Weird habits? May be detrimental to himself?

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Cirlin-rah

Cirlin-rah

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 15, 2012
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Location
, Pennsylvania, USA
I last changed my gray-eyed gentleman's litter 3 days ago. I like to do both his cage & his litterbox at once. Today, his box needs cleaning. His cage, however, has only 2 turds in it & no urine.

When I open the cage door he makes an immediate dash for his box & does his business. He spends more time inside his cage than out of it, so I am concerned that this is unhealthy.

I've had him for 3 months now (time does fly!) & he has always done his business in his cage. At first I thought he might not like being so close to the ammonia in the urine, but I've never let it build up to that point where it stings the eyes & throat. I change it as much as it is needed.

He is my 4th rabbit (only current rabbit, the others died long ago). I've never seen this behavior before & other than this, he acts just like a healthy rabbit. I'm completely baffled.

Why might he be doing this?

Should I make an attempt to rectify this behavior? Honestly I have no idea how I would...

*

Additionally: Harrow is very good about going in his litterbox, except some times when I leave. Usually it's after we've cuddled & I go downstairs to chat or get a drink & leave him out. 8 times outta 10 he is standing at the door wanting to come out! But also, I notice that those times are the only time he poops conspicuously BY his box & not IN it.

I'd like to say it's a sign of affection, that he's peeved I left so he's acting out. Am I giving myself too much credit? Be honest, please.
 
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So whats the issue here? Maybe I'm just not understanding, but to me it seems like he's using his litter box and not his cage, which is good.

Are you concerned he spends too much time in his cage or that he doesn't want to spend any time in his cage? He wants to get out of his cage when he sees you, thats a good thing. He likes you. But if he is spending a lot of time in his cage with the door open, then he's just comfortable in there. I had a rabbit that the door to her cage was open 20 hours a day and she would spend like 12 in the cage with the door open, napping and whatnot. My baby bunny now, she spends about 16 hours a day with the cage door open and she spends 16 hours OUT of her cage.

Most bunnies, even though they're really really good with the litter box, will leave a few stray poops out of the box. Thats totally normal.
Maybe I'm totally misunderstanding this, but everything he is doing sounds normal.
If I am misunderstanding, then please clarify, or tell me I'm dumb. lol.
 
Correct, he is only using his litter box & not his cage. My confusion is because I have never seen a rabbit do its business only in the box-- they always use the cage also because they spend time in the cage. It seems like he is holding it in until I let him out, which can't be healthy. That's the issue. He used to do his business in his cage, too, which seemed perfectly natural because all the buns I've had did that.

Sorry, I think the confusion lies in this line: "He spends more time inside his cage than out of it, so I am concerned that this is unhealthy." What I meant was that when I am away, he is locked in the cage. I let him out when I come home, (sometimes he comes out immediately, sometimes he chills in there for a while, it's all good) but I still think he spends more hours cooped up than out at play. That's not the issue, though.
 
From what I can tell there is no litter box in his cage. I would put a litter box in his cage! =) Sorry if someone already suggested that.
 
Totally agree, I´d put one in and one. Mine have a little box inside the cage and enclosure and one outside even though cage is open so they can use either when they´re out and about.
 
I would take the bedding out of the cage and put it in the litter box instead. The put a blanket down in the bottom of the cage, you'll save a lot of money on bedding only using it as the litter and not the whole cage bedding.
He might get confused with both litter box and bedding in his cage.

You could get a small kitten sized litter box and it should fit on one side of the cage. You'll figure out how to make it work. In my cage, I have a full sized cat litter box in one end of the cage, it takes up one whole end.
 
as a note, the cage is awfully small. if he's only in there during the day, he should be ok since they sleep most of the day... if you put him up when you go to bed, though, they tend to be quite active late at night and early in the morning (mine are bouncing off the walls at 3 am, lol).

if you wanted something TONS bigger that didn't break your wallet, you could make a 2Wx4Lx2H (in grid lengths) NIC condo (dimensions: 28''x56''x28'') with a partial second level for under $60 (can be done with two boxes of grids, then you'd need zip-ties, carabiners to hold the door(s) closed and some sort of flooring for the upper level).

cage info:
http://www.guineapigcages.com/cubes.htm (shows how to do coroplast floors if that's what you decide to go with... some home depots sell 4'x8' sheets of coroplast for around $12-13; it's by the plexiglass)
http://breyfamily.net/bunnycage.html
best deal on grids for the cages: http://www.sears.com/stor-floor-sta...p-00913332000P?prdNo=1&blockNo=1&blockType=G1 (for the best deal, order online for the sale price and do site-to-store to avoid the outrageous shipping fees)
 
Fantastic idea. I'll be off to college soon, hopefully, & won't have a lot of money to throw willy-nilly. Just did as you recommended. He now has a glorious pink towel in there; I bet he feels very masculine. Put the litter in a shoebox.

I had a Himalayan mix doe who somehow chewed big holes in her towel while I was away, then nearly strangled herself with them. She had crawled through & was stuck fast by the neck & belly. I had to cut it off her. It was pretty funny, actually, she gave me this defensive look like 'shut up. I have this all under control.'.

But she had... issues. She chewed EVERYTHING, CONSTANTLY, likely because of abuse she suffered before I got her. Harrow is not as drawn to it as she was, so I think the towel will be fine for him.

I will see about the cat box. Someone else recommended a bigger cage. As it is, there might not be room for one yet. I don't know if he would use a tiny one, but I will find out!
 
He does stay there when I sleep & he is my adorably efficient alarm clock, tugging the door as hard as he can at 7:35 most days. Snooze alarm is when I let him out so he stops clanging, then he gets hyper & does running leaps onto my face. Snooze alarm buys me about a half hour.

That being said, yes, it is a bit small now that you mention. Thank you so much for the helpful links! There is not a lot of space in my room; it's the smallest in the house excluding the bathrooms. But I'm sure something can be worked out. I have a walk-in closet that might help. I also might move away to college sometime this year & if I do I expect a bit more space. (will mean a 5 hour car ride for him, which is if we don't stop, but we will of course... *cringe*)

The guinea pig fence looks like the better option than the condo. The condo saves more space, sure, but Harrow doesn't have a head for heights, particularly going down them.
 
Put a box in with him! I imagine that there could be some ill effects from holding it all the time. It's not good for humans to do, but even if it isn't harmful, it can't be comfy!
 
Right! Their bladders can't be that big & I cannot fathom why he is holding it in, as he urinates normally otherwise. I will look for a box tomorrow!
 
Cirlin-rah said:
There is not a lot of space in my room; it's the smallest in the house excluding the bathrooms. But I'm sure something can be worked out. I have a walk-in closet that might help. I also might move away to college sometime this year & if I do I expect a bit more space. (will mean a 5 hour car ride for him, which is if we don't stop, but we will of course... *cringe*)

The guinea pig fence looks like the better option than the condo. The condo saves more space, sure, but Harrow doesn't have a head for heights, particularly going down them.
Click to expand...

as a note, if chewing does become a concern, fleece would be *much* safer than a towel. you can buy a basic fleece blanket (like 50''x60'') from walmart for under $3 - beats the pants off fabric store prices! just make sure to rip out the yarn-like thread "trim" around the edges (if you pull in the right way, it rips right out very easily like opening a bag of cat/dog food or kitty litter).

to maximize space in a NIC condo that has to fit in a small area, you can build up with more levels instead of outward - I have a 28'' wide x 42'' long x 70'' high condo for my bunnies. I know you said he's not a fan of jumping up and down, but there are ways around that. you can either place the shelves a few squares lower than the next grid rather than where the grid meets the next one or you can put in shelves with the grid halfway between the floor and the next level so that he only has to jump 1/2 a grid high at a time (basically, a miniature version of the landing in my condo). here's mine, which is focused on having a large condo that still has a small footprint:

DSCF0411.jpg


it wouldn't need to be THAT big, just giving you an example of a "skyscraper" style condo ;)
 
Why is fleece safer than a towel? Does it deteriorate in their stomachs easier? (I just checked on him, he moved the towel slightly so he could lie on the plastic, no chew marks yet)

We're working on the jumping thing... he mastered the stairs the other day & he'll jump off the couch now. (at the SPCA he was put in a high cage & learned that he could not jump down, so he needs to be trained otherwise) I'm thoroughly impressed at the level of work & care you've put into your condo. Are those ferret nets? Chinchilla nets?
 
fleece has shorter fibers than any other fabric, allowing them to pass through the digestive system very easily rather than potentially causing a blockage :)

the hammocks in the pic are ferret hammocks (17''x17'') but the girls stopped using them. I suspected that they outgrew them as they got older and that suspicion was confirmed when I got them a new, larger hammock which they promptly started using. this is the new one (27'' x 16.5'') - http://www.petco.com/product/114066/Super-Pet-Fuzz-E-Floor-Sleeper-Small-Animal-Hammock.aspx?CoreCat=MM_Ferret_SleepersHideouts - looks nothing like the pic - it only comes in solid colors, lol. as a note, it is NOT safe to hang a hammock in a rabbit's cage the way it's hanging in the petco display picture, as they can potentially get caught up in it.

my girls in the new hammock (which I put above the top level in the condo instead of on the landing):

DSCF06172.jpg
 
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