I recently brought home a mini rex doe. She was a rescue (owner-surrender). We just got back from her pre-spaying vet visit, and he estimates that she is about 1.5 yrs old. In the first week that I had her, she was perfectly potty trained! This was pleasantly surprising, as the rescue place had just had her in a cage with bedding and no litterbox. However, after about a week, she completely stopped pooping in her box. She always pees there, but almost all of her poop is outside the box -- even in her cage! It isn't focused to one corner, it just seems random. When I took her with to visit my parents' place, she showed lots of signs of dominance and readiness to mate (humping my neutered Netherlands Dwarf buck, marking around his cage, climbing under the cats, etc.). The vet said that this behavior should all stop once she is spayed, but he isn't so sure about the pooping. He suggested trying another litter. Do you guys have any other suggestions? She is such a sweetheart and so cuddly and playful, I hate to keep her in her cage so much -- but I also can't have her pooping everywhere. I even tried buying pet diapers, but they all just fall off at the first hop. Any help would be great!
Suddenly stops using box
- Thread starter Margalitb
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Laura the Bunsnuggler
This happens to all bunnies in a new home. She might have been perfectly litter-trained at first because she only had a small area (her box) that she felt comfortable in, so that's the only place she dared to potty. As she gains familiarity with her new "territory", she will want to mark ALL OVER it, especially since she is not spayed. You are in fact very lucky that she only poop-marks. I can't tell you how many times I've scrubbed bunny pee out of my walls and carpet!
Spaying will help with that, but really only patience, time, routine and firmly established boundaries can get your bunny to settle into her space quicker and not feel the need to mark her scent everywhere for security. If she's already peeing happily in your current litter, I don't think you need to try a new one. Just be patient, ride it out, and once she's settled in the pooping-everywhere will stop. For now, invest in a shopvac or other suitable vacuuming device!
She displayed typical hormonal behaviour at your parents'. The presence of another bunny probably made her feel extremely insecure, hence the marking and dominance behaviour. It's not a good idea to take bunnies out of their spaces often, especially to a place where bunny stranger lives. They are not adventurous creatures, and prefer the comfort of their own homes and daily routines. Next time let people come over and visit her instead.
Spaying will help with that, but really only patience, time, routine and firmly established boundaries can get your bunny to settle into her space quicker and not feel the need to mark her scent everywhere for security. If she's already peeing happily in your current litter, I don't think you need to try a new one. Just be patient, ride it out, and once she's settled in the pooping-everywhere will stop. For now, invest in a shopvac or other suitable vacuuming device!
She displayed typical hormonal behaviour at your parents'. The presence of another bunny probably made her feel extremely insecure, hence the marking and dominance behaviour. It's not a good idea to take bunnies out of their spaces often, especially to a place where bunny stranger lives. They are not adventurous creatures, and prefer the comfort of their own homes and daily routines. Next time let people come over and visit her instead.
Please don't used diapers. That could be very dangerous if she were to chew and ingest any of it. Fecal poop is very clean and easy to sweep up.
A few things play into the poop marking. Because she is in a new home, she wants to mark her new territory. As she settles in, this can sometimes decrease a lot, or to a certain extent. Also being unspayed and hormonal, intensifies the poop marking. So though it isn't a guarantee, most often spaying can help almost eliminate poop marking, or at least reduce the frequency and amount.
Actually, this depends on the rabbit. I've had rabbits that love going places and visiting people. And for some rabbits that don't care for it, if approached gradually, they can learn to get used to it where it doesn't upset them. But I would say that if it clearly stresses your rabbit, then you do need to be careful about it.
A few things play into the poop marking. Because she is in a new home, she wants to mark her new territory. As she settles in, this can sometimes decrease a lot, or to a certain extent. Also being unspayed and hormonal, intensifies the poop marking. So though it isn't a guarantee, most often spaying can help almost eliminate poop marking, or at least reduce the frequency and amount.
Actually, this depends on the rabbit. I've had rabbits that love going places and visiting people. And for some rabbits that don't care for it, if approached gradually, they can learn to get used to it where it doesn't upset them. But I would say that if it clearly stresses your rabbit, then you do need to be careful about it.
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How do I establish these boundaries, other than picking up after her?
Sometimes when a rabbit is first new in your home, it helps to limit their space, to help them establish good litter habits. So this would be a few days in their cage and/or xpen area, then you gradually expand their space. But even then, you may not have much success until she is spayed. Technically she is doing really well peeing in her litter box, and would be considered litter box trained.
One other trick that can help is to have a larger litter box, if you use one that is really small, and have her hay in there. Put it in a corner where she doesn't pee, or in a hay rack above the litter box. Rabbits like to poop while they eat, so keeping the hay in or above the litter box, encourages her to poop in there while she is eating hay.
One other trick that can help is to have a larger litter box, if you use one that is really small, and have her hay in there. Put it in a corner where she doesn't pee, or in a hay rack above the litter box. Rabbits like to poop while they eat, so keeping the hay in or above the litter box, encourages her to poop in there while she is eating hay.
Yep I have a litterbox big enough for her to lay in. She has a little hay-holder that I hung right above her litterbox. Last night she peed a little on the floor -_-
During play time she is restricted to my room under supervision. I tried to barricade off the space under my bed, but she always finds a way in! Sighhh. The earliest I could get her in to be spayed was the 18th D:
I am also making sure to keep her litterbox and cage very clean -- but not too clean. When I clean her cage, if there are any poops that didnt make it into the box (which there always are), I make sure to put them in her new litter to let her know that that is where it goes.
During play time she is restricted to my room under supervision. I tried to barricade off the space under my bed, but she always finds a way in! Sighhh. The earliest I could get her in to be spayed was the 18th D:
I am also making sure to keep her litterbox and cage very clean -- but not too clean. When I clean her cage, if there are any poops that didnt make it into the box (which there always are), I make sure to put them in her new litter to let her know that that is where it goes.
