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Litter tray solution for an old unclean rabbit

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So my now 14 year old house bun used to be properly potty trained but now at his old age he can't control his blatter and bowels anymore, he just goes pretty much anywhere, even while he's sleeping. He sometimes has diarrhea and because he has a bit of a balance problem he tends to fall over in his own filth.

His housing always had cat litter on the bottom covered with hay but now that he pees on the hay it reeks in the entire house and this isn't possible anymore. Currently I've put absorbing towels in his housing and this has shown me how bad it really is. It's much more hygenic for us but I got to replace and wash the towels like 4 or 5 times a day which I obviously can't do at night or when I'm away for 8 hours.
I need some sort of solution that properly absorbs his pee and can keep him clean for at least 8 hours or so.

Anyone have any experience with an old bun like this?

Thanks in advance.
 
I dont have an old rabbit myself but have you tried wooden cat litter pellets? They absorb smell really well, I buy a big bag from p@h :wave:
Other people on here use megazorb aswell but I have no experience with this.

Has your bun seen a vet to see if they can help him at all?
 
:wave:

I've no experience myself but I remember reading on another post that someone used puppy training pads with their rabbit who was having toilet problems.
I'm not sure whether they will be more absorbent than the towels your using at the moment - but thought it was worth mentioning.
Hope you find a solution soon.
 
Could he have a bladder infection or kidney failure...something which would make him pee lots? Also, something like a bladder infection would explain the strong smell.

I have an elderly house rabbit who has his own room...I've put lino on the floor to make it easy to clean, and on top of that I put a large thick fleece, and I have towels with vet bed on top in the places where he usually pees. I only need to change his bedding twice a week.

Sometimes elderly rabbits have difficulty getting in and out of their litter trays, so a low seed/potting tray (available from the gardening section of stores like Wilkos or B&Q) is ideal for the purpose
 
I can only suggest what I line the piggy cage with - washable (human) incontinence bed pads covered with fleece or vetbed. In your case, vetbed would be far better as it lets the urine soak straight through and into the incontinence pad, keeping the top layer relatively dry.

I bought my incontinence pads from Amazon and they're really great. You can wash and wash them and they still look as good as the day I bought them. Vetbed can be bought from Ebay pretty cheaply. I never worry about it being 'original' vetbed or a cheaper copy - I've had both and IMO, there's not much difference aside from cost ;).

ETA - Wow - a fourteen year old bunny :shock:. How wonderful :D.
 
I've taken him to the vet a few days ago, to be honest I was fearing the worst as I had thought he'd suggest putting him down. But since he isn't in any pain, only some minor discomfort he instead suggested some antibiotics. He probably has a bladder infection, the antibiotics should hopefully help with that.

I've just bought megazorb and am trying that for now, he only peed once so far but it seemed to absorb it and the smell pretty good. If this doesn't work I'll probably try the incontinence pads, which is a pretty good idea.
 
Thanks to all of you for your suggestions but I'm afraid it wasn't meant to be. I tried the megazorb and it seemed like the perfect solution at first but he pushed it out of his cage constantly which resulted in him lying in urine almost every night, causing him to shiver from the cold by the time we woke up. His condition got worse every night for the past week despite giving him antibiotics.
Exactly one week after the last time we took him, we went to see the vet again who said that he was definitely in discomfort if not suffering and suggested that letting him go would be the best thing to do for him as well as for us.
He's been my best friend more than any human ever could be for 14 years, but I had to let him go, 4 hours ago he passed away. I'm a broken down wreck right now but I'll never forget him, he's inreplacable, I'll be telling my grandkids stories about him and how much he's changed my life.

RIP my friend, you'll never be forgotten.
Jem.jpg
 
I'm so, so sorry for your loss.

That picture is beautiful, it really captures his spirit. You can see in his face he is full of character! He looks so happy and peaceful.
 
Im so sorry for oyu rloss....what a beautiful picture of him....he must have been well loved & a very happy bunny to have reached such a wonderful age......binky free little bun xxxx
 
I am so sorry for your loss.

To have had him as your friend for 14 years, would have made losing him so painful. Looking at his photograph, you can see what a wonderful bunny he was. Thinking of youxx
 
Sending you lots of hugs. I know exactly what you're feeling. I've had many buns-and love them all deeply. However there are buns who you connect with, who totally get you and who's eyes look straight into your soul. I only had 18 months with my bunny soul mate, we had him from birth and I cried for days after losing him. I still feel the lump in my throat now nearly two years on whenever I look at his photo or allow myself to think about him. I find it difficult to let my barrier down now, i've had a new soul mate bunny for about 4 months now-and i'm terrified of having my heart torn in half all over again if I lose him. He has I similar condition and looks so like the bun I lost. Part of me believes my toshi bun came back to find me :) I believe you'll meet your boy again one day, and you will instantly know it's him. Take care and again hugs x x
 
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