Litter box training

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dr_peter_kraz

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, Maine, USA
Hello everyone,
As we know (and if you dont) I just adopted Spock from the shealter. Spock is a great guy but has some flaws. One being that Spock has the need to use the bathroom every where but the litter box. As of right now Spock lives in his 3 story cage when I'm at work and is then in a play pen from about 8 pm to 10am. I do this everyday. In both areas I transfor a small litterbox. The litterbox has oxbow hay and is alittle bit bigger then spock (not by much). I'm thinking the litterbox may need to be bigger and that would be one approch for me. Spock will use the bathroom around the litterbox( not sitting in it) but just not in it. I would say spock uses the litter box 5 % of the time but that leaves 95% out of the litterbox:X. I just know spock can do it. The goal is to have spock house trained before he has the run of the house. Spock does not know it but the key to get out of the play pen/cage is to sucessfully use the litterbox 95% of the time and I can let the other 5% slip:). I know the key is to start in a small area and then let it get larger. With Faye it worked perfectly, but she started at 4 months and Spock is 4 years old. So any help would be great.


Peter, Faye and Spock

 
Its probably still a territorial thing, give him time (hopefully!).

Is he peeing in the same spot(s) all the time?

Does he recognize the little box as the place he's supposed to pee?

What kind of litter was he using at the shelter?

Is it just the poop that's all over the place?

In one instance, I ended up putting the litter tray where Pipp was peeing, and then slowly moved it back. The poops went with it, but she started leaving them all over the place when I got another rabbit. Now she only does that when she's out in the rest of the house and marks where the other bunnies (and the cats) are with a perfect circle of poop. :)

The other thing that worked was what you already know, about starting with the smaller space.

Again, give him time. Good luck!

sas :)and pipp :bunnydance:
 
Put some treats in the litterbox so he will get used to being in the litterbox when he goes to retrieve it. Also, he'll probably have to go to the bathroom while eating or shortly thereafter and since he's already in the litterbox he'll go in the litterbox.
 
Do you clean his mess with vinegar to get rid of the smell? That can help. You can also soak up some pee with paper towels and put that and some fresh poo in the box to give him the idea.

I agree that a larger litterbox may help him. Mine like having litterboxes with lots of space to lounge in. My two dwarf girls have a cheap adult-sized cat litter box and I cut down part of one side so they could get in and out easier. They both fit in it with room to spare, plus the hay rack, and they really like it. Sometimes multiple litterboxes helps too, so you could get one bigger one and keep the small box.

How are Spock and Faye getting along?
 
I put a tissure box full of hay in a corner,with the litterbox right up next to it, so the only way to get to thehay is through the litter box. I did that both onthe floor and in the cages, only the cages have kibble and watertoo. Fred isn't pooping much, but his litterbox in his cageis full of pee and some poop, and Zorro is using his litterboxperfectly (in the cage).
 
I agree with naturestee about the accessibilityof the litterbox. We adopted Harley when he was approx. a year old andhe was litter trained when we got him ... he is now five and in bunyears (that means he is getting older). For the past year he has beengoing in his litterbox and outside of it too. I had a rubbermaid dishpan (much like the one that he used when he was at the HRS center). Myson mentioned that maybe it was becoming more difficult for him to getin and out of his litterbox. I purchased another litterbox from a localpet store that is higher in the back and lower in the front.


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Super Pet Hi-Bac Litter Pan
$9.99


Product Information:

Developed to accommodate all Ferrets, Rabbits, Guinea Pigs andChinchillas. The width and depth, along with the low entrance, make iteasy for pets to use. Let your animal give it a try.




It seems to be working better for Harley .... only one downside to it... he loves to dig at his litter (much like a cat does) so alot of thewood pellets go flying out into his cage and into the catch pan below... I would much rather clean up his catch pan with used pellets andpoops than clean up the pee soaked newspaper and poop ... oh, the smelltoo! We also have a ramp that leads from his condo cage down into anenclosed play area. He has never peeed there, only a few occassionalpoop sightings! LOL
 

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