Can you teach an old rabbit new tricks (Litter training!!) ?

Ok, I know there's probably loads of advice about this subject as far as litter training youngsters, but what about a 5 year old ? :? :?
We have tried everything we can think of :? , using puppy training mats, confining them to one room of the house for a certain amount of time, putting her back in the litter tray whilst and after she has pee'd, moving the litter tray to where she has pee'd the most. Millie is quite happy to use the litter tray upstairs and down , but we can't get Bonnie to constantly use the litter tray, she would rather pee on the carpet :shock: :shock: , even after having a pee in the litter tray.

Help please, pretty please

Aaahh the joys of litter training!! It can take some time when there are a few buns in the house especially when they are new. Its probably just the smell of the other buns and Millie wants her scent to be the strongest. It will calm down over time.

As soon as she pees in that area, clean it up with either Vanish carpet cleaner, Dettol surface cleanser and/or I have heard that spraying a bit of tea tree oil/spray is good to remove the smell. She will end up getting fed up with her odour being removed all the time and give up doing it. It could take a while tho.

Darcy always uses his litter tray but for months after his snip (November) he was still insisting on peeing on my sofa and bed. He has stopped recently though (fingers crossed it stays that way!!) so I'm hoping it was just the hormones.

Bridget is still finding it hard to remember to use a tray. She does the majority of the time but there is always the odd small puddle and mushy poos.

Use something like vinegar to clean the spots on the carpet that she likes peeing on, this neutalises the smell and hopefully she won't then associate that part of the carpet with peeing.

My Joey is great everywhere else but if he gets a chance to hop up on the sofa he is sure to pee in the corner. Hopefully this might stop now that he has had the snip!

oooh forgot to say, if she is also popping out the poops everywhere, make sure to scoop them up in front of her and put them in her litter tray. Its important she sees you doing this regularly as she will then associate "ah thats where my poops are meant to go".

Good luck xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I found with my rabbits that once they'd started peeing in a particular place they'd keep going there no matter how much I washed it and it was usually in somewhere particularly unhelpful like my daughter's duvet so I went back to something I'd used to break cats of the habit in the past which is biological washing powder.
As a very ecologically minded person it's a last resort for me (and it had to be Tesco's not tested on animals one though I don't like the smell but that's a different story). If you make up a solution of it and wash or scrub the thing or carpet it digests the smell and the rabbit doesn't use that place any more. Well its worked for all of mine 8) .

The other very important thing is that when any animal, rabbits included, pee on a carpet it can go through the carpet to the underlay which will keep smelling to the animal because they have a very sensitive nose. The best thing to do is pull the carpet back and cut out and replace that bit of underlay, it doesn't hurt to wash the floor too with the same solution while you're at it.

When I've done this even the most persistant cat (in my carpet's case) and rabbit (in the duvet, armchair etcs case) has stopped using it. Hope this helps

Hey Mark & Shell, how is the litter training going? xx

Romy said:

Hey Mark & Shell, how is the litter training going? xx

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Slowly, Milly is fine no problems but Bonnie is still peeing everywhere bless her, not sure what we can do next, have scrubbed the floors with biological washing powder and had to take the hall and bedroom carpets up as it had seeped through to the wood floors and smelt bad :shock: She peed 3 times overnight and 3 times this morning but the trouble is the floor boards have gaps in and it is running through if we don't get there in time. I am hoping to be back at work in 2 weeks so need to think of something fast.

Oh dear, sorry to hear that!! Maybe try and keep her in a smaller area again for a short while as I have read that sometimes confining them in their pen again makes them remember to use their litter tray. Good luck!! xxxxxxx

We are doing this but poor old Milly is getting fed up Still it is for the best, what with huggies being poorley and clearing up wee i am feeling rather stressed at the minute :shock: The highs and lows of being a bunny mummy.

Oh Shell, you're doing a fantastic job and a brilliant bunny mummy!! I really do hope Hugs gets better soon and I'm sure Bonnie will get the idea soon. You're doing everything right its just buns do like to make us worry sometimes!! They obviously love you both very much as their new parents. Chin up petal! Sending lots of love and hugs xxxxxxxxxxx

Romy said:

Oh Shell, you're doing a fantastic job and a brilliant bunny mummy!! I really do hope Hugs gets better soon and I'm sure Bonnie will get the idea soon. You're doing everything right its just buns do like to make us worry sometimes!! They obviously love you both very much as their new parents. Chin up petal! Sending lots of love and hugs xxxxxxxxxxx

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Thanks chick, have just been out to check Hugs and he is still not eating and is crashed out in his litter tray, i cry everytime i see him I couldn't imagine life without the hugster.
Bonnie will soon come round to our way of thinking, hopefully, you can't help but think that you have let them down in some way though and all we want is them to be happy. I feel so much better though knowing everybody is there to support and care, it means alot xxxx

Oh petal, you haven't let them down at all. You have done so much aleady by being a loving caring bunny mummy!! I know it is soooo horrible when a bunny isn't well. I got very upset and down when I couldn't look after Bridget properly and felt I had let her down too. It was such a horrible feeling. But Shell you have never let them down - you are doing a great job!!! They all love you so much - bunny's only like to mark territory when they feel happy and safe - Bonnie just wants any other buns to know that this house is her home!! Very big compliment for a bunny to make - I know it doesn't seem that way when your cleaning it up!! I'm keeping everything crossed for Huggies - he looks/sounds like a reall fighter so I'm sure he'll pull through soon!!!

(((HUGE HUGS AND BUNNY LICKS AND NOSE RUBS)))))))))) XXXXXXX

oh no i didnt know huggie wasn't well..........sending healing vibes....good luck with the peeing situation I am sure she will learn if you keep her in a small space long enough :wink:

so you now have 2 house bunnies and two pairs of outdoor bunnies now?

BirdieBun said:

oh no i didnt know huggie wasn't well..........sending healing vibes....good luck with the peeing situation I am sure she will learn if you keep her in a small space long enough :wink:

so you now have 2 house bunnies and two pairs of outdoor bunnies now?

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Huggies has stopped eating and collapsed this morning, i rushed him to the vet and he has had some injections and is sleeping it off in his litter tray Have to keep checking on him but i cry each time so now i have a headache!!!
We are hoping to pick sidney and Sugar up next weekend, can't wait to get them home
When Bonny is confined she pees in her litter tray, as soon as we let her out with access to her tray still she pees on the floor!!! We will get there in the end bless her, i think she is missing Jo and John, Milly is used to the moves whereas she isn't. Feel awful confining them though.

ahhh dont feel awful she has to learn bless her. keep us updated on Huggy I love him with his funky hair doo dont cry anymore be strong for your boy (this is she that cried all night long when her budgie was ill and thought he would die durong the night and he is now livlier than ever!)
:wink:

Just been out to see him, he is breathing really slow and i couldn' see at first and thought he had died. Still not eating and moving around, he is all hunched up in his litter tray, think my heart is breaking, had a chat with him and told him we all need him to stick around, i feel so helpless, i want to make him all better.

Poor hugs lots of hugs and love for him X and good luck with the litter training!

I'm so so sorry to read this, poor Huggsie, I'm sending all the vibes possible that he'll pull through, did the vet have any idea what was wrong? Could you talk to some bunny specialist on here? Is there a thread about him because I haven't seen it? You must be distraught!

Big hug and loads of positive vibes

how old is Huggie?