Poo everywhere - Help!

Hello

I will try not to be too long winded but I really need some advice. We have had rabbits in the past who have all been very clean and happily used their litter tray and now we have two who seem to be rebelling.

Their set up is a 120cm cage with a litter corner and a bedding area which is permanently open giving them free access to the whole of the house. Oscar had been very clean only using his corner and then Monkey came. On the first day she pooped and peed everywhere however now she goes in the litter tray. Oscar however is pooping and peeing everywhere and I am at my wits end. What should I do to encourage him to go in his litter tray?

It's really hard when this happens. My boy Floppy was great in the house until his girls came. He then needed to mark his territory and left droppings everywhere.

Are they neutered and are they bonded? Once neutered their hormones can settle down. Once bonded, he won't see Monkey as a threat to his house and will recognise her scent so no longer need to leave his on top of it.

Once they are neutered and bonded, the next tsp is to keep them in an enclosed area. Make a small pen around their base so that they have a much smaller territory. At least once a day pick up all droppings and put them in the litter tray. Once he started using the tray reliably, make their space slightly bigger. Keep enlarging their space until they have free range of the house again and hopefully you will have a fully litter trained pair. Good luck!

They are happily bonded and very taken with each other, she is neutered however he can not be for medical reasons. We did the steps you suggested over the first few days of her arriving, maybe we should go back and start that approach again :?

I think if he can't be neutered there's not really a whole lot you can do. It might lessen with time. Try not to wash away the scent too much, i found this just made them remark. So limit mopping and just sweep poos and spot clean wees.

There is no sign of this reducing, in fact they seem to be getting worse I am now hoovering up a couple of times a day and having to scrub the carpets in the places they pee. My OH is getting really annoyed about the situation and keeps muttering about keeping them in a confined area (not a cage!) but I really want them to have free range of the house as I can see how much they are enjoying it. If anyone has any other suggestions I would be so grateful.

I would think that you're not going to be able to eradicate it. They are doing it to mark their territory because he is hormonal and likely both feel a bit insecure.

What about getting something like carpet squares and putting them in the places they wee? That way you can just chuck them out when they get manky, and they don't ruin your actual carpet.

I don't think confining them to an area is necessarily a bad idea. It can even help confirm litter tray habits.

I would say maybe change the litter tray less, so that it does smell of them (to them) and it's clear where they should go. also make sure you're putting as much as possible into the litter tray (but i'm sure you're doing this anyway).