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House rabbit advice

vicky_26

Warren Scout
I love my two buns and love having them indoors as they really are good company to me. I am so used to them now that I can't imagine them being outside and not seeing them as much!

However.....I'm struggling a little with the logistics recently and the mess :0(

When I first moved Parker indoor from her outdoors set up I bonded her with my bridge bun Poppy. They were both really good litter tray wise and whilst there was the odd poo here or there - they were both really good wee wise! I lost Poppy in March and subsequently bonded Parker with Hugo in September. And now there is possibly a wee issue. Increased poos too but I can deal with them! Not sure if connected to Poppy/Hugo at all. I've had to bin my living room rug as weed on too much, I've put down old carpet mats as a temporary measure and they have been weed on many times. The past few days when I've come home from work I've seen that there are wee puddles in the kitchen. I can't be sure but think it's Parker. I really want to re-decorate my living room but am not sure if practical cos of the bunnies and just had a moment of thinking I adore them but am I crazy to let them dictates what I do or don't do in my house!! And that's not to mention the hair!

Is there anything I can do about the weeing? I really don't want to have to consider moving them outside but I'm just getting to the point of thinking I don't just want my house to become a giant rabbit cage!! I did consider maybe limiting them to the kitchen and get a baby gate or something, but then I feel sad about not seeing them. I know, I don't think there's an ideal answer. Does anyone else with house rabbits have similar issues? Sorry...just needed to sound off I guess!
 
Was Hugo ever litter trained before being bonded with Parker? Have you tried using several large litter trays like underbed storage boxes? Have you tried putting hay in the trays? If I were you I'd consider a visit to the vets as a change in litter habits could hint at underlying problems. How much do they drink as big wees on the floor could mean incontinence. However, I'd guess it's probably a marking/territorial behaviour.

In the meantime I'd recommend picnic rugs with a plastic backing. Arthur occasionally goes outside the litter tray on our rug and these type of blankets protect it brilliantly. £3.99 in pound stretcher although might be hard to get at this time of year. They are good to shake outside daily to get rid of bits of hay and fluff too.

Hope some of this helps.
 
Thank you for your reply! I think it is territorial. I cant recall Parker 'weeing' outside of her litter tray before I first got Hugo. I had them seperated by puppy panels for around six months and Parker would generally wee near to where Hugo was. Could it be that it's cos I still have carpet mats that Parker has weed on previous so she can smell it? I did buy a new cheap rug yesterday (think I did a boo boo as it's brown and a little shaggy so you can't actually see any stray poos but touch wood Parker hasn't weed on it yet (early days I know!). I am pretty sure it's Parker....I have only seen Hugo wee on my sofa outside of the litter tray! Litter tray wise I have a indoor cage base with a cat tray inside it and I put hay in there and also have a cat litter tray in the living room! again with hay as they like a nibble when doing their business. They both use both trays.
 
Previous smells can attract them to wee again but then new items don't smell of them so need marking. You can't win really. If they've only been bonded since september I'd give them a bit longer and hope it settles down. I've seen it suggested that increasing the space of a newly bonded pair too soon can lead to territorial marking. My Arthur likes to wee on rugs and blankets, not hard floor. It's meant I've had to remove mats and vetbed from their enclosure which I think Mabel misses. They get plenty of chance to flop on the picnic blanket on top of the rug though which they both love.

Hopefully someone more experienced will offer advice soon too.
 
Boots wees on soft fluffy things, so his room is basically laminate floor with his litter trays in there. He doesn't wee on my flat weaved rug in the living room, or on carpet, but anything fluffy like vetbed or my daughters fake fur rug gets weed on! My outdoor bunnies are the same actually, even though they are all litter trained otherwise.
 
I'm very very lucky with my two, I think they weed on the floor twice in the first couple weeks I had them but it was on lino anyway and then only once since then in 10 months on lino again. They are super clean and I very rarely even get a stray poo. You could restrict them to a smaller area (with a lino floor) for a little while and see if that makes a difference.
 
Personally when I'm litter training I restrict them to a much smaller area rather than letting them free range for a couple of days with at least two litter trays in it. One of my males still does the odd poop but they all now regularly hop over to a litter tray for poops and pees. If they start being naughty poopers again I restrict them again for a day and it seems to do the trick - it might sound harsh but everyone's happier in the long run! If there's any areas of persistent pooping, you could try putting a litter tray there. I also gather up any stray poops and put them back in the tray so they can see me do it. Admittedly they probably just think I'm bonkers but it seems to work!


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I'd go a bit potty with the trays and pop one in any location where they repeatedly wee, even if it's the middle of the rug. The goal is to get them always using a tray and then you can gradually work out reducing/moving the tray to better locations.
 
Thank you for the suggestions! Another little wee puddle this evening so going to get a couple extra litter trays this weekend and will look to limit their space to see if we can improve things.

I always do pick up all the stray poos and chuck them in a litter tray. Hopefully Parker will improve!
 
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