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CrystalAngel

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Hi there everyone, I have never litter trained a bunny before. Kitties are so easy and different LOL
But my little Stu is so awesome. After just a few days he only tinkles in the litter box, but poos inside and outside of the box.
Is there a trick to getting him to only poo in the box?? He is going to be getting a new "home" to live in that someone is making me and I am hoping to be able to have him going completely in the box if possible.

I had rescued a rabbit years ago that someone found outside and he was such a good bunny from the get go, whoever had him before trained him, he would NOT use the bathroom outside his cage at all, and he jumped up on a chair to get into his cage to go potty. Would be awesome if Stu would do that too hehee

Thanks for any info :)
 
Rabbits poo so constantly that getting everything inside is an impossibility. A rabbit is considered 100% litter trained once they pee all the time in the litter box and poo most of the time in it as well, but 100% of the time poo inside is pretty hard for them to do. Once you notice you clean less poo from outside than inside, I think that's the best you can ask for :3 It also might help if you put multiple litter boxes around the home that way he has more access to "the right spot".
 
Expect more poos in (all over) the new cage when you first get it. He will want to mark his new territory. It is very rare for a bunny to be 100% on poos.

I'm trying to remember which forum member said that out of around 40 rabbits, they only had 1 or 2 that were 100% (maybe McLelland?).
I myself have only had one of over a dozen rabbits that was that good.

But thankfully rabbit poos are dry and odor free -- easy enough to sweep up.
 
Blue eyes said:
Expect more poos in (all over) the new cage when you first get it. He will want to mark his new territory. It is very rare for a bunny to be 100% on poos.

I'm trying to remember which forum member said that out of around 40 rabbits, they only had 1 or 2 that were 100% (maybe McLelland?).
I myself have only had one of over a dozen rabbits that was that good.

But thankfully rabbit poos are dry and odor free -- easy enough to sweep up.
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This is why I loooove rabbits. Before getting one I read that they are NOT easy to manage and not an easy pet to care for etc etc, so I was ready for it to be hard like a dog and such xD But honestly, stinky pee gets into litter box... and odorless harmless poo can just be swept? PET OWNING HEAVEN XD Its so easy that my boyfriend (who isnt as passionate about animals as me) is saving money to get his own pair of buns lol
 
Thanks yall, so I guess he is as trained as he is going to get then hehee
He 100% tinkles in the box,only after a couple of days of having the box and poos most of the time in the box but still has some outside of it.

And you are so right, they are so much easier to clean up after than a kitty or a dog lol
 
Hey... when he is about 3/4 months old... he will start spraying and pooing EVERY WHERE..marking his territory as he is becoming more of a 'man' let's say.
If you have him neutered this will solve this and also will reduce his risk of getting cancer.
I have a 4 year old male- Sonny Jim :) a house bunny. If you need anything, let me know!
 
All the vets I have talked to here said they won't neuter a rabbit until it is 6 months old. i honestly have no idea how old he is or how to tell. We were comparing him to the size of other bunnies that were 3 months old and he was half their size. So that is how we pretty much said he was about 1 month old when I found him. I plan on getting him neutered as soon as he is old enough.

Someone turned in a beautiful bunny to our animal control here and people are telling me to get him as a playmate for Stu. Not sure if I will or not...but I know he would be happy with more company.
 
Rabbits use their poop to mark their territory, unneutered/ unspayed even more so. So getting him neutered may help. For some buns it helps a lot, some not very much. Also a bun will mark more when in a new area, and often as the bun gets used to it, the poop marking tapers off some.

One other trick is to contain your buns eating area to the litter box, as buns like to poop while they eat. I keep a big pile of hay in the corner of my buns litter box.
http://www.sandiegorabbits.org/litter-box-training/litterbox-setup-success-0
 
CrystalAngel said:
Someone turned in a beautiful bunny to our animal control here and people are telling me to get him as a playmate for Stu. Not sure if I will or not...but I know he would be happy with more company.
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Remember, though, that not all bunnies will get along. If this new one is also a male, that makes it more difficult.
For two bunnies to get along, they both need to be fixed (regardless of gender) and then they need to be properly introduced and go through a bonding process. Male/male bonds are considered the most difficult.

Might want to keep this all in mind when deciding about the 2nd bun. They'll have to be kept separate until fixed (to prevent hormonal fighting which may prevent future bonding). Then there is still the possibility that after you've spent money on neutering both, that the two will decide to not get along. If that happens, you'll be forced to have separate housing for them.

Honestly, the easiest way to get a bondmate for your current boy (after he's fixed) is to allow him to bunny date some spayed females at a rescue. They (rabbit rescue, not generic shelter) will work with you to ensure you get a compatible mate for him.
 
... sonny had a female friend as I believe that is easier :)
Not all bunnies get on because they're territorial... I waited till sonny was neutered then shortly after brought home a baby girl :)

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Since my little one has become litter trained as far as tinkling and much of his poo, he does not even poo where he eats anymore, such a smart little one.

But I learned something today, I have to change the name because come to find out, I was wrong, lil Stu is a girl not a boy....he was so young when I found him it was harder to tell I guess.

I thought maybe because he is not even 2 months old yet that a new young one like him they would be ok together... but she is getting fixed as soon as she is old enough.

Everybody that meets her just falls in love with her and how smart and sweet she is. She even let me cut her toenails today, didn't move a muscle until i was done.

Sorry Im just so amazed by her I guess I'm bragging a little hehee
 
Awww and so you should! She's a lucky girl to have someone care and love her so much!
 
Choco, I'm not sure, I haven't seen it yet.... I was going to go meet him today, but I found one of my cats dead last night and I'm just not myself right now.... but I will check it before I make any decisions.
Even if i did get him, and they didn't get along, I know someone that would give it a great home that has been wanting a bunny. She wanted my baby, but I said oh no he's mine hehee
I think part of why I want to rescue the bunny from animal control is I found out that other critters like that are free to adopt there unlike dogs and cats, and my only thought is some idiot coming in just to get him for food for a snake and I couldn't stand the thought of that.
 
CrystalAngel said:
Choco, I'm not sure, I haven't seen it yet.... I was going to go meet him today, but I found one of my cats dead last night and I'm just not myself right now.... but I will check it before I make any decisions.
Even if i did get him, and they didn't get along, I know someone that would give it a great home that has been wanting a bunny. She wanted my baby, but I said oh no he's mine hehee
I think part of why I want to rescue the bunny from animal control is I found out that other critters like that are free to adopt there unlike dogs and cats, and my only thought is some idiot coming in just to get him for food for a snake and I couldn't stand the thought of that.
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So sorry to hear about your cat.:bunnyhug:

About the other rabbit... remember that you won't be able to tell yet if the two will get along (when they are little, they almost always get along, but it is only temporary). After your current girl is spayed, then you can see how she does with a neutered male (or spayed female). If you do decide to get the other rabbit, it would be good to keep them apart until fixed.
 
It was devestating. He would have been 12 next month. He was my big cotton ball with teeth. And so special.
Things like that almost make you not want anymore animals sometimes. They just don't stay with us long enough.
 
sonnyjim said:
Hey... when he is about 3/4 months old... he will start spraying and pooing EVERY WHERE..marking his territory as he is becoming more of a 'man' let's say.
If you have him neutered this will solve this and also will reduce his risk of getting cancer.
I have a 4 year old male- Sonny Jim :) a house bunny. If you need anything, let me know!
Click to expand...

@sonnyjim - That's not necessarily true. My vet (who is also my aunt) warned me against neutering rabbits unless they begin to behave in the way you described, because she said it could be dangerous for them. My male bunny, also house trained, a dwarf rex who is now over 5 (human) years old, never exhibited this behavior, so I never neutered him. I'm glad I never took unnecessary risk with him as he was an example of a male rabbit who didn't get crazy territorial :)
 
Just a suggestion for those who want true house bunnies (mostly uncaged throughout the day) on how to deal with the fact that bunnies rarely poo inside their litterboxes -- this has made my life easier for the past 5 years:

1. Keep a corner litterbox (for pee) inside his larger cage. Line this litterbox with a folded paper towel, which is easy to discard for daily cleaning (then I rinse the litter box daily and put in a new paper towel). After about a week, just rinsing isn't enough, so I soak it in a bit of white vinegar, which dissolves any residual bunny pee in a flash. White vinegar is super cheap (by the gallon), and it won't harm your bunny. Plus, the trace amount of ammonia left behind after cleaning actually gives the litterbox a scent which the bunny detects as similar to his own pee, so he will continue to use it! Not to mention paper towels are way cheaper and less messy than pet store litter.

2. Line the bottom of the larger cage with an old towel. It will make the ground cozy for him, and when he poos outside his litterbox, all you have to do for your daily cleaning is wad up the towel, carry it outside, and shake the poo off. It is SO much easier than buying pet store litter, and not to mention way more environmentally friendly. You can dump any rabbit poo outside in your garden or flowers, because it's great ready-made compost! And just toss the towels in your laundry (I wash mine weekly) to keep his cage fresh.
 
Etienne, I really like those suggestions. My Mocha (had to rename since found out he is a she lol) is completely tinkle trained and I have been using that recycled bedding since it absorbs odors, but I like your idea better. And her cage is a flat bottom and the idea of an old towel in hte bottom is great too. I will definitely try both of these, thank you so much for them.
 
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