Urine and Hay

I know litter-training and hay has been done a lot but my issue is a little different...

My new girl (only 4 months - too young for speying) always wees on the hay. This would be ok if it weren't for the fact that my old bun plays with the hay and throws it around everywhere. Any patch of hay anywhere gets peed on!

It is taking ages to clean up, is costing a fortune in hay and isn't very hygienic for any of us.

I don't want to restrict the hay in hangers because they both eat TONNES of hay and I don't really have any way to secure big enough hangers. Plus, it would be cruel because they enjoy playing with the hay so much.

What can I do to stop her peeing in the hay? He goes in a litter tray and I have aded hay to that so she uses it as well. I am trying to encourage this behaviour but other than that ...help!

Emma

Hi! My rabbits also like weeing on hay and I don't think you can easily stop that. I think it's because they associate hay with their litter tray, so if the hay gets spilled somewhere else they think their litter area has got larger. Your rabbit is still very young! I'd confine hay to litter trays and hay racks I'm afraid (sorry to be unhelpful). Maybe your other rabbit can try something else to play with, such as straw, newspaper, old blankets etc.

I have a similar problem with Sooty (a 3-year old unspeyed female) who has been with me and Muppet (a 3-year old neutered male). Muppet's very tidy: only wees in his litter tray, doesnt really do droppings anywhere else apart from occasionally his hay box (box of 'cheap' hay for snoozing and digging in). Sooty likes anywhere with hay and their beds... :roll:

I think the association with hay and litter is hard to break. If anyone comes up with a cunning plan, I'd give it a go!

Also against you is the fact that she's new so she'll be establishing herself in her new territory and she's unspeyed. Sooty has improved a lot in the 3-4 months I've had her, but she's really got it in for Muppet's bed (barely stays dry a day) whilst she's got much better with her own (may stay dry for 2-4 days). Sooty's had some health problems so I've been delaying her spey, but hopefully she'll get better again after that.

i stopped putting hat in the litter tray and find they wee on the tray and eat the hay which is near the tray and only do a few poo balls in the hay. seems to work and mine live in the kitchen too

I have just started putting the hay into a wide oblong flower pot. This has reduced the amount of hay that gets thrown onto the floor (they used to tip the small hay boxes out onto the floor) and therefore we don't have accidents on the floor any more.
One of them still leaves droppings everywhere though:roll: At least they are easier to sweep up now

I don't put hay in the litter tray as I don't want them to associate hay and wee. I did put hay in the litter tray at one point cos people said it was the thing to do, but then like yours my buns started weeing wherever there was any hay. So I stopped, the hay went back inot a rack (or two) and a hay ball, and gradually they stopped weeing on any piles loose of hay.

If I were you I'd try putting some kind of litter or megazorb in the litter tray and the hay in a rack. I used pressed wooden cat litter in the tray, which I've never had any problems with, and I clean them out daily.