Help! Newbie :) basic advice needed!

Hey guys!:wave:
This is the first time I've had a rabbit (in fact it's the first pet I've had) I've had it for two days, things r going well but I have a few questions as I am just wondering what's best for my polly. She is 1 years old and 4 months and a lop eared rabbit.
Firstly.. Is there a way that you can train bunnys to poop in their litter trays as polly keeps pooing everywhere apart from her tray??
Also.. If you have a female- has it been spayed? I was looking into it and apparently it lowers the risk of a few cancers so I was wondering if u have had it done to ur bunny?
And also if you have an house rabbit..What do you find is the best thing to line it's cage with? I'm not sure if I should get a mat. Yesterday I went to the pet shop and the lady told me to buy sawdust for it so I tried it out and polly HATED it.
I've tried newspaper today and she loves it but I'm not sure if the ink will be dangerous to her because she loves shredding the paper.
Sorry for the 100 questions I just want to make sure that she has the best life ever! X

Hello :wave:

Have you got some pictures of your bun?

Yes, I've had my rabbit spayed, not all that long ago, few weeks. Shes 4, but the sooner you can get it done, the better :thumb:

Misty poops everywhere, but she'll only ever wee in the litter tray or surrounding newspapers, most of the poo is on there too, but I think they poo everywhere to kind of mark it as their territory and to keep reinforcing it :thumb:

Shes a house bun also, with a blanket and a carpet tile underneath to stop her slipping as she hops in and out of the cage.

Make sure she has plenty of hay to eat :thumb: I'll post a link with my set up :wave:

http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?381365-Misty-s-set-up-*pic-heavy*

Here it is :wave: does your bun have the run of the house or a certain room for most of the day?

Kenyacaroline said:

Hey guys!:wave:
This is the first time I've had a rabbit (in fact it's the first pet I've had) I've had it for two days, things r going well but I have a few questions as I am just wondering what's best for my polly. She is 1 years old and 4 months and a lop eared rabbit.
Firstly.. Is there a way that you can train bunnys to poop in their litter trays as polly keeps pooing everywhere apart from her tray??
Also.. If you have a female- has it been spayed? I was looking into it and apparently it lowers the risk of a few cancers so I was wondering if u have had it done to ur bunny?
And also if you have an house rabbit..What do you find is the best thing to line it's cage with? I'm not sure if I should get a mat. Yesterday I went to the pet shop and the lady told me to buy sawdust for it so I tried it out and polly HATED it.
I've tried newspaper today and she loves it but I'm not sure if the ink will be dangerous to her because she loves shredding the paper.
Sorry for the 100 questions I just want to make sure that she has the best life ever! X

Click to expand...

My bun loves shredding newspaper and I'm pretty sure it does them no harm Maybe try a fleece blanket? That's what my bun likes to rest on ... as for the poops I'd just keep scooping them up and putting them in the tray.. if theres a corner she seems to use most, then maybe try moving the litter tray there? Also make sure there's a good supply of hay in the litter box as buns love to munch hay while they poop, gross but true haha...
about the spaying, I would get her done, it will eliminate so many health risks for her, and then you could get a friend if you want

welcome hope I was some help

Hello :wave:

I would 100% get any female rabbit spayed, it can stop a lot of hormonal behaviour including phantom pregnancies but to me the most important reason to get her done is that 80% of unspayed buns will get uterine cance by the age of 5 I've lost a bun to uterine cancer and it is horrible and painful and preventable with a simple spay. My girl was a rescue and too overweight when we got her for her to safely have the op, by the time we got her weight down it was too late

Spaying will also enable you to consider getting her a friend rabbits are social animals and love to snuggle up together

As for cage lining newspaper is fine, covered with hay even better :thumb: most buns LOVE destroying it and it is safe for them to do so, just watch that she doesn't actually eat too much of it as it can block them up a bit is eaten in excess. You were right to not use wood shavings, a lot of them contain pine which give off phenols when pee'd on which are not good for bunny noses and even the ones that don't have pine often are very dusty.

I have 2 litter trained buns, rabbits can be very clean and tidy. You need a litter tray that is big enough for the bun to sit comfortably in, I personally have never had any luck in getting buns to use the corner ones and have cat litter trays. In essence the bun will choose where to 'go' and if you put the tray there they will use it, you can pop soiled bedding in there to cement the idea as she will likely go where she has gone before.

Filling the tray with hay and having a hay rack above will encourage her to use it as they like to munch as the go, literally in one end and out the other! :lol: Also spaying may well help you litter train her, pooping and peeing around the place is hormonal behaviour that may well be calmed after a spay.

Hope that helps and once again welcome, we are a friendly bunch! :wave:

Thank you SO much guys! Great information. This has helped loads.
I will look into when I can get her spayed tomorrow!
I will uploads some pics when I get a chance but I am on my mob so I can't right now!
Xxxxxxxxxx

Good luck with your new friend :wave:

Hi! :wave:

-With regards to the litter tray, I line mine with a thin layer of hay and that seems to do the trick. Both my bunnies use it and don't poo or wee anywhere else. Haven't really done anything to get them to use it and they do occasionally nibble at the hay in there :? But they each have there own treat ball (a metal ball which hangs on a chain and you can stuff treats into them) and I put Excel herbage grass in them for the bunnies to nibble. They eat this alot and it seems to detur them from the litter tray. So if you use hay in the tray make sure you put some kind of forage elsewhere (preferrably somewhere they cant toilet, such as in one of these treat balls), I think this helps to defrenciate where they are supposed to poo.

-My two buns are male and female and both neutured. One for the obvious reason, so that they wont have babies, but yes you are right it does signifcantly lower the risk of uterine and mammary cancer in females aswell as uterine infections. (Around 80% of does will get uterine cancer by the age of 5 if left unspayed ) So that reason alone was enough for me! Also it will help with behavioural problems she may develop as she gets older, such as aggressiveness and territorial spraying of urine. My female started spraying urine everywhere, up the walls, up me....... and its very unpleasant. Since her spaying she hasn't done it at all. Also her poo isnt sloppy like it was before (sorry if that sounds gross). Females can also have phantom pregnanies due there hormones making them want to nest, so will pluck fur to build a nest and it can be quite stressful for her when she doesnt have a litter. Overall spaying will make Polly healthier,happier and live longer so I would deffnatly recommend it!! Plus if you ever wanted to get her a bunny friend, having them both done is most likely to make them more accepting of one another, as they will be calmer and less likely to fight.

- Newspaper is fine to line your cage if polly likes it , Shredding and chewing it is ok as long as she isnt eating it. Just keep an eye on her, it wont do her any good to ingest it. I have mats in my cages which have soft carpet like surfaces and mine love it! So maybe try a mat if your worried.

Hope this helps ! Rabbits are such lovely pets and its very rewarding looking after them and giving them a good home, which it sounds like you are

Hi, for some reason my computer was showing you had no replies :? which is why i wrote an essay lol. Sorry it seems I have just repeated what you have already been advised

Anyway might be something in there of use :wave:

:wave: Hello, welcome to the forum.

I have two house bunnies, they create lots of mess and will get on your nerves when they eat your wires, but them stooped hoomas leave them out. I've got through many laptop chargers and phone chargers. It will happen if they can get to them. Better not to get stressed at them, they will give you the sweet innocent eyes. Anyway, I digress.
I had a cage for my first house rabbit Pierre, he free ranged in my University bedroom, I never shut him in. Shutting the cage will not give rabbits enough space. I have got rid of the wire mesh and just use the bottom as the base. I use newspaper in the bottom, I put wood shavings on top and then lots of hay over it. Some people on here don't like wood shavings as it can be said it leads to respiratory problems. I find its ok for my rabbits they haven't started coughing. I clean them out weekly, buy put fresh hay in the base daily. They like weeing, pooing and eating in the same place.

To litter tray mine, when Pierre peed in the wrong place, I wiped it with tissue and then put the tissue where I wanted him to pee. He then followed the smell and it went from there. Now Bernie is involved, she has a habit of pooing wherever but I just pick them up.
I have since moved when I first got Pierre, and now have a puppy pen surrounding the base so they have lots of space daily, and then we let them free range in the evenings.

I would advise getting your rabbit spayed, like you said it will reduce risk of cancers, and the temperament will improve. Even though my rabbits are inside I still had them vaccinated as diseases and infections can cling to humans and pass through touch and clothing.

You will make mistakes and you will feel rubbish at times, but its the perks of being a pet owner you learn as you go along. And don't be afraid to ask for help and advise if you need it. :wave: