LoveCrumb
Well-Known Member
Hi everyone,
I have a 2.5 pound buck of mixed breed that I adopted in October. He's almost one year old, and he was neutered two months ago.
I read another digging/litterbox post by Laylalop in the same board, but it really didn't apply to my strange situation.
Before I had him fixed, he was using a small corner litterbox that was very easy to clean and maintain. A few weeks after his operation, he randomly decided it would be a good idea to grab the newspaper and yank it out from the bottom of the litter box, then chew it up and drag little pieces of it around his cage making a MESS.
I figured he had outgrown the litterbox, so I gave him one that's nice and big, and everything was fine for a time. He still likes his litterbox and often sleeps in it, but as soon as the newspaper becomes wet, even only 3 hours after I've cleaned it, that's when digging and yanking out the newspaper begins. He is VERY clean and very good at using his litter box, but this is rendered moot once he goes on the warpath.
I've tried disciplining him using methods that work when he's misbehaving in other ways, but as soon as he starts, it's as though he is on a MISSION. I try clapping loudly, stomping, yelling "No" or "stop" or shaking a bottle of pills, and even if I get his attention, he's right back at it a minute later.
It's gotten to the point where I have to bodily lift him out of his litterbox, and take it out of his cage for a few hours until I think he might have to use the bathroom again. This happens multiple times every day, and I don't have the patience for it anymore. I discipline him every time he does it and when I take it away to try and reinforce that what he's doing is bad, but it hasn't helped.
He has lots of other newpaper and things he can chew/dig in his cage, but there's something about the gross urinated-on newspaper that he feels compelled to destroy.
I've been cleaning his litter one to two times a day now and I won't have time for these shenanigans once my summer classes start and I get a job. Not to mention that ever since this habbit formed, I've been going through 4X the amount of aspen shavings I used to, and I can't afford it over an extended period of time.
I don't know if the problem IS the litterbox or if he's just at an age where this kind of behaviour is common (though I thought neutering would prevent a lot of this).
Has anyone else ever had this problem? Do you guys have any suggestions?
What kind of litterbox works best for your rabbit?
I have a 2.5 pound buck of mixed breed that I adopted in October. He's almost one year old, and he was neutered two months ago.
I read another digging/litterbox post by Laylalop in the same board, but it really didn't apply to my strange situation.
Before I had him fixed, he was using a small corner litterbox that was very easy to clean and maintain. A few weeks after his operation, he randomly decided it would be a good idea to grab the newspaper and yank it out from the bottom of the litter box, then chew it up and drag little pieces of it around his cage making a MESS.
I figured he had outgrown the litterbox, so I gave him one that's nice and big, and everything was fine for a time. He still likes his litterbox and often sleeps in it, but as soon as the newspaper becomes wet, even only 3 hours after I've cleaned it, that's when digging and yanking out the newspaper begins. He is VERY clean and very good at using his litter box, but this is rendered moot once he goes on the warpath.
I've tried disciplining him using methods that work when he's misbehaving in other ways, but as soon as he starts, it's as though he is on a MISSION. I try clapping loudly, stomping, yelling "No" or "stop" or shaking a bottle of pills, and even if I get his attention, he's right back at it a minute later.
It's gotten to the point where I have to bodily lift him out of his litterbox, and take it out of his cage for a few hours until I think he might have to use the bathroom again. This happens multiple times every day, and I don't have the patience for it anymore. I discipline him every time he does it and when I take it away to try and reinforce that what he's doing is bad, but it hasn't helped.
He has lots of other newpaper and things he can chew/dig in his cage, but there's something about the gross urinated-on newspaper that he feels compelled to destroy.
I've been cleaning his litter one to two times a day now and I won't have time for these shenanigans once my summer classes start and I get a job. Not to mention that ever since this habbit formed, I've been going through 4X the amount of aspen shavings I used to, and I can't afford it over an extended period of time.
I don't know if the problem IS the litterbox or if he's just at an age where this kind of behaviour is common (though I thought neutering would prevent a lot of this).
Has anyone else ever had this problem? Do you guys have any suggestions?
What kind of litterbox works best for your rabbit?
