Smelly bunny bed question

[jen92473]

We have a 3 month old Dutch who isn't litter box trained yet. We're using horse stall pellets and most of the time she'll pee in there, but the poop is in front of the litter box, even though her feed box is right next to it. I've tried scooping her poops into the litter box, but she isn't buying it.
However, this relates to her bed. In order to make our bunny cozy, the kids and I bought one of those fluffy pet beds for her, which I believe she sleeps in. Problem is, she's using it as a litter box! She pees and poops in it and it smells to high heaven. I vacuum out the poop when I clean the cage, and I've tossed it in the washing machine once. Should I take her bed away until she's litter box trained?

 

[JBun]

Yes, you'll need to remove it for a while. You may be able to reintroduce it later, maybe after she's spayed?, but even then some buns just like to pee on soft things, so you may need to take it away permanently.

There are a few tricks to help get a bun to poop in it's litter box. You can put hay either in the litter box or put a hay rack hanging above it so your bun has to sit in the litter box to eat it. Some buns also don't like the feel of the pellet litter on their feet, so are reluctant to use the litter box. If you notice this is the case, you can sprinkle a fresh layer of hay over the wood pellets each day, to make it softer on your buns feet. What I do for mine is a layer of hay over the litter, then a pile of hay in a corner not usually peed on. You can also get feed dishes that attach to the cage so that you can place the feed dish so your bun has to sit in the litter box to eat. If you use a small or corner litter box, you may need to get a bigger rectangular cat one or plastic bin to use instead.

Once she's old enough to get spayed(4-6 months old), this can also greatly improve litter box habits, as buns that are hormonal will tend to want to mark their territory with their poop, and sometimes pee.

http://www.sandiegorabbits.org/litter-box-training/litterbox-setup-success-0

 

[BlueMoods]

It sounds like she prefers a softer litter. Try paper pet bedding in the litter box instead of the wood pellets. Get her a new bed with a removable cover (usually zip on) that can be washed, and puppy pads. Put puppy pads under the cover of the bed, then it's easy to wash it up if she still pees in it.

 

[missyscove]

Some rabbits just love to pee on soft things. I would take it away until she's mastered the litter box and then consider adding it back in, but it's possible that she's just not a bunny that can handle having a bed.

 

[MustNotBuyMore]

Take away the bed, and try putting her litter box in the spot where the bed was. Since she was used to doing get business there anyway, she will most likely get a hintthat she should keep doing it in that corner, but in the litter box instead.