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Toilet Training

naohren

Young Bun
Here's the issue.

The rabbits use their litter trays well. However, they also use everywhere else as a litter tray. Sometimes I'll find the hutch floor suddenly caked in hard-droppings and wet patches, and I have to clean it out ASAP - not ideal for me at all. I don't want this problem to attract flies and infection in the summer. Any ideas? I use cleaning spray and scrub the floor of the hutch well with kitchen towel but it never seems to discourage them enough... Both are neutered, by the way.

Thank you for reading <3
naohren
 
Have you tried white vinegar? :)

(It's can cause carpets to change colour etc)

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I have not... would that not make the hutch smell, perhaps damage the wood?

Edit: I read up a little. My only concern is the smell and some milder alternatives for follow-up clean outs.
 
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Are your rabbits neutered? If they aren't, then things will hopefully improve once they are a few weeks post neuter and their hormones have subsided. You might need more than one litter tray if they persistently go elsewhere. If you put non slip vynil flooring down on the floor of the hutch it makes cleaning it much easier and if you keep litter to the trays only then that should help.
 
Both rabbits are neutered - Clara was neutered early, a few months ago, and Humphrey was neutered just over a fortnight ago. They have a litter tray in the hutch and outside in the run next to their hay. Vinyl flooring sounds like a good idea...
 
Both rabbits are neutered - Clara was neutered early, a few months ago, and Humphrey was neutered just over a fortnight ago. They have a litter tray in the hutch and outside in the run next to their hay. Vinyl flooring sounds like a good idea...

Ah, ok well Humphrey will probably still have hormones in his system. Vynil flooring is good, it stops the urine soaking in and means you can spot clean more easily, which will dissuade them from going in that area if you neutralise it with vinegar/water solution mixed 50/50. You might get off cuts of vynil for free if you ask at a flooring place :thumb:
 
I was just about to ask what amount of each I'd need! Thanks Zoobec. I'll probably get them a new hutch since i think it's too far gone at this point, and their hutch is looking a bit scruffy (we used it for the previous rabbits also). I have vinegar and cleaning tools all ready so I'll see how it goes today. Thanks again all!
 
Hi
First I would line the hutch floor with either plastic/vinyll or an abosrbant material that can be replaced (puppy pads) :)

Next I would use white vinegar to clean the hutch like you're doing.

I would use a kitchen towel to mop up the urine and put it into the litter tray as well as putting the poops into the tray, so the rabbits know that is where to do their business ;)

Make sure the litter tray is favourable to the rabbit and is cleaned regularly as rabbits can be put off by dirty ones. I would use an absorbent litter (Megazorb works well for me :) ) and have a hay rack nearby to entice it.

Finally, some people intially reduce the area the rabbit has access to when litter training but I'm not sure about this.

In terms of flies, try putting rosmary and lavender nearby, as the strong smell repels flies :)

Hope this helps
 
An update: The vinegar-water solution worked really well! I figured out that they also like to pee where I've put hay for bedding - naturally - so I'll put some eating hay next to the litter tray. I don't know why I didn't notice that before :p
I have a basic idea of the new hutch layout now. @ ClementineANDElsta, I didn't know herbs could help! I'll try that out if we ever have fly trouble - though the bunnies might take a bite of it, haha.
 
An update: The vinegar-water solution worked really well! I figured out that they also like to pee where I've put hay for bedding - naturally - so I'll put some eating hay next to the litter tray. I don't know why I didn't notice that before :p
I have a basic idea of the new hutch layout now. @ ClementineANDElsta, I didn't know herbs could help! I'll try that out if we ever have fly trouble - though the bunnies might take a bite of it, haha.

Yes, they do like to eat and poop/wee at the same time! If you only put hay in the litter trays or next to it then hopefully that will improve things further:thumb:
 
Yes, they do like to eat and poop/wee at the same time! If you only put hay in the litter trays or next to it then hopefully that will improve things further:thumb:

Haha, I do have one tray outside the hutch with their hay either side of it, but for some reason I forgot about that in the hutch. I'll have to change up the layout ;;
 
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