limit his territory, I don't know how far you want to go with changes and how much are you willing to invest, but thinking a bit into future, he will grow and he can be neutered at around 6 months (some vets would do at 4,5 months if he has his testicles fully dropped and weights enough) so you have about 3 months ahead you want to stay clean I believe. Standard rabbit cages are tiny and not high enough some people use dog crates medium to xl size and attach an x-pen to them, you can safely lock your rabbit for night or when you are not home so he can't jump over the gate and get into a trouble. Or cc grids are quite popular here you can build quite a large housing with them. There's a thread somewhere in Housing section you can find plenty of ideas there.

 

[zuppa]

He can also start chewing on your beautiful furniture so your dresser and mirror frame are under danger I would remove them from his area, they look expensive

 

[Peneloppythebun]

View attachment 45652 I cant be too mad because he looks like this.. but still!

So cute! Yeah he’s probably going through his teenage stage, I would say you should get a odor remover spray he doesn’t go pooping in places you don’t want him to. I would check target the have a bitter apple spray or amazon for the Abbey and Sullivan pet odor and stain remover spray that is safe for bunnies. I hope that helps or get his poop and put it in his little box so he knows where to go if he pees get a tissue and soak up his pee and put it in his litter box. That’ll teach him to go there or you can use 50% vinegar and water. Also getting a water proof mat helps a lot it’s easier to broom up the poop and clean the pee. As for the xpen I would get a taller one at least 36 inches or taller or stack two-three cc grids on top of one another to make it taller. Hope this helps

 

[cassjane]

Welcome to the forum!

He’s so pretty! I love his blue eyes!

As for his litter habits! They will improve after neutering. But for now, don’t leave any poops or urine on the floor. For poops, scoop them up and put them in the litter box. And for urine, get a paper towel, mop it up with the paper towel and place that in the litter box. Then (for urine and poop), use a cleaning solution (I use baking soda, vinegar and water -1/2 and 1/2), and clean the area. If he’s peeing or pooping on a item - like a bed or a rug, clean the rug and then place it back in.
His pen looks like a good size. So I don’t think you need to change it.
I would also try moving his litter box to a spot that he often uses.
Good luck!

Also, what are you feeding him at the moment?

Thank you! I was very diligent about moving all of his poop to the litter box for weeks but it doesn’t seem to make a difference. I will start trying again though. I bought a rug so that he can have some traction, but with him peeing where he wants it’s kinda tricky so that’s why I have the blanket down, I’ve just been throwing it in the wash every other day.

He is eating alfalfa hay, oxbow alfalfa+Timothy pellets, and I’ve started him on a few greens

 

[cassjane]

Hi. When you toilet train your rabbit you want to have all hard floor in his enclosure and only soft in toilet box (or boxes). Rabbits like to pee on soft so no blankets/rugs around during the training. In your situation I see you have tales there so just leave them uncovered so as was suggested above you can keep it clean and put any poos and paper towels soaked in urine into his toilet and clean urine spots with 5% white vinegar (cleans, disinfects and removes odour) so only toilet box will smell like toilet and the rest of his floor won't, rabbits like peeing where they can smell their urine.

Also as already said I would move his toilet box where he likes to pee, they usually like corners and choose one corner, but you can add another litter box and place two on both sides.

I personally never use puppy training pads also most of rabbits can chew on them and get a blockage from ingesting plastic so it's a no for me.

I would get a piece of lino (preferably textured so he can have better grip for his fluffy feet). Lino must be bigger than his area so he can't have access to edges because some rabbits (actually too many of them) like chewing edges and can get very sick from chewing lino, same with plastic.

The size of his area is fine but his plastic gate is a joke most rabbits (except of the very lazy ones) would jump over it easily, and he is only 3 months old so not even his full size yet. I would recommend to invest into a metal playpen much higher, I use baby fireguard panels 66 cm high even some rabbits can manage to climb over them, they are very smart!
Same like in this link I can't post photos this is 66 cm high and made of panels you can connect then into a long fence very useful. You can get secondhand much cheaper as well
https://www.smythstoys.com/uk/en-gb/baby/safety/safety-gates/babylo-classic-fireguard/p/129094

For toilet training is good to limit his territory, I don't know how far you want to go with changes and how much are you willing to invest, but thinking a bit into future, he will grow and he can be neutered at around 6 months (some vets would do at 4,5 months if he has his testicles fully dropped and weights enough) so you have about 3 months ahead you want to stay clean I believe. Standard rabbit cages are tiny and not high enough some people use dog crates medium to xl size and attach an x-pen to them, you can safely lock your rabbit for night or when you are not home so he can't jump over the gate and get into a trouble. Or cc grids are quite popular here you can build quite a large housing with them. There's a thread somewhere in Housing section you can find plenty of ideas there.

Thank you so much for the tips! Good ideas

 

[Mariam+Theo]

Welcome! He is so cute! It makes me want a holland lop!

If you see in this picture you sent, it looks like most of his poops have been in that one area on the blanket/carpet. It may be that that is where he wants his litter box to be. Try moving the litter box over to that place and see what happens, just like @Apollo’s Slave and @Hermelin said. Other than that I agree pretty much with what everybody else has said so just follow their instructions.

 

[Blue eyes]

I noticed that too... that his poos seem to be piled in one area. I'd move the litter box there (or get a 2nd one to put there).

As for your floor...until he's trained, you could put down a heavy duty plastic tarp (like those ones from wal-mart) to cover the whole floor of the pen area. Then you can put whatever you want (blanket or whatever) on top if you want. But as others have noted, having no blankets is best when potty training.

An exercise pen should be minimum of 30". Taller is fine but the taller they are, the heavier they are. Here is a link (be sure the height is 30" plus):
http://www.amazon.com/Midwest-Black...73854698&sr=8-1&keywords=midwest+exercise+pen

 

[cassjane]

Welcome! He is so cute! It makes me want a holland lop!

If you see in this picture you sent, it looks like most of his poops have been in that one area on the blanket/carpet. It may be that that is where he wants his litter box to be. Try moving the litter box over to that place and see what happens, just like @Apollo’s Slave and @Hermelin said. Other than that I agree pretty much with what everybody else has said so just follow their instructions.

Definitely will try that! Hopefully once he’s neutered I can move the litter box to the corner? don’t love the idea of it in the front and center of my entryway but for now at least I will try!

 

[somebunnylovesme]

I would go with 36 inch (3 feet) or 42 inches(3.5 feet) for a puppy pen. Puppy pens are heavier than nic grid (wire grid shelving).

You don't need to waste your money of expensive spray deterrents or spray cleaners to clean up pee. You can use vinegar to wipe up the pee. You could use a bigger litter box and place it where he is doing his business. If he is pooping in other area pick up the pee on poop and place it in his box. Clean the area he peed in with vinegar

Placing hay box above his litter box than in his litter box may help with litter box training and it will provide enrichment. Bunnies poop when they eat. You can make your own with a large tupper wear container or with a ikea bag storage holder. Pin interest hay lots of idea for hay racks that won't break your bank account.

Altering your rabbit may help with litter box training It can take 4 to 6 weeks for the rabbit hormones to calm down after your rabbit is altered.

 

[Apollo’s Slave]

Definitely will try that! Hopefully once he’s neutered I can move the litter box to the corner? don’t love the idea of it in the front and center of my entryway but for now at least I will try!

Once he’s fully litter trained you can move the box any where. I’ve moved Apollo’s litterbox countless times and he always n in ones where to go

 

[cassjane]

Once he’s fully litter trained you can move the box any where. I’ve moved Apollo’s litterbox countless times and he always n in ones where to go

Wow that’s a relief! Okay, so for the time being I will put his litter box where he goes most. Now have to figure out how to block him from jumping on the bed. I’m off to go look for a better barrier, wish me luck! Will probably end up ordering one of the puppy pens online

 

[Apollo’s Slave]

Wow that’s a relief! Okay, so for the time being I will put his litter box where he goes most. Now have to figure out how to block him from jumping on the bed. I’m off to go look for a better barrier, wish me luck! Will probably end up ordering one of the puppy pens online

I got mine from Amazon, a standard metal puppy pen, ours is 2-3ft because Apollo refuses to jump over it (because he’s a good boy!).

 

[Mariam+Theo]

I got a 2' tall puppy pen at a yard sale for $5 and it works great. Theo doesn't jump over it but has tried to by standing on a cardboard box. I would look on craigslist, Facebook market place, or a yard/garage sale and see if you can find a used one for cheaper.

 

[Blue eyes]

I got a 2' tall puppy pen at a yard sale for $5 and it works great. Theo doesn't jump over it but has tried to by standing on a cardboard box. I would look on craigslist, Facebook market place, or a yard/garage sale and see if you can find a used one for cheaper.

Fair warning, though.... most rabbits will easily hop over a 2' barricade. That's why I say a minimum of 30". (I believe the world record jump for a rabbit is 36 or 39.")

 

[zuppa]

Definitely will try that! Hopefully once he’s neutered I can move the litter box to the corner? don’t love the idea of it in the front and center of my entryway but for now at least I will try!

Well you don't have to wait until he's neutered actually my unneutered boys 5-7 months old are excellent with their toilet, and two adult males 2 year old and other not sure of his age he was a rescue but he's with me 14 months now so probably 1 year and a half. They are very tidy in my experience males are better with toilet than females, my males are 100% toilet perfectionists! I think maybe yours just got a bit confused with his setup, I would recommend to limit his territory and keep all his poo&pee in his toilet box and hard clean floor everywhere. He has too much space for now imo.

One of my males Fred cleans his cage himself I only refill his toilet box once a week and forgot to do it once, after a couple days I found that he covered his wet corner in his box with a piece of cardboard

 

[bunnylove2024]

well, it will help after he gets neutered but for now, just keep reinforcing the good things he does and mabey continue putting poop and pee into his litter box, which might help him realize that is where he is sposed to go. Good luck, I hope his habits become as nice as his eyes and coloring!