Litter Training!!! Help!!

Hello!

I've got a bit of a problem with my Fonzie, we've managed to litter train her twice (she seemed to have forgotten the first time!), but now she's just pooing willy nilly wherever and whenever she likes again now! She just sits in her litter tray for ages doing nothing, then she'll jump out and poo just in front of it! Will she be easier to train once she's been spayed? My vet says she's in season now, so it's probably not best to spay her just yet, but I'd say we're getting her done within the next month or so. Does anyone have any litter training advice or tips that might help? All help would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Take care & Blessed Be!

You'll probably find that Fonzie will use her litter tray better once she's been spayed. She's just leaving little calling cards incase a male comes along. Do you put loads of hay in her litter tray too? Buns seem to like pooing while they're eating *looking for a 'sick' emoticon.........but can't find one!*

Correct me if I'm wrong but does' only come into season when in smelling distance of a male and I thought your rabbit was a single.
As for the litter tray problems. I do find that previously trainned does' do tend to forget as they reach sexual maturity.
How old is she :?:

Do you put loads of hay in her litter tray too? Buns seem to like pooing while they're eating *looking for a 'sick' emoticon.........but can't find one!*

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Yeah, we bought the litter tray and she'd sit in it for hours! There'd be nothing in it! We bought a small bag of kitty litter and she didn't go near it again after that, but I was watching her in her cage and noticed she was pooing in the corner where her hay was, so I started using newspaper and hay together, and gave her a treat every time she went in which seemed to work for a while. Now she just goes in to eat the hay! :lol:

Correct me if I'm wrong but does' only come into season when in smelling distance of a male and I thought your rabbit was a single.
As for the litter tray problems. I do find that previously trainned does' do tend to forget as they reach sexual maturity.
How old is she

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She is single... which makes it all the more confusing, but this is what the vet told me. She had been trying to shread the carpet up, and keeps moving her hay around the cage? She's only about 10 months old, so perhaps it's a young rabbit thing? Or she could just be really cheeky and enjoys trying to eat the carpet for no reason? Although, she hasn't done that for a few weeks now!

Well you can neuter from 6 months so now might be the time to get it done.

Well you can neuter from 6 months so now might be the time to get it done.

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We're taking her to the vet in the next couple of weeks for a check-up, then we'll arrange a date for her to be spayed :bunny:

Hello The Fonz -

I have two does both 2/3 years of age and both spayed. They are both very clean girlies and only use their litter trays. As mention within the thread - I use a large litter tray with a paper layer with Litter/Straw at the one end a their fav hay at the other and they love to sit, munch and poo.
We seldom get any accidents. But I have heard that it makes a big big difference to litter training once they are spayed.

Good luck with the training.

Thanks so much for all the advice, guys! I'll let you know how I get on!

Hi again! Hmmm if I was you I'd consider changing vets. Rabbits are induced ovulaters meaning females will become receptive to mating only when males are near. Females can be spayed at any time unless they are ill with other problems.
Alledgedly litter training is easier once bunnies are neutered, I say alledgedly as I have 2 who have no litter tray manners what so ever although give Jessica her dues she was only spayed a few weeks ago so she may improve.
As for the carpet thing, its life with a housebunny Im afraid my bunnies destroyed my last carpet at my previous flat they haven't seen a carpet since we moved. You can buy seagrass mats and trying putting something heavy to weigh it down over where she normally digs and she should hopefully dig up and munch that instead of your carpet.
Females if not spayed can and will at some point go through a phantom pregnancy where they will gather hay and everything else they can find including plucking their chest fur to make nests as the hormones are going crazy. Some girlies even go off their food for a few days while going through it. Getting her spayed will put a stop to that and stop her getting cancer, however with what your vet said about rabbits and seasons I would consider changing vet before having her spayed as it is a sore op for girlies and pain meds is a must.
Oooops sorry didn't mean to go on so much!
Angela

Thumps said:

Females can be spayed at any time unless they are ill with other problems.

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Some vets seem to be reluctant to spay a doe when she has actually 'become receptive' as the insides swell making the operation a little more difficult, meaning it would probably be easier and less time under anaesthetic if the op was carried out when she wasn't 'in heat'. However, if there are male rabbits about, then anytime is a good time

My first bun, Annie, used to have phantom pregancies and there were no males in the vicinity, not even wild ones.

hmmm! I'm all confused!! :? She definitely hasn't seen another bunny since I got her for Christmas... soooo... hmm! But she does do this weird thing when she's out of her cage and I'm around, she'll start running around me/my feet really quick, then stop and go the other way, and she does this for a good 10 minutes. She also squeaks at the same time! I thought she might have had something wrong with her chest because she sounded like a guinea pig! But she only did it when she was near me, but now it's more of a grunting noise! It's very odd! So, female bunnies only go in season or on heat when there's a male around, right? I really like my vet, though. He took such good care of her when she had her funny spell in May; he did say something about the swelling, and that he'd rather operate when it's likely to have gone down. Don't worry about going on, Angela!! All your advice has really helped me!! Thank you! In fact, everyone's advice has helped tonnes!
Thank you & Blessed Be!!

My buck does exactly the same behaviour.. its totally normal thing to do.. Runs in circles round my feet making little grunting noises.. he will do it for ages if i let him!
http://www.muridae.com/rabbits/rabbittalk.html Have a look at that site, it explains alot of rabbit behaviour. Yippee skippee is sort of what they are doing hehe.
Chris.

lol! It's everso funny to watch!!! :lol: