Mighty Moosh and The Knights of Bun: Conquest of the Litter Pan

[JimD]

PART 1

Mooshu has never had great litter habits, but it's getting ridiculous.

Since I took her to the vet the night before last, she has absolutely refused to use her litter pan.

I'm cleaning up herpee every time I go in the bunny room.

I've tried everything I can think of.
I put the soiled paper towel in her pan
I clean up the cage floor after each time.
I put hay in/over the pan.
I tried putting a little soiled litter back in the pan after cleaning it...hoping she'd get the idea.
She pees on her blanket, and I've changed that out a half dozen times since yesterday.

I even tried giving her a brand new lower-sided pan thinking that she might be having problems getting in and out of the one she has. She retreated to the farthest corner and thumped at it until I put the old one back.

PART 2

Now Brindle is doing the same thing.
I know she's very picky/sensitive about some of the Woody Pet I gotten recently.
It's either the smell or the consistency. I think the crumbled pellets might poke at her feetsies.
I let the litter air out before I use it, and spray it with a little water. That usually eliminates most of the smell.
I put some hay on top of the litter yesterday to make it softer on her feet, and she used her pan like a good girl.
I changed all the pans last night...putting hay in Brindle's as I did before.
This morning Brindle had pooped and peed EVERYWHERE...just not in her pan.

All the other buns are using their pans as they always have...even S'more is using hers and she always been lousy with her habits.

My skills are failing me :grumpy:
...and I'm running out of paper towels...and blankies...and patience.

:sigh:

 

[Bo B Bunny]

Undergunfire is having the same problem with Brody.

Tony didn't like having Yesterday's News litter (we can't get wood pellets due to the housing crisis)... and THREW his litterbox over in his cage.....

I think they are revolting...... but why? :?

 

[JimD]

Bo B Bunny wrote:

I think they are revolting

Yeah...I think they're pretty disgusting, too. :yuck

***pauses***

Oh wait...did you mean like "rebellious"-revolting.....as opposed to"yucky"-revolting? :expressionless

 

[SOOOSKA]

Hey Jim, have you ever thought of putting the plastic mesh screens over the litter? We use them on all 7 of our litter boxes. The only onethat chews them (not all rhe time though) is Bratty Winston. He never swallows it though.

I bought mine at Wallymart in the crafts department, you can also get them at Michaels.

Just thought, this way the Bunnies aren't standing on the litter.

Susan

 

[JimD]

SOOOSKA wrote:

Hey Jim, have you ever thought of putting the plastic mesh screens over the litter? We use them on all 7 of our litter boxes. The only onethat chews them (not all rhe time though) is Bratty Winston. He never swallows it though.

I bought mine at Wallymart in the crafts department, you can also get them at Michaels.

Just thought, this way the Bunnies aren't standing on the litter.

Susan

I tried the plasic craft screen with Brindle, and she promptly removes it and flings it across the pen....and then doesn't use her pan anyway.

Moosh just thumps at it until it "goes away".

The pet store started carrying a nice corner pan w/ grid. It's only a couple of dollars more than the plain large corner pan ...and it's the same size. The grid locks into the pan, and the pan has locks to secure it to the cage/pen.

I think that'll be my next move.

:twitch:

 

[tonyshuman]

I have pans like those and love them. They also lock to the side of the cage!

 

[Bo B Bunny]

JimD wrote:

Bo B Bunny wrote:

I think they are revolting

Yeah...I think they're pretty disgusting, too. :yuck

***pauses***

Oh wait...did you mean like "rebellious"-revolting.....as opposed to"yucky"-revolting? :expressionless

LOL! It's good to keep your sense of humor when they act like this!

 

[JimD]

Bo B Bunny wrote:

LOL! It's good to keep your sense of humor when they act like this!

Gotst to!!

And it doesn't help to get mad at them either.
They get their feelings hurt so easily.
I just get the paper towels and clean up, while gently asking them to be more careful and try to use their litter pan.

They were all pretty good yesterday...Moosh had one accident during the day.
As of bedtime last night, they were all using their pans.
When I got up this morning Moosh had peed on the floor once, but the others were good.

So tonight I'll change litter pans, and it'll probably start all over again....Oy!

 

[kirst3buns]

Maybe they don't like clean litter boxes:? What if you didn't clean them tonight, since they used them a bit already, and maybe just added a bit of fresh litter to the top of them. Maybe they like it better disgusting. Just a thought. I know my son seems to like his room better when its a pigsty (no offence to the pigs meant).

 

[JimD]

kirst3buns wrote:

Maybe they don't like clean litter boxes:?

Seems that way....right?
I think it's either the smell of the Woody Pet...or the way it feels on their feet.



kirst3buns wrote:

What if you didn't clean them tonight, since they used them a bit already, and maybe just added a bit of fresh litter to the top of them. Maybe they like it better disgusting.

I change pans every other day...otherwise it starts to stink (got 8 buns).
Once Brindle starts using her pan...she really USES it. And this morning it was piled high! Mooshu had used hers, too....except for the couple of times.
I've tried the "freshen up" trick....they were on to that from the get-go...and they either stop using it or decide to dig it out and look for the prise at the bottom of the pan.
Besides, I have to clean them eventually.
I'm going totry cleaning their pans and returning some of the soiled litter again.

 

[JimD]

I was welcomed home tonight with three rather large puddles of pee.:grumpy:

Brindle had even ripped her pan loose and then peed in the corner where it had been.:grumpy:

I scolded all three and told them I would put them back into their old cages unless they improved their litter habits.:grumpy:

I'm starting to get a little pished off about this.:X

 

[JimD]

This morning I found that Moosh had used her litter pan.....and then dugmost ofthe litter out.
And then peed on the litter she had flung all over.
What a mess.

I cleaned every thing up, and changed all the litter pans.

I don't think Moosh used hers at all during the day.
I cleaned up several puddles and piles.

The other buns seem to beusing their pans....for now.

 

[JimD]

Moosh is doing much better with her litter habits.

She's "missed" a couple of times, ***it's okay sweetie :love:***
...but she's using her pan a lot more.


She's has a cyst near her shoulder that may have been making it uncomfortable getting in and out of her pan.

 

[susansheila]

I have a 6 month old male flemish giant who pees in the liter box but poops outside. And I have tons of hay in the liter box. I don't get it.
But the good thing is he won't poop while out roaming. So guess ya have to pick your battles .

 

[kherrmann3]

I am going through the same thing with my buns. I flipped out today and pretty much blew a fuse in my brain. I scolded the rabbits while they were still in their cage. I scolded them, talked to them, bargained with them, and even pointed at them, then the litter pan, then at them again. I am glad Will wasn't home, or he would have put me in an institution. So far, less mess. Maybe I scared them into submission.