InkyTulips
New Kit
Hi,
My bun has basically decided that litter training doesn't exist anymore and I don't know what to do.
For context, he's around 6 years old, neutered, we've lived in the same house for a little over 2 years, and he has had free roam of my pretty large kitchen throughout the day for most of that time. He was completely litter trained, peeing only his cage and his litter tray, which he has done for years and is fine with me. He goes into his cage at night, and I let him out first thing in the morning. He has free access to water, hay, and generally a diet that his vet says is fine for him.
Over the last year or so, he's decided that he's going to pee anywhere he pleases on my floor. I've tried everything I can think of; moving his litter tray, cleaning up the mess and putting the rags in his cage/tray, I mop with odour neutralising cleaners, and I've even reduced his space recently to make it easier, which is something I read can help.
The vet says there's nothing wrong with his bladder, and honestly it feels behavioural rather than medical or age related. I say this because he often pees on the floor shortly after we put him back down after cuddling for a while (he's a snugglebug who likes grooming us), or he pees if he doesn't get picked up when he wants attention, but he has also peed on my partner a couple of time because he stamped after being put down.
It definitely feels like a mucky protest to not getting all the attention all the time, but he's always been a solo bun, and my partner and I are often at home at random hours because we've both worked shifts so it's not as if there's been a dramatic shift in the attention he's getting during the lockdown...
I just don't know what to try to get him litter trained again, but we can't keep mopping puddles off the kitchen floor very couple of hours throughout the day, especially as with our jobs both my partner and I will be going back to work after the lockdown ends. He used to be so good about it as well.
I'm sorry if that's a bit complicated, I've kind of info dumped!
If anyone has any advice, I'd really appreciate it!
~Inky
My bun has basically decided that litter training doesn't exist anymore and I don't know what to do.
For context, he's around 6 years old, neutered, we've lived in the same house for a little over 2 years, and he has had free roam of my pretty large kitchen throughout the day for most of that time. He was completely litter trained, peeing only his cage and his litter tray, which he has done for years and is fine with me. He goes into his cage at night, and I let him out first thing in the morning. He has free access to water, hay, and generally a diet that his vet says is fine for him.
Over the last year or so, he's decided that he's going to pee anywhere he pleases on my floor. I've tried everything I can think of; moving his litter tray, cleaning up the mess and putting the rags in his cage/tray, I mop with odour neutralising cleaners, and I've even reduced his space recently to make it easier, which is something I read can help.
The vet says there's nothing wrong with his bladder, and honestly it feels behavioural rather than medical or age related. I say this because he often pees on the floor shortly after we put him back down after cuddling for a while (he's a snugglebug who likes grooming us), or he pees if he doesn't get picked up when he wants attention, but he has also peed on my partner a couple of time because he stamped after being put down.
It definitely feels like a mucky protest to not getting all the attention all the time, but he's always been a solo bun, and my partner and I are often at home at random hours because we've both worked shifts so it's not as if there's been a dramatic shift in the attention he's getting during the lockdown...
I just don't know what to try to get him litter trained again, but we can't keep mopping puddles off the kitchen floor very couple of hours throughout the day, especially as with our jobs both my partner and I will be going back to work after the lockdown ends. He used to be so good about it as well.
I'm sorry if that's a bit complicated, I've kind of info dumped!
If anyone has any advice, I'd really appreciate it!
~Inky