house training.. please help

hi all

i got a lovely male mini lop on the 2nd Jan.. as im in Scotland Ive decided to keep him inside.. but im having a bit of trouble toilet training him.. hes free to run around during the day and only goes into him cage if he get scared are hes had enough of my 3 year old, and at bed time of course..

I have kept rabbits before but never inside.. what I have read has said that its best to put there food bowl in there litter tray as they generally poo when there eating... which I did.. my problem is, is "peter" get out of the litter tray poops/wee's on the floor then goes back to the litter tray and begins eating again..

i have tried picking the poo up and putting it in the tray but "peter" just gives me a "what are you doing woman" look..

my husband has now said that if he doesn't start being cleaner hes going outside and I really dont want that.. I also dont what him cooped up in his cage all the time as hes got such a lovely personailty and likes to frolic around..

please any advice would be greatly apprecaited...

hes 6 months, not neutured and has had his jags.

thank you for reading this far

lisa xx

Hi there,

Do you use a hay rack or hay in a bowl?

Our three poop whilst eating hay so I place their hay racks above the litter trays. Or you could pile up hay at one end of the litter tray to encourage him to poop and eat at the same time.

He may improve if you plan to have him castrated as dropping poo everywhere is a territory marking behaviour.

Our three don't always poop in the litter trays but it is a fairly easy task to sweep up any misses!

no.. no hay.. just good quality rabbit food(smells delich, think it has sugarbeat in it)

i can handle the droppings its the wee'ing.. he keeps doing it in 3 different patches.. all near the fire.. I clean it up straight away and use frabreeze on it to stop any smells.. could it be cause hes not been neutered?? although he dont wee in his house or the litter tray just on the carpet...

I think the most urgent thing is probably to get him neutered as he may well start spraying as well as just weeing. At the moment he will be marking his territory, and this won't improve unless he is neutered. You say he doesn't have hay, just good quality rabbit food..have I misunderstood what you've said? Do you mean that he doesn't have hay?

neutrering will definately help stop him spraying and I'd also put a litter tray where he's been doing it with lots of hay init so that he can have a munch and poo/pee at the same time. You could also consider taking him back to basics once he has been enturered (i.e. confine him to a small area like a dog crate until he's got the hang of using his litter tray again, then gradually increase the space that he can run in.

when i first got alvin i read that the living area should be kept small while litter training. as the space increases so should the litter trays until the bun gets the idea. he was only a baby so took to it straight away and was neutured at 4 months so never got into the habit of spraying..

he has a litter tray in his room and also one in the living room where we sit.

I would suggest getting a few litter trays and putting them in the spots where he is weeing.

My rabbits wee wherever hay is so I'd put hay in all the trays to: 1. encourage him to go in the trays and 2. it's essential for a rabbit to have constant access to hay, it should be 90% of their diet.

What size is his indoor hutch?

It's only been four days, give him a bit of time

The standard suggestions are:

* prime the litter tray (as you have been doing) by putting some poo in there

* put the tray where he wants to go, if you can see he has a preferred place already

* put hay in (as bunnies do like to munch and poo, bit like men and newspapers...). I'd go for hay rather than food since 'food' should be limited and hay unlimited. My bunny only sits in one corner of his litter tray so I only fill that end with litter and put some hay at the other end in easy reach

*keep him to a confined area until he gets the hang of using his tray, then gradually increase the amount of space he has. Reduce the space again if he starts to not use the tray again. And/or put out a selection of trays and get rid of them one by one as he gets the hang of it.

But like I say it's only been a few days - he'll want to mark his territory. And as others have said, getting him neutered will help.

Also, rather than febreeze, use something like white vinegar or bicarb of soda to remove smells and stains. I think they're more effective.

I got my Muppet when he was about six months old and also not neutered. He very quickly understood what the litter tray was for (phew!) but he did tend to poo everywhere for awhile, which I assumed was a territory thing. The only place he ever wee'd outside his tray was my sofa :roll: but he stopped that too. Just be a bit patient And it's definitely easier and less messy that puppy or kitten accidents!!!

I would agree with the above and put the litter tray (with hay in) down where he's been weeing. We ended up with Charlie's litter tray in a really stupid place, right in front of the sink in the kitchen!!! But that was where he wanted to go at the time so that's where it went!! :roll: I'm pleased to say that we were able to move it a couple of inches at a time to get it in a more convenient place. The neutering will help loads, Charlie completely forgot all his toilet training when he became 'hormonal'!!! Good luck and tell your husband it's early days yet, bunny is still settling in.

Be patient - you've only had him a few days and he has a lot of new things to get used to!

Agree with what other people have said about neutering - that will greatly help to calm him down and stop him spraying to mark his territory.

Put a tray with litter and HAY where he has been weeing. Put some of his poos in there and when you clean up any wee from the carpet wipe it around the litter tray. Try to clean up any accidents as quickly as possible and if you see signs that he's going to wee (sticking bottom out and lifting tail) then say "No!" and pick him up and put him in the tray if you can.

Time and patience is all you need - a young bunny should get the hang of it in no time! Good luck!

yes of course he has hay just not in his litter tray its all in his cage... is that the better option?? also found that he does not like his bowl in the tray as he kicked it over they nudged it out of the tray... what a wee darling:?... gonna phone the vets tomorrow and found out cost and when I can get him done.. i went to pets at home and got some proper rabbit litter tray stuff as Peter was covering the place in sawdust, usually just after i vacuumed.. again the wee darling:?.. lol... got some proper pet deterant, as where he was peeing was right in the middle of the room and this isnt the best place for a litter tray to sit, especially with a 3 year old running riot.. im sure it'll just take time.. same as training a child I guess.. but its a tad harder to point out the mistake to a rabbit, no matter how smart.. gonna just keep trying and fingers crossed in no time at all me he'll get it

lisaincoatbridge said:

yes of course he has hay just not in his litter tray its all in his cage... is that the better option?? also found that he does not like his bowl in the tray as he kicked it over they nudged it out of the tray... what a wee darling:?... gonna phone the vets tomorrow and found out cost and when I can get him done.. i went to pets at home and got some proper rabbit litter tray stuff as Peter was covering the place in sawdust, usually just after i vacuumed.. again the wee darling:?.. lol... got some proper pet deterant, as where he was peeing was right in the middle of the room and this isnt the best place for a litter tray to sit, especially with a 3 year old running riot.. im sure it'll just take time.. same as training a child I guess.. but its a tad harder to point out the mistake to a rabbit, no matter how smart.. gonna just keep trying and fingers crossed in no time at all me he'll get it

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If he's weeing right in the middle of the room, I'd section him off with a space around his cage until he gets a bit more trained. Once he knows to go in the tray, he'll run back to it if he needs a wee.

yes of course he has hay just not in his litter tray its all in his cage... is that the better option??

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I'd say some in his cage and some in his litter tray. Bunnies like to munch and poo, so hay to hand is always appreciated. And hay out in his cage AS WELL, since the object is to get them to eat as much hay as possible, as it's good for teeth and digestion.

also found that he does not like his bowl in the tray as he kicked it over they nudged it out of the tray...

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That just means he thinks it's a toy :lol:

Sawdust is a nightmare. My indoor bunny has profleece at one end of his cage (3ft but always open) and a litter tray at the other end. The litter tray is lined with newspaper and has litter at one end (he only sits at that end) and a heap of hay at the other. I did start off with sawdust instead of profleece but it gets tracked everywhere - as you are finding out...!!

Once Charlie was neutered he stopped weeing everywhere, they now have a hay rack above the litter tray in their cage and they sit in the tray and munch and poo !!

We use wood based cat litter (£3 in tesco) its absorbant and i think its better that wood shavings.

It may also be wise to limit his freedom for a few until he selects a regular toilet location and then gradually increase his territory.

You could get a dog !!! .. my two dalmatians are always on the look out for rabbit poo snacks :lol::lol::lol::lol: it keeps the lounge clean !!:shock:

good luck !!