House Rabbits

As you may have read in a few of my other threads I have just gained Bumble into my life. She is a year and a half and was supposedly a house rabbit in her former home. However, she is pooing a lot outside of her cage when I let her out and I have read this is a sign of her marking her teritory. I keep her in my bedroom as this is the large space we have for her to run around without annoying my other housemantes. She also became aggressive the other morning and I think it was because she wasn't happy that I was in "her territory".

Can anyone give me advice about training house rabbits and how to claim back my bedroom?!

Thanks guys.

:wave: Hi and welcome to the forum!

How long have you had Bumble for? Is she spayed? (Sorry if you've already said, I haven't seen your other posts)

I would say the poos are a way of her to mark her territory and that you should probably try and go back to basics if she's leaving you 'presents' all over your room. If you confine her to her cage for a few days and work on her litter training there then things should soon improve. Once she's regularly using her litter tray in her cage then gradually allow her to have access to more of your room and she should be fine. You might need to start with a few trays but you can gradually take them away as she gets the hang of only going in her toilet. Good luck

Im having a similar problem! Strawberry is great with his litter tray and when free range will go into his crate to use his tray. Snowdrop is terrible. She wont use her tray at all, even in her crate. She will wee in her cat bed and then poo everywhere!!! Its a nightmare having her free range as she just goes everywhere.

Im gonna try really hard over the next half term to spend a week litter training her but at the min when im at work all day I can be there to pick up poos as soon as she does them so cant sort it out!

Bunshine said:

:wave: Hi and welcome to the forum!

How long have you had Bumble for? Is she spayed? (Sorry if you've already said, I haven't seen your other posts)

I would say the poos are a way of her to mark her territory and that you should probably try and go back to basics if she's leaving you 'presents' all over your room. If you confine her to her cage for a few days and work on her litter training there then things should soon improve. Once she's regularly using her litter tray in her cage then gradually allow her to have access to more of your room and she should be fine. You might need to start with a few trays but you can gradually take them away as she gets the hang of only going in her toilet. Good luck

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I have had her for a week - not long I know! I don't think she is spayed. It was such a fast purchase I didn't have time to think of anything like that to ask. I am going to give her another week or so to see if she settles in and then I am going to make a vets appointment. She is quite a moody rabbit and think a spaying would do her good.

I have also read in a lot of places about rabbits being prone to cancer of the uterus so I think it is a good thing to do if I have have longer years of cuddles with her!

Aw, she sounds like a right little madam:lol:

Spaying will calm her down and should help with litter training too (as well as stop her getting cancer, like you said). You haven't had her long at all really so she's still settling in, it probably all feels very new to her. Whenever I've litter trained buns (or re-litter trained them) I've always kept them in their house until they only use the toilet (even if it means keeping her in her new home for a week) and then let them have more space, and it seems to work a treat.

She is a madam! She has these little strops where the foot is stomped and then she throws herself on to her bed like a teenager. I can't help but laugh at her :lol:

I will keep her in her hpuse for a few more days until she realises my room is MINE! and her house is hers... We will become friends lol

Katieandbumble said:

I will keep her in her hpuse for a few more days until she realises my room is MINE! and her house is hers...

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Haha, good luck with that. I'm sure she'll soon teach you that every room in the house is actually hers, no matter what you think and that us humans are very lucky to have bunnies here to teach us

Bunshine said:

Haha, good luck with that. I'm sure she'll soon teach you that every room in the house is actually hers, no matter what you think and that us humans are very lucky to have bunnies here to teach us

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That is so true!

Goodluck with littertraining your bun, it can take a while but she should get there in the end.

http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/litter.html

^this link might be helpful..although Bunshine has said it all. If there is an area that she consistently pees when she shouldn't you could try cleaning it with dilute vinegar solution to remove her scent.

Love the name Bumble by the way..I used to have a hamster called that

Our buns litter trained themselves within a couple of days once the carpet was gone and the viynl floor tiles were put in. They would definatly rather pee on some hay than a waterproof floor that splashes them hehe :lol:

Rabbits marking territory with their poo looks different than poor litter training. (Although both are possible! Ask my bun Milo... :roll

When marking territory, the poos will be large and spaced out. My buns normally claim entrances to areas, like the right at the door of the bathroom. These will also have a certain smell to them, which is their added scent to say, "Mine!" It's important to pick up these poos and place them in the litter tray, so the scent is there, and they learn that the litter pan is what is theirs.

If not litter trained, it will be in piles, and won't have that smell.

To avoid aggression, make sure bunny feels safe in *her* space. Never pick her up out of it, never go in that space while she's in it. If you're cleaning her cage, make sure she is out of the room while you do it, as bunnies don't like you touching their stuff! :lol: But spaying will definitely help in the territorial department, probably more than the above.

Just be sure to place any poos outside the litter tray back inside. Also, soak up urine with a small towel and place that in the litter tray too, so they get used to it being there.

Milo has been awful at litter training, but he's gotten a lot better since he was neutered. It helps to keep the apartment clean, as he tends to poo less around the house if there isn't any hay on the ground.

Good luck!