• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.

Help Rabbit weeing and pooing in her bed DESPERATE PLEA

Margret

Warren Scout
HELP! Can anyone please advise me. We have a 3 year old unneutered German Lop, she lives in an 8x6 shed, with attached run, but plenty access to the garden as well. In her shed she has a large litter tray, a rabbit hutch with the legs cut off which she likes to sit on the top. The inside of the hutch we fill with hay and she also has hay on the top of the hutch. Our problem is she is using the inside of the hutch as a toilet which means the floor is soaking wet, and she has started to wee on the top of the hutch as well now....decided not to bother with litter tray. I had thought of putting vet bed in the inside of the hutch and cover with hay, also a piece on the top again covered with hay, but I am really scared that she will eat it. She already has had stasis twice and don't want to go through that again. No problems since we started giving her dried plantain which she loves. My husband has been diagnosed with Motor Neuron Disease and Isla is his only interest, but the extra work cleaning hutch is taking its toll on him. Can anyone advise what to do.....do we remove the hutch and just give her another large litter box to sit in.....ideas please. Thanks I really am desperate
 
If this has happened suddenly I think I would want to exclude a health issue such as a UTI and would take her for a vet examination. Perhaps if you could collect a sample of her wee with a syringe and take that along with you.

I think I would try removing the hutch and providing another litter tray first, rather than using vet bed.
 
Thank you. She has done it on previous occasions.....stops for a bit, then does it again. Previously we coped and just accepted it, but as I said now with my husband being ill, its more of a nuisance. Think we will take the hutch out and see how it goes. Thanks for your reply
 
If you remove the hutch, though, will she still be cosy enough? You could use newspaper, then Auboise - which is absorbant - and then the hay, which will help protect the hutch.
I would have her checked over by the vet - particularly as she isn't spayed.
 
HELP! Can anyone please advise me. We have a 3 year old unneutered German Lop, she lives in an 8x6 shed, with attached run, but plenty access to the garden as well. In her shed she has a large litter tray, a rabbit hutch with the legs cut off which she likes to sit on the top. The inside of the hutch we fill with hay and she also has hay on the top of the hutch. Our problem is she is using the inside of the hutch as a toilet which means the floor is soaking wet, and she has started to wee on the top of the hutch as well now....decided not to bother with litter tray. I had thought of putting vet bed in the inside of the hutch and cover with hay, also a piece on the top again covered with hay, but I am really scared that she will eat it. She already has had stasis twice and don't want to go through that again. No problems since we started giving her dried plantain which she loves. My husband has been diagnosed with Motor Neuron Disease and Isla is his only interest, but the extra work cleaning hutch is taking its toll on him. Can anyone advise what to do.....do we remove the hutch and just give her another large litter box to sit in.....ideas please. Thanks I really am desperate

I am so sorry to hear of your husbands awful illness :cry:

As the others have suggested a trip to the Vets with Isla would be a good idea just to make sure that there are no health problems to account for a change in her litter tray habits eg mobility problems or urinary tract problems. The latter may be more likely to occur in unspayed Does as can infections of the uterus.

If Isla is a chewer then using Vetbed/towels is probably not a good idea. Would adding more litter trays be an option ?

Do you think it is possible that Isla has picked up on the fact that your husband is so unwell ? This can occur when an animal is closely attached to their human care giver and it can cause the animal's behaviour to change in various ways.

I do hope that you will find a way to make keeping Isla's environment clean less of an ordeal. You clearly have more than enough to cope with x
 
Sorry to hear about your husband.

I too would take her for a check at the vets as I have a female (spayed who is 9) and she has been struggling with bouts of incontinence. I have started to put a puppy pad down with lots of hay over, this would help save the hut a bit and with lots of hay on it should deter her from eating the puppy pad. I used it as an alternative to megazorb which I was worried would get eaten!
 
HELP! Can anyone please advise me. We have a 3 year old unneutered German Lop, she lives in an 8x6 shed, with attached run, but plenty access to the garden as well. In her shed she has a large litter tray, a rabbit hutch with the legs cut off which she likes to sit on the top. The inside of the hutch we fill with hay and she also has hay on the top of the hutch. Our problem is she is using the inside of the hutch as a toilet which means the floor is soaking wet, and she has started to wee on the top of the hutch as well now....decided not to bother with litter tray. I had thought of putting vet bed in the inside of the hutch and cover with hay, also a piece on the top again covered with hay, but I am really scared that she will eat it. She already has had stasis twice and don't want to go through that again. No problems since we started giving her dried plantain which she loves. My husband has been diagnosed with Motor Neuron Disease and Isla is his only interest, but the extra work cleaning hutch is taking its toll on him. Can anyone advise what to do.....do we remove the hutch and just give her another large litter box to sit in.....ideas please. Thanks I really am desperate


Hi Margret

I am so very sorry to hear about your husband's illness. That must be devastating for you both. My friend's husband suffered from that so I have first hand experience of it...

Regarding Isla, I would start with a vet visit. It's possible there might be something going on - your vet should be able to express her bladder and get a urine sample to test with a dipstick. Alternatively, if you give her a tray with just hay (put it on top of the hutch where she goes?) you could try and collect a fairly clean sample and take it in to the vet (in a clean jar)

Good luck and hugs x
 
Just to echo what others have said:
- get a vet checkup to see if there is a medical reason for the change in behaviour (maybe discus getting her spayed to prevent future associated health issues)
- use extra litter trays (or something else absorbent that she won't eat - eg newspaper, card, puppy pads) where she is weeing & spot clean daily
- leave the hutch (she needs somewhere to keep warm, and changes to her environment may upset her more)
- vetbed may get chewed so may not be the best option for her.

I hope you find something that works for you.
 
Would like to thank everyone for their response.Isla has now decided to use her litter tray again..no more wet patches on top of hutch. Will pay attention and if it happens again a trip to the vet to get her checked out. We are going to rearrange her shed give her another litter tray. I have a happy husband tonight. Thank you for all your kind words regarding his ill health.
 
Would like to thank everyone for their response.Isla has now decided to use her litter tray again..no more wet patches on top of hutch. Will pay attention and if it happens again a trip to the vet to get her checked out. We are going to rearrange her shed give her another litter tray. I have a happy husband tonight. Thank you for all your kind words regarding his ill health.


You're welcome :thumb:

Glad to hear your good news x
 
Sounds positive.

Lots of love to you and your husband. I've experience of MND within my immediate family too.
 
Back
Top