Need litter training help

[nikkisnyder24]

I have had Oliver for around a month now. He is a mini Holland lop and is 7 months old. I am having the hardest time litter training him. At his previous home, I think he was able to run free and was not litter box trained. I feel bad leaving him in his cage (even though it is very big) so I keep letting him out in my room for a few hours a day. I am not sure if leaving him in his cage would train him. He has started pooping in various places around my room. He is not neutered but I have heard mixed reviews if that would help. Anyone have any advice?

 

[lopsofloverabbitry]

With your rabbits running around he will never learn. He needs to be in his cage so he learns to only use the litter box. With him running around he thinks that he can go anywhere.
With him being neutered doesn't have that big of a deal with him being litter box trained. As long as you don't have other rabbits you may have stray poops here and there. My buck is litter box trained and he is fine.

 

[whiskylollipop]

Neutering will help litter train a single rabbit or bonded groups, but if there are other unfixed rabbits around, he may always feel the need to mark his territory against them with poop/pee.

 

[Blue eyes]

Neutered rabbits are far more consistent with their litter habits. (the only exception being the presence of other rabbits, as whiskey said, since he'll want to mark territory.)
Once he's fixed, the way to litter train is to limit his area. I have a section on my site that explains in more detail how to litter train (always start small).

 

[nikkisnyder24]

Thank you! I am going to try the 48 hour rule of Oliver staying in his cage... I have litter and hay only in the litter box but I have bedding all around the cage to make him comfortable. Is this a mistake?

 

[Blue eyes]

Having loose bedding in the cage may confuse bunny as to where he should go. They typically won't pee on a solid surface but will look for a soft place. If everywhere is soft, then he may choose anywhere (or everywhere!). I always suggest that the litter and hay be in the box while the rest of the cage have no loose bedding or soft blankets or anything else down on the cage floor.

 

[nikkisnyder24]

I feel bad! Won't he be uncomfortable with no bedding?

 

[Blue eyes]

No, not at all. In fact with all the fur they have, they often like to have a cool, solid floor on which to lay.

My cage pictured below is open all day, but they often like to lay on the cool tile in the cage. In fact, since the photos were taken, they decided they didn't like that tan mat. They started destroying it so I removed it.
We recently moved too and we have laminate wood flooring with area rugs. My Sapphire chooses to spend most of her day sprawled on the wood flooring.

 

[Blue eyes]

Oh, and you can add a pet bed or fleece back into the cage after the litter training period is done.

 

[nikkisnyder24]

thank you!!!

 

[rymebe73]

I have a question here, hope I'm not sabotaging your thread here but I currently have our lop Sparkles in a huge cage with a loft where I put wood shavings on the bottom as it's plastic, so I shouldn't have to put the shavings in other than her litter box, is that correct? that's why she's pooping and peeing all over her cage? she only poops out of her cage when she has floor time...

 

[Blue eyes]

@rymebe, yes, that is what it sounds like. The loose bedding everywhere can confuse her. Just have a solid floor while training and have litter in the box. Once she's trained you can put a fleece blanket or something else soft if you like on the plastic floor (other than shavings).

BTW, the wood shavings don't really do a lot for odor control. You may want to consider getting the wood pellets instead for the litter box. But, of course, it is up to you!

If the plastic floor is too slippery for her, you may need to put something down like a foam mat or something else less slippery (provided she doesn't try to ingest it).

Good that she is doing all her urinating in the cage (and not on your floors!)

 

[whatever4andnomore]

I am working on litter training myself. Black Jack is mostly litter trained, but as I have other rabbits around, he still leaves a few poops around. However, he stopped spraying almost the moment I had him neutered about a week and a half ago. What I did was found the corner of his cage he usually "goes" in and put his litter box there. I use the carefresh pet bedding as litter (and I sometimes use shredded paper, but they tend to eat that) I line his cage with fleece pet blankets and shake out any "bunny pellets" that miss the box at the end of the day. He never PEES outside his litter box anymore either.

During floor time, I have found that both the rabbits and guinea pigs like one particular corner of the living room, which is behind BJ's cage, to congragate and other wise use the "toilet." Knowing that it would be very difficult at best to stop it, I decided to go with it, and I put a towel down and another litter type box. They all use it, and tend to hang out near or in the litter box. The hay bin that is attached to BJ's cage is also the community hay box and will sit in the litter pan and eat hay at the same time. It has reduced the "clean up" quite considerably. That being said, I would also like them to be completely trained at some point.

 

[rymebe73]

Thank you, I've taken the wood chips out and only left it in her litter box, she's still going poop all over in the cage and she's dug some of the litter out in front of the box and is going there, the only problem with moving the litter box there is it's right in front of the door...we'll be cleaning out her cage this week and am going to try to turn it the other way and put the litter box in the spot she tends to go.