Help with cage set up

[renaelock]

So my rabbit is litter trained and is currentlyin a small dog crate. He will move into his new NIC cage once it's completed. Right now his litter box (with timothy hay also) is in VERY close proximity to his food and water bowls -turn to the side in the litter boxand the bowls are right there. Should I keep all three of these items close to each other? I was thinking litter box in one corner then food and water on the other side of the cage. Would this change his litter box habits at all since he'd still have the hay in the litter box?

 

[Amy27]

I have found that any changes can cause changes in their litter box habits. I would try to keep everything the same as much as you can. If you want to have the food dish and water dish farther away, I would slowly move them away after you move to the NIC cage to see how your rabbit does with the change.

 

[BunnyLove06]

With both of my buns, I started out with their potty in pne spot and their food in another. Over time, they have moved things around on their own.
Sammy likes to turn his potty (one of those high back long johns)to face the other way.
Daisy decided she likes her food bowl in a different part of her cage. I just keep putting them back where the buns move them!

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

In my cages, the hay is in the litter box (I use hay racks). The food and water bowls are away from the box. Veggies are also in a different area of the cage.
I find that is does make a difference where the hay is in the litter box as far as some litter habits are concerned. With Lillian, she will pee when eating hay, so her hay needs to be in the litter box so she has to be in the box to eat it. If she can eat the hay without being in the box, she will pee out of the box.

Moving to a new cage, or even moving the same cage can result in litter habit changes. Some of it is them marking the cage as theirs. Once they are settled in the new cage, the litter habits should return to normal. Since many rabbits like to eat and poop/pee at the same time, moving the food or hay could cause a change in litter habits.
Some rabbits will react more to change that others. If yours react strongly to the change in the placement of the bowls, then move them back and go slowly.

 

[elrohwen]

It's really hard to say until you try it. Some bunnies don't take change well, and a change like that can affect litter habits. Other buns don't really mind one bit. It's very dependent on the individual bun.

How does your bun deal with change in general?