Sassy Flemish poop issue

[blueride27]

My 4 month old Flemish has developed a bad habit of pooping (only at night) all throughout the enclosure.
The trick is that she only does it when I close up the enclosure at night.
If I leave them out then it's maybe one or 2 misses.
She's obviously trying to tell me something..
I'm just tired of having to get out the shop vac at 6 am to clean up the mess. Lol
How do I gently break it to her that she can't control me in that way?

 

[blueride27]

It's not a trivial amount either. I swear she (ginger) saves up all day just to do it at night. The boy (shadow)has perfect habits. (He has from day 1 )

 

[samoth]

Maybe she feels she needs to mark her territory when she loses access to other areas? ("Human took away all the other places I want to be, so I'm gonna mark this enclosure extra good so human doesn't take it away, too!")

 

[blueride27]

Maybe she feels she needs to mark her territory when she loses access to other areas? ("Human took away all the other places I want to be, so I'm gonna mark this enclosure extra good so human doesn't take it away, too!")

I've tried different things too.
Lights dim/bright/off.
One litter box vs 2
2 litter boxes with 2 different types of litter.

One train of thought leads me to puberty, but that's a whole nother issue that I'm tossing around.

 

[JBun]

She's obviously trying to tell me something..

How do I gently break it to her that she can't control me in that way?

Good luck! I don't know that any of us bunny 'slaves' have ever been able to convince a bunny determined to do something, not to do it. They can be pretty stubborn when they set their minds to it.

Sounds like she's protesting being shut in for the night. Something you could try is providing distractions for your buns when you put them in for the night. Give them rabbit safe activities and toys they only get at night.

Toys and games

Toy & Game info for rabbits: Chewing toys, Monthly subscription boxes, Digging toys, Throwing toys, Climbing toys, Burrowing toys, Puzzles, Interactive games, Homemade projects, Online rabbit toy stores, and other information.

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Usually spaying will help improve litter habits, but 'protest' marking is a completely different matter. That's behavioral as opposed to hormonal. Because she's still a young rabbit, litter habits may change even more as she becomes hormonal, which can sometimes worsen during their teenage phase, though not always. Fun times to look forward to

In case you're new to rabbits and your boy bun is young and not neutered yet, I thought I would mention that around 10-12 weeks old is when bucks usually need to be separated from the does, as that's typically when they start to become hormonal. If you plan on getting him neutered, 4-6 months is usually when that's done for most rabbit breeds, once both testicles have descended. But it will also depend on the vet.

Your buns are adorable

Spaying and neutering rabbits

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Choosing a rabbit veterinarian

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Rabbit Vets Near Me | House Rabbit Society

rabbit.org

 

[Blue eyes]

Keeping the poos confined to "her territory" could be viewed as a good thing too. She is keeping those territorial poos in just the enclosure rather than trying to claim the whole area outside her enclosure.

How long have you had her and how long has she been doing this?

Without knowing more (or maybe even with knowing more, lol) it could be hormonal, it could be stubborn protest, or it could be temporary territorial behavior... or a combination.

You might want to try leaving the poos where they are for a day or two to see if that will alter the habit. Sometimes a rabbit wil re-mark the space if it is cleaned up too quickly. It's possible that her habit may diminish if the poos are left where they are for a couple days. It all depends on why she's doing it. Then again, hormones can always throw a wrench into trying to interpret behavior.