Litter training help!

[Nessa1487]

Well, I decided today I'd try to start litter training Skippy, I've got all of what I need, and a lot of good information. Well, I sat him in there and I have litter called "Yesterday's News"...he doesn't want to go in it, he wants to eat the litter. How do I get him to stop? I'd imagine it isn't good for him but, I have no idea how to address the situation.

 

[Pet_Bunny]

Nessa1487 wrote:

he doesn't want to go in it, he wants to eat the litter. How do I get him to stop? I'd imagine it isn't good for him..but, I have no idea how to address the situation.

Give him time. He probably doesn't know what a litter box is yet as he is checking out his new toy.

Once you place enough of his stray poos in the box, hewill get the idea what the litter box is.Sometimes bunnies don't want to go to the litter box because it is too clean. :shock:

Rainbows!

 

[Lissa]

It's going to take some time sobe patient. If Skippy starts going outside his litterbox, be sure to clean it up right away sothat he doesn't keep making this mistake. Has Skippy been neutered? If not, you may want to do that sometime soon, as that can improve litter box behavior.

 

[JimD]

All of our buns had wire-bottom cages with drop pan prior to them being litter trained.

Before Iput the litter pan in their cage, I would first take some soiled litter from the cage's drop pan and put it in the litter pan.

I do have to mention something here (again).....and that is that all buns are different. I have 8 bunnies and they all have different litter habits. Some do EVERYTHING in their litter pan. Some pee in it, but don't poop in it. Some poop&pee in it, but still poop outside of it. Some poop&pee in it and then empty it out so they can lay in their pan. See what I mean?


As lissa said, neutering can also have a big effect on litter habits.


~Jim

 

[ilovetegocalderon]

Also, if you're concerned about him eating the litter you put in there, you could always just use regular rabbit bedding or hay in the box. The hay in the box actually works best for me because my rabbits go in there to eat the hay and then while they're eating they use the bathroom in the litterbox. just make sure you clean it out regularly so they dont eat hay they went to the bathroom on.

 

[Pet_Bunny]

ilovetegocalderon wrote:

The hay in the box actually works best for me because my rabbits go in there to eat the hay and then while they're eating they use the bathroom in the litterbox.

That reminds me that I have hay and water beside the litter box, so Pebbles has everything within reach.

It was a training method where she had to step into the litter box to get at the food. :eats

The screen keeps her out of the litter.

Rainbows! :wiggle

 

[ilovetegocalderon]

Pet_Bunny wrote:

ilovetegocalderon wrote:

The hay in the box actually works best for me because my rabbits go in there to eat the hay and then while they're eating they use the bathroom in the litterbox.

That reminds me that I have hay and water beside the litter box, so Pebbles has everything within reach.

It was a training method where she had to step into the litter box to get at the food. :eats

The screen keeps her out of the litter.

Rainbows! :wiggle

What kind of rabbit is this? It looks EXACTLY like my rabbit Beans, EXACTLY. and I've been trying to figure out her breed.

 

[doodle]

It does help a lot to put hay either in the litter box, or to the side of it, so they can sit in the litter box and munch. The hay also helps entice the bunnies into the litter box if they're not used to using it. And if the bunny doesn't like (or isn't used to) the texture of the litter, a layer of hay on top makes it feel more comfortable and natural.

 

[Tango]

hi. I'm May and my new bunny is Mickey.. ok, i already tried to post, but i don't think i worked??? i'm new at the forum thing.. and the bunny thing actually! I'm not sure exactly how old he is, but i got him from a pet shop a week ago.. he is very young though. i've been reading the discussion on litterbox training. i've been trying with mickey since day one, with little success. I've started in his cage with a litter box in the corner.i've tried moving the litter box to the corner he prefers as a toilet, but he doesn't seem to have a specific corner. he just goes wherever whenever! even on my lap the other day. i just wonderred if there's anything i could try cos i'd like him to be able to roam aroud the house without a whole lot of mess. is there anything i could try? he isn't neutered yet and uses the litter bow to eat and sleep!

Thanks so much!!!!!

 

[Nessa1487]

Thanks for the info! He has really habbits already with going in his cage, unfortunatly today he's had a couple of accidents out of his cage, nothing I couldn't just clean up super easily. But, last night he went for the first time! nothing major, but I guess he had to pee real bad. lol But, he did go, and I was so happy! Gave him a treat, he enjoyed it. But, he hasn't gone all day in it, he goes back to his cage usually to go.

He isn't neutered yet, he's only 11 weeks old. The vet said he has to be like 16-18 wks to get neutered..So,we're almost there, sort of. lol

 

[naturestee]

Hi Tango!

Keep cleaning up after him, and put poops and urine-soaked paper towels in his litterbox to give him the idea. Put his hay either above or in his litterbox as many rabbits like to chew and poo at the same time. Sleeping in there isn't unusual either, so don't worry. You could try using a second litterbox. Some rabbits like having one to sleep in and one to poop in.

He's pretty new, so it may just be because he's not used to living with you yet. Some babies don't littertrain very well either- they often improve when they are older and after they have been spayed/neutered.

 

[Nessa1487]

Sorry to :bumpthis topic up. But, in my previous topic about plugged up rabbits..I was wondering if fresh pumpkin meat was ok? I carved a pumpkin about..Octoberish/Novemberish and put the meat in the freezer to make pumpkin pie. If I defrost it, can he eat a little of that? and how much should I give him if I can?

 

[Tango]

Hi there!

thanks so much for the advice.. i'll give it a try and see how it goes!

May

 

[JimD]

Nessa1487 wrote:

Sorry to :bumpthis topic up. But, in my previous topic about plugged up rabbits..I was wondering if fresh pumpkin meat was ok? I carved a pumpkin about..Octoberish/Novemberish and put the meat in the freezer to make pumpkin pie. If I defrost it, can he eat a little of that? and how much should I give him if I can?

I could be wrong, but I believe that it's the processing of canned pumpkin that is important when using it to treat the buns.

It's kind of the same reason we use fresh pineapple instead of canned ( just the opposite).

Pumpkin is on the safe foods list so it's okay for the bunnies, regardless.

 

[Mr. Stee]

Nessa1487 wrote:

Sorry to :bumpthis topic up. But, in my previous topic about plugged up rabbits..I was wondering if fresh pumpkin meat was ok? I carved a pumpkin about..Octoberish/Novemberish and put the meat in the freezer to make pumpkin pie. If I defrost it, can he eat a little of that? and how much should I give him if I can?

The only difference between canned and fresh anything (not including the pesky additives some companys use) is that the canning processes causes the stuff in the can to cook slightly. Fresh pumpkin, when gound, should be all the same for the bunny as canned. We just obsess on this forum about canned because it is easier to get/save (don't let it fool you that fresh is different from canned. though if you are still worried. To put your mind at ease, flash boil your pumpkin on the stove. That means bring it up and back down from a boil quick. Tada, you have just put your pumkin through a mock canning process). Scooping and freezing fresh pumpkin is just as good.
The reason that pineapple needs to be fresh is because it is the acids in the pineapple that is doing the good. Pineapple has a weak acid in it that is a natural meat tenderizer (thus if you eat a large amount of fresh pineapple, your mouth begins to get raw). This acid will be broken down and nuetralized in just a quick boil, thus canned pineapple (which is put through a quick boil as stated above) has none of the benefical qualities that the fresh has.

James

 

[Nessa1487]

Thanks, I appreciate it. After you carve the meat out of the pumpkin, you do need to boil it, so it's really soft and tender, not hard like it is when you first get it out of the pumpkin. So, would that do? Because, it has been boiled once already.

 

[Mr. Stee]

Sounds like a perfect canned "substitute" to me. If you already boiled it once, then it should be just like the canned stuff. We freeze half the can when we open one because we don't go through it quick enough. It seems to make through the freeze and thaw OK. It does water out some, but that is normal for a frozen food. Just drain it out a little or let it sit open as it thaws to help this.

 

[Tango]

hi all!

ok, we seem to have the peeing part right.. although sometimes bunny misses! shame he's still a baby.. but he poops everywhere!!!!!! i've tried scooping it and putting it the litter box but it doesn't seem to help.. besides, there's just too much to scoop from the hay in his cage al the time. he's been very good outside his cage.. now messing on the floor or anybody so far! what to do about the poops though?!?!?! any clue?? thanks so much!

May and Mickey-poop-a-lot!!

 

[JimD]

Mr Stee: Thanks for clarifying the issue of canned pumpkin. I used to help my grams with the canning every year and for the life of me I could figure out what difference the processing would have, short of adding the preservatives as you mentioned. I didn't want to ruffle any feather by contradicting anyone, though.

Tango: I have to say that I'm happy with bun if they will pee in their litter pan. I don't mind picking up the poops. All 8 of my buns pee in their pan all of the time. I have 2 buns that absolutely refuse to use the litter pan to poop in. I've been trying for over a year now and I give up. I also have 2 buns that are very immaculate with their litter habit and poop & pee in their pans consistently. The rest of the buns are kind of middle-of-the-roaders with the pooping.
Tootsie just did a turn around. She was pooping all over the place...except her litter pan. I attributed it to the fact that she was new and was still marking out her territory. This past weekend I made her area larger....and now she will only poop in her litter pan. Buns will drive you crazy :crazinessif you try to figure them out, ya know.

~Jim

 

[aurora369]

Tango:

I notice you said you where picking the poos out of the hay on the floor of the cage. The hay on the floor might be one reason your getting the poops out there. I only put the hay in the litter box, and hadfull of fresh hay a day so it doesn't get soiled, and I find that works very well, even with my four week old babies. Or you could try mounting a hay rack so that the only way they can get the hay is to sit in the litter box. Rabbits tend to like to have both ends going at the same time, pooping and eating go together for them.

I put a towel and grass mat down on the floor of the cage so they have something to rest their feet on.

--Dawn