Novice Owner, Pulling Hair My Out!

[Candie]

Hello fellow rabbit owners,

Six weeks ago I expectantly became the owner of two baby boy rabbits who I named Charlie and Ewan. I was simply visiting a friend who told me of a friend of hers who's rabbits had just had a littler and the babies were going to be released into the wild when they were old enough. Shock horror!!! I know a little about animals and just enough about rabbits to understand that domestic rabbits will not survive in the wild and that the owner was sentencing them to death. I felt responsible knowing what I did and immediately asked if I could go and see them.

After hearing the horror of an imminent release I expected to discover the worst of care situations but was pleasantly surprised. The kits had been an unwanted surprise but the two adult rabbits (thought to be two girls until the pregnancy) were actually well cared for and loved. I told the lady what I knew could happen to domestic rabbits in the wild and she agreed to let me have the two babies. I believe she genuinely thought that they would be happy in the wild. :roll:

I was assured they were 8 weeks old and ready to leave their mother so I went off that day and purchased all I could for them before collecting them the next day. I of course took them straight to a vet who confirmed that they were about 8 weeks and were in good health. Phew!

My original plan was to house them outside, I spent a small fortune on a large hutch, sectioned off half a good size shed for them to roam in and did everything I could to make them a comfortable home. Then I found that I simply didn't see them enough and they were becoming less and less tame. I had heard of house rabbits and feel in love with the idea of sharing a close bond with my boys. Outside they seemed to be little more than a garden ornament.

This is where my problem begins... I brought the hutch inside. It is currently taking up most of my hallway and stinking the house out with wee smells. Yuck! After doing some research on what best to house a house rabbit in I borrowed a dog crate but only used it for a day as it was a bit too small for both Charlie and Ewan and it caused such a mess because the base tray is so shallow. I have ordered a huge one but am worried that it'll be far too messy. I'm already hovering wood shavings and hay from all round my house and can't keep anything clean for a second. What bedding do people use in a dog crate?

When I used the dog crate for that short time thier wee just went over the sides of the litter tray and out the bars of the cage onto my floor. Are the corner littler trays big enough for a rabbit, they seem so small, and do I need one for each corner? Charlie and Ewan seem to use all corners of their current hutch to wee in despite also using the littler tray. I'm very concerned that using the dog crate will just make the whole mess situation worse but I need to get the smelly hutch out of the house.

Talking of mess... The rabbits are allowed free reign of the downstairs which they adore but they are totally trashing my house. I heard that it is easier to littler train a rabbit than a cat, currently I disagree. Charlie and Ewan are pooing all over my house, they wee on my living room rug and my sofa and I'm getting sick of living in their toilet. I do expect some mess from house rabbits, a bit of hay etc but combine that with the constant pooing and wees and I can't cope!

I use a litter tray of wood based cat litter for them to wee in. I clean up their wee as soon as they do it and pick up thier poo and put it in the tray (which is in thier hutch) but every time I turn around they have pooed 10 more times. They do wee on the sofa less than they did before but only because they are banned from the furniture. Despite being banned, as soon as I turn my back Ewan jumps on the sofa to see how many poos he can cover it with and if he has time for a quick wee before I lift him off. Oh no!

I was told to try using a spray bottle of water and spray them to tell them off. I was reluctant as it seemed a bit mean but I tried doing it for the first time last night (I'm at the pulling my hair out stage) but they took absolutely no notice, just sat there looking at me as if to say "OK then spray me, see if I care."

I am praying the situation changes soon or the boys will find them selves garden ornaments again. I would like to try and keep them as indoor rabbits if I can, they have such character and I'd miss them if they were housed outside, I also feel I can care for them much better with them inside. But right now I feel it cant get much worse and I'm about to put them back in the shed.

If anyone has some advise for me I would really appreciate it.

Thank you in advance.

Kind Regards,
Candie

 

[Angie65]

Hello fellow rabbit owners,

Six weeks ago I expectantly became the owner of two baby boy rabbits who I named Charlie and Ewan. I was simply visiting a friend who told me of a friend of hers who's rabbits had just had a littler and the babies were going to be released into the wild when they were old enough. Shock horror!!! I know a little about animals and just enough about rabbits to understand that domestic rabbits will not survive in the wild and that the owner was sentencing them to death. I felt responsible knowing what I did and immediately asked if I could go and see them.

After hearing the horror of an imminent release I expected to discover the worst of care situations but was pleasantly surprised. The kits had been an unwanted surprise but the two adult rabbits (thought to be two girls until the pregnancy) were actually well cared for and loved. I told the lady what I knew could happen to domestic rabbits in the wild and she agreed to let me have the two babies. I believe she genuinely thought that they would be happy in the wild. :roll:

I was assured they were 8 weeks old and ready to leave their mother so I went off that day and purchased all I could for them before collecting them the next day. I of course took them straight to a vet who confirmed that they were about 8 weeks and were in good health. Phew!

My original plan was to house them outside, I spent a small fortune on a large hutch, sectioned off half a good size shed for them to roam in and did everything I could to make them a comfortable home. Then I found that I simply didn't see them enough and they were becoming less and less tame. I had heard of house rabbits and feel in love with the idea of sharing a close bond with my boys. Outside they seemed to be little more than a garden ornament.

This is where my problem begins... I brought the hutch inside. It is currently taking up most of my hallway and stinking the house out with wee smells. Yuck! After doing some research on what best to house a house rabbit in I borrowed a dog crate but only used it for a day as it was a bit too small for both Charlie and Ewan and it caused such a mess because the base tray is so shallow. I have ordered a huge one but am worried that it'll be far too messy. I'm already hovering wood shavings and hay from all round my house and can't keep anything clean for a second. What bedding do people use in a dog crate?

When I used the dog crate for that short time thier wee just went over the sides of the litter tray and out the bars of the cage onto my floor. Are the corner littler trays big enough for a rabbit, they seem so small, and do I need one for each corner? Charlie and Ewan seem to use all corners of their current hutch to wee in despite also using the littler tray. I'm very concerned that using the dog crate will just make the whole mess situation worse but I need to get the smelly hutch out of the house.

Talking of mess... The rabbits are allowed free reign of the downstairs which they adore but they are totally trashing my house. I heard that it is easier to littler train a rabbit than a cat, currently I disagree. Charlie and Ewan are pooing all over my house, they wee on my living room rug and my sofa and I'm getting sick of living in their toilet. I do expect some mess from house rabbits, a bit of hay etc but combine that with the constant pooing and wees and I can't cope!

I use a litter tray of wood based cat litter for them to wee in. I clean up their wee as soon as they do it and pick up thier poo and put it in the tray (which is in thier hutch) but every time I turn around they have pooed 10 more times. They do wee on the sofa less than they did before but only because they are banned from the furniture. Despite being banned, as soon as I turn my back Ewan jumps on the sofa to see how many poos he can cover it with and if he has time for a quick wee before I lift him off. Oh no!

I was told to try using a spray bottle of water and spray them to tell them off. I was reluctant as it seemed a bit mean but I tried doing it for the first time last night (I'm at the pulling my hair out stage) but they took absolutely no notice, just sat there looking at me as if to say "OK then spray me, see if I care."

I am praying the situation changes soon or the boys will find them selves garden ornaments again. I would like to try and keep them as indoor rabbits if I can, they have such character and I'd miss them if they were housed outside, I also feel I can care for them much better with them inside. But right now I feel it cant get much worse and I'm about to put them back in the shed.

If anyone has some advise for me I would really appreciate it.

Thank you in advance.

Kind Regards,
Candie Watt

But they're babies! They destruction hasn't begun yet!!!:lol:

Ok - these guys are really young, so are in a learning process. As they get older, you can have them neutered (12-16 weeks depeding on your vet), & this will help them with their cleanliness - un-neutered male wee stinks as they get over & they spray!!. TBH you will need them neutering to keep them together anyway, as un neutered boys will fight when their hormones kick in.

Don't move their wee as soon as they do it - if it stays in their litter tray a little longer, they will recognise the smell & know where they have to do it. If they do it anywhere else outside the tray, put them in the tray & disinfect the area they wee'd in, so it doesn't smel like "their" spot!

The dog crate, you may be able to put a couple of levels in it, to give them a bit more space? I know wet wood in your house isn't nice.!

You could try putting the hay in a rack, to minimise the mess? & maybe a lamintate square around the crate, so it's sweepable really easily. Wet wood shavings smells, so line the crate with folded newspaper or towels, & used woodbased cat litter in their trays. I have a few high-sided cat litter trays too to stop them missing. Or you could use an enclosed plastic pet carrier - I have a bun that likes privacy

I have 15 buns in my house. I leave windows open for them all the time except the coldest nights, but they are in separate rooms I don't live in. All are neutered/spayed, but after 24 hours, a litter tray clean is a must!

 

[Stevie b]

http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?p=2360571&posted=1#post2360571

look at this thread! I started it as i am having a similar problem with my new buck, i feel like there is wee EVERYWHERE! There is some good advice on the thread about things you can do to neutralise the smell, cuz it is pongy to be fair, and i am assured that it will lessen if not cease when he is neutered (next couple of weeks).

The litter training with him is baffling me too, i already have 2 does and they took to their litter trays without a moment of bother for me, they have never wee'd outside them and only poo when they are a bit scared or feel they need to mark territory, and even then there is only 1 or 2. Mike (my boy) just doesn't want to know really, although today i do feel i am getting somewhere as after he freshly sprayed wee on the wall and skirting board (lush) i mopped it up on a little bit of loo roll and quickly put it into his tray, since then i have noticed he has wee'd in it and not in any of the other corners. So there is hope yet but i do feel sorry for you with two bucks, must be a nightmare.

I am keeping him in a dog crate til he is neutered then he will be bonded with one of my girls and will live with her. Dog crates do make a mess and i would suggest looking at other options of indoor cage for house buns, there are some with a more solid base with high sides, so hay and everything doesn't go everywhere. I do warn you that with house buns it is almost impossible to fully escape the hay...it gets everywhere.
As for corner litter trays, i had one for about a week and then got rid cuz they aren't that great, a big rectangular one is far better at holding in mess, and my buns love theirs, they actually go to sleep in them! Nice! To try and encorage them to use a tray, you could put some hay in/next to it so they can munch and poo/wee at the same time. They seem to like that a lot!

I do feel for you but i think there is only so much we can do until our boys are spayed. I think just to try not to get them too 'excited' helps....bloomin' men. :roll:

 

[gil]

hi-I keep a house rabbit in a dog crate and as someone else has suggested it is fairly easy to put in another level. you should be able to slide 2 strips of wood through the bars and then screw a shelf on to that so it gives them something else to go on.

for the bottom of the dog crate i use cardboard boxes but what i do is fold the card board at the edge so that it is higher than the floor of the crate. this helps to keep any mess in, the only mess that falls out is where the door is!

as for litter training dusty used to go into a corner of her crate but now that she has been neutered she does not mess her crate and instead uses a cardboard box that's filled with newspapers/hay/straw that sits just outside her crate! my 2 outside buns are much the same they do not like to make a mess of their hutch but have a tray in their run that they use. one of them is a buck so you may find that once you get your buns done their toilet habits may settle!

good luck!

 

[mindymoo]

They are just wee babies yet...like a child they will learn. I leave Misty's wee in over night she pretty much always wee's there of course little accidents happen. She does tend to poo a lot in the front room when shes laid in here but easy to clean up isnt it :roll:

 

[donnamt]

dont give them soo much space until they have learned how to use the litter tray.. and then have a few dotted about the place.... i currently have 3.. two in thier room and one in our living room.... but as babies yours may just need more... good luck... oh and only let them out when you can supervise or when they are in the terrible teens your house may not survive.... there is hope tho.. if you can get thro the first few months (10 so far with alvin) they do get less bad and more loving

he hasnt attacked the wallpaper for a few days now (fingers crossed hes over that phase)

 

[elve]

restrict their area to a biggish, fenced off running space with crate, toys, litter boxes etc. until they understand about litter training - will give you time to bunnyproof all wiring too - they'll bite through electric cables before you even know it! Best thing to use for litter trays is underbed storage boxes - mine are about 2' long, 15" wide and 7" deep, so they keep all the mess in and they can back up into a corner without weeing over the side. If you put hay in the boxes at one end they will sit and toilet in them mostly - although initially they will want to scent-mark the area you have them in (which is why you shouldn't keep changing it or extending it). What I use to fence areas off is nursery fireguards from Argos - brilliant and I have loads of them

 

[uniqueanneek]

restrict their area to a biggish, fenced off running space with crate, toys, litter boxes etc. until they understand about litter training

As a fellow new bunny owner, I found this the most effective way to begin. I left rocky in his cage when i first got him for a couple of days and he picked his corner and used that one only and then I put a corner litter tray in it. From then on i increased his space slowly and he just naturally kept going back to it. If he did have accidents I restricted his space a little more again until he got back into swing of things.

Good luck!:thumb:

 

[Doncat5]

Thats all good advice.... reduce their space til theyre trained, neutering is a definate and baby buns dont litter train well, not til theyre bigger buns, and know what theyre doing, so dont worry yet, its all about damage limitation for now!

Well done for taking them, I also know someone who released a domestic rabbit into the wild, and they genuinely thought they'd done something wonderful! :?

Good luck with your boys.

 

[Kay]

I was having no luck at all litter training my bun until I read that the litter tray needs to be fun at first so that the buns enjoy being in there. Rabbits are ununusal in that they poo when they eat, (I am used to dogs that won't eat near there toilet). So without much hope of success I put a few pellets and hay in the tray a a handful of grass and within 5 minutes he had learnt to used his litter tray!

However, weirdly when he is in his hutch he only poo's in the corner of his litter tray whereas in the house he sees it as a mega port a loo and poo's everywhere. Hopefully your bun's will take pride in their 'area' of house too and poo and wee in the tray.

Good luck and I love the names by the way. I loved watching Long Way Down and Long Way Round

 

[GringoPete]

I was assured they were 8 weeks old and ready to leave their mother so I went off that day and purchased all I could for them before collecting them the next day.

Bit off topic, but I was sure that baby rabbits should be 10 weeks old before leaving their mother?????

 

[nursecroft]

Def reduce the space you give them for now and find out where they like to wee, where they're fav corner is pop a litter tray with hay to tempt them to sit in it. I trained both mine really easily doing this, they will poo everywhere until they are older and neutered. Any accidents scrub the carpet with special animal de-odouriser spray for stains (specially for carpets) or white vinegar diluted, they will be tempted to wee there again if they can smell it.

 

[donnamt]

Bit off topic, but I was sure that baby rabbits should be 10 weeks old before leaving their mother?????

i think its 8 weeks they can go to a new home

 

[Teepee]

:wave:

I too am new to rabbit keeping (house buns at least!) I would echo the advice of other posters in that I am thinking you have given them too much space too soon.

My 2 lived in their hutch in the kitchen and I began by allowing them out into a restricted area first. I then allowed them out into the room with the hutch door open (I have laminate flooring so wasn't too bothered about mess - but I got very little luckily!) I have now replaced the hutch with a nesting area, cat litter box and food area and *fingers crossed* they use their litter tray. Are you putting a layer of hay on top of your litter? This works a treat as rabbits appear to munch as they poo!:shock: I would also agree with the advice that you need keep a little bit of soiled litter in the box to encourage them to use the tray.

GOOD LUCK!!!!!


TP

 

[clutterydrawer]

Try using a hooded litter tray like people have for cats. then they can't wee over the side. Have hay in the litter tray as they are inclined to mess where there is hay. also as some people have mentioned they should get tidier when they are neutered.

I have a dog crate and on the floor of it I have a rubber mat with a blanket over it, and all her hay is in a box, so there isnt much mess.

 

[batessusan]

Litter training

I was really fortunate - my first rescue bunny, Harley, seemed natural to a litter tray. He seemed to train the next two, poking them in the tumm when he thought they should go! Failed with the fourth, but that was his Mum! The only wee that H missed was the evening after his neuter and I knew it was coming cos he'd drunk gallons and never went "home"!!!!!!!!!. The next two he kicked into shape on the tiles in the hall before the came into the kitchen.

Then Lopez arrived and she laid new ground rules! They all wee in the tray - the idea of moving it once they are trained is a myth - mine will still wee where they think it should be! But we have poos smattered everywhere these days, and getting worse! Some I think are 'flicked' as they jump out of the tray, some I think they are just being lazy.

Harley has recently had a fairly major op and he will sit outside the litter box, eat the hay, and poo behind him. He has never done this before, but likes the extra attention he has received! from the anti-biotics, inside living etc and just looks at you as if you dare mention it when he has been thro so much!!!!!

hey ho - poos are easy. Only had a few wees off base in 2 years and I haven't tried hard to train them.

Once before I had 2 bunnies and they always wanted to wee under the high chair so I gave up on the litter tray and they lived outside - I have since read that the ammonia in your cleaner will attract the bunnies. OOOOOps

youngest now 6 and can run in the room and bounce down in front of them with no flinch or reaction - really, so worth the perserverence if you have the time, bunnies love floor level face to face contact, and no.. they don't like being picked up, but as I tell the kids. Once a puppy is full grown, you wouldn't pick a dog up and try to cuddly it, and you're lucky if a cat lets you. We now have 3 bunnies - one is too big for them to do that, one doesn't like but will be the first in your face if you are on the floor, and the 3rd wants to be on your lap as often as you can afford the time.

We are all different and so are they. But they can be trained (or at least want consistentcy - when I was a kid I had never heard of house rabbits, or litter training them, and the two we had just poo'd iunside the gate of their run - never in the cage. Its just nature, capture it how you can, mine don't like their trays anywhere but where they are used to them)

 

[Candie]

Thank You

Thanks everyone, so much!

I have taken on board all the advise and it is so lovely to hear every-one's stories. I don't know anyone with rabbits and it's great to hear that mine are behaving normally and it should all settle down given time and effort. I at least feel like I'm doing something now and have a plan of action which means I'm not stressing so much.

The biggest change I have made is to restrict them to just the hall until they get the whole litter tray idea at least. The mess is now contained to one room and no where near my soft furnishings which has totally saved my sanity!

I have noticed that now they can't get to the sofa they are only weeing in their hutch which is at least some progress, yea! They now have 2 litter trays in the hall as well as one in their hutch (also in the hall) and I have followed the advise of putting some hay in each tray. I was putting a handful of old litter in before but I think because the tray was only in their hutch and the whole thing smelt so strongly of wee anyway it made no difference and they just wee anywhere in the hutch. I'm hoping this might begin to change when they are living in thier dog crate and I can clean up any wee that's not in the tray without it soaking into wood. For now I have cleaned the hutch with a vinegar and water mix to help the smell situation. Wow, the smell of vinegar seems SoOoo refreshing after living with rancid rabbit wee! Maybe I'll start getting visitors again now.

When their dog crate arrives I plan to put an extra level in and line it with some perspex to about 1/4 of the way up the sides to help contain some of the mess. I do have hard floors anyway which helps when it comes to the clean up mission.

Charlie and Ewan (I loved those series too ) are still pooing everywhere but one step at a time and it has been a lot worse. I agree, poo's are not so difficult to clean up but still not ideal. I can't miss a single one or my young son thinks he dropped a raisin, need I say more??

Thanks again everyone, I'll try to keep you all updated.

Kindest Regards,
Candie
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