Training

[JhonniRootCanal]

Hello,

Jhonni my bunny is a rescue bunny. And I have to be gentle with him. I'm still reminding him he can trust me. It's tough.

He is litter trained I bought him a play pen full of hay. At first he would eat the hay and I'd give him his pellets in the hay.

Now he is pooping and peeing in the hay. Idk how to stop it. It's causing a smell. We live in a studio apartment. Idk how to get him to just eat the hay. I refuse to buy 1st cut hay and 2nd cut if he is going to pee and poop.

I love my son. I'd give him anything but he is eat pellets and fresh vegetables but not hay. What do I do? We live on a fixed income so I can't buy a lot and we have limited space but I let him roam all day and I have to literally put him in his home for him to pee.

Advice.

 

[John Wick]

Hay is the healthiest of foods for rabbits, and like many children, it sometimes means it's not their first choice to eat. If he is being offered/has access to pellets and veggies frequently throughout the day, it can drastically reduce how often he eats hay. While we can't read rabbit minds, you can imagine him thinking, "I'm hungry, but I'll wait for the good stuff later. This hay isn't very appealing when there's pellets and veggies around.

What many rabbit owners do is, if feeding pellets, present it in one or two presentations in a day (adding to what is an appropriate amount for the rabbit, based on age and weight). If doing two presentations, it's best to have them as spread out as possible, so the rabbit has the majority of the day with only hay available. You can strategize veggie presentation the same way.

In regards to peeing and pooping on hay, unfortunately, that is what is most natural for rabbits to do. This is why for litter training and for all litter boxes, there is hay in it. Rabbits naturally will poop and pee when eating, so this is inevitable.

There are a couple ways to reduce odor. One would be, if he is not yet, having an experienced rabbit-vet neuter your rabbit. Territorial-based droppings and marking is reportedly more potent. Another method is simply assessing how often you are cleaning the litter box, or if perhaps you need more for him so it's not so concentrated in one. In addition to smell, hygiene and long-term health can be affected if litter box cleaning is done too infrequently. You can also add the tiniest splash of apple cider vinegar in his water, and this will help reduce the urine smell.

Strategically, though it doesn't work as well with rabbits who dig in their hay, you can pile the hay to one side of the litter box, and that can help keep i contained and, while eating, his back end isn't on all the hay.

I see you mention "refusing to buy" cuts of hay if he continues. I'm unsure what this means 100%... perhaps those are more expensive for you? Regardless, just in case you're implying you will no longer buy hay for him, I strongly recommend never doing that. Hay is the absolute most important thing in a rabbit diet, for many reasons dealing with their entire body. At the end of the day, hay should make up at least 75% of what a rabbit ate that day. Throwing away soiled hay is an inevitable part of caring for a pet rabbit, so learning what to do to reduce waste and be economical, while also understanding your rabbit is getting the best care possible, is key. I can tell you really care for him!

 

[JhonniRootCanal]

Hay is the healthiest of foods for rabbits, and like many children, it sometimes means it's not their first choice to eat. If he is being offered/has access to pellets and veggies frequently throughout the day, it can drastically reduce how often he eats hay. While we can't read rabbit minds, you can imagine him thinking, "I'm hungry, but I'll wait for the good stuff later. This hay isn't very appealing when there's pellets and veggies around.

What many rabbit owners do is, if feeding pellets, present it in one or two presentations in a day (adding to what is an appropriate amount for the rabbit, based on age and weight). If doing two presentations, it's best to have them as spread out as possible, so the rabbit has the majority of the day with only hay available. You can strategize veggie presentation the same way.

In regards to peeing and pooping on hay, unfortunately, that is what is most natural for rabbits to do. This is why for litter training and for all litter boxes, there is hay in it. Rabbits naturally will poop and pee when eating, so this is inevitable.

There are a couple ways to reduce odor. One would be, if he is not yet, having an experienced rabbit-vet neuter your rabbit. Territorial-based droppings and marking is reportedly more potent. Another method is simply assessing how often you are cleaning the litter box, or if perhaps you need more for him so it's not so concentrated in one. In addition to smell, hygiene and long-term health can be affected if litter box cleaning is done too infrequently. You can also add the tiniest splash of apple cider vinegar in his water, and this will help reduce the urine smell.

Strategically, though it doesn't work as well with rabbits who dig in their hay, you can pile the hay to one side of the litter box, and that can help keep i contained and, while eating, his back end isn't on all the hay.

I see you mention "refusing to buy" cuts of hay if he continues. I'm unsure what this means 100%... perhaps those are more expensive for you? Regardless, just in case you're implying you will no longer buy hay for him, I strongly recommend never doing that. Hay is the absolute most important thing in a rabbit diet, for many reasons dealing with their entire body. At the end of the day, hay should make up at least 75% of what a rabbit ate that day. Throwing away soiled hay is an inevitable part of caring for a pet rabbit, so learning what to do to reduce waste and be economical, while also understanding your rabbit is getting the best care possible, is key. I can tell you really care for him!

No. I will forever buy hay but a lesser price hay. I buy 50$ hay it's expensive. He didn't start doing this until I bought higher quality. I want him to eat hay. I need him to eat hay.

I will take your advice and give him hay first so he can get adjusted to it. He is a rescue and was abused so I'm gentle with him. He is nervous a lot. He hates outside. I'm just trying to groom him. It's hard. But I love the journey and would change it.

What should I do if he sits in his pee? I clean his home every 3 days. But since he's been using it in his hay playground I'm doing it daily. He has matter hair on his bum. And won't let me get to it. Cutting his nails is a battled. I get it done but in a month everything is back. He is just so scared. His vet says I have to continue earning his trust and it will get easier.

 

[Hermelin]

No. I will forever buy hay but a lesser price hay. I buy 50$ hay it's expensive. He didn't start doing this until I bought higher quality. I want him to eat hay. I need him to eat hay.

I will take your advice and give him hay first so he can get adjusted to it. He is a rescue and was abused so I'm gentle with him. He is nervous a lot. He hates outside. I'm just trying to groom him. It's hard. But I love the journey and would change it.

What should I do if he sits in his pee? I clean his home every 3 days. But since he's been using it in his hay playground I'm doing it daily. He has matter hair on his bum. And won't let me get to it. Cutting his nails is a battled. I get it done but in a month everything is back. He is just so scared. His vet says I have to continue earning his trust and it will get easier.

What your vet said is true, earning his trust is the first step. Myself have a bunny that always pee and pop on the hay. But I have her hay in hay rack, just to make less hay getting soaked by her.

You can wet a towel and clean his bum, distract him with food and it will often be a lot easier. The bunny I struggle trimming claws on, he chew on a long piece of carrot while I trim his claws. It will keep him on other thoughts.

But with the bunny that was really scared and stressed I went to a pet shop to get help. It was a real battle but now I can do it alone with him ^^

 

[JhonniRootCanal]

What your vet said is true, earning his trust is the first step. Myself have a bunny that always pee and pop on the hay. But I have her hay in hay rack, just to make less hay getting soaked by her.

You can wet a towel and clean his bum, distract him with food and it will often be a lot easier. The bunny I struggle trimming claws on, he chew on a long piece of carrot while I trim his claws. It will keep him on other thoughts.

But with the bunny that was really scared and stressed I went to a pet shop to get help. It was a real battle but now I can do it alone with him ^^

I made a vet appt. They're going to trim and groom him and make sure he is healthy. In January. I'm gonna distract him thank you so much. I took the goodies out the hay. Put some pee hay in him pooping spot. I think I'm making progress.

Everyday is earning his trust. I love him so much. He is everything to me. I just want him to be healthy and happy. I'm a bunny lover. His abuse record really hurt him. I remind him daily I won't hurt him. I'm gentle with my baby boy.

 

[zuppa]

Hi, can you post a couple of photo of your setup, his playpen is full of hay you say? What you use in his litter box, photo would really help us understand your situation better so you can get best advice.
For now if you use lots of hay in his playpen maybe you can reduce it, you can use hay mangers or hay boxes so he won't be able to pee on all hay, also I use wood pellets for toilet boxes they absorb urine very well and litter box is always clean and dry so he won't be sitting in his urine and stay clean, I clean toilets 2-3 times a week depending on rabbits some of them drink a lot and pee more than others. So pictures would really help.