Elderly rabbit no longer using litter tray - what alternatives/options?

My two rabbits live outdoors in a large run with a litter tray. It's filled with bark and they've always used it for most of their doings. My old lady Lola, about 8 years, sadly lost her sight to cataracts in 2020, which she is coping fairly well with, and is generally fairly fit, still hopping around the lawn (unless covered in snow like now). Since she went blind, or about the same time, more and more poo has been deposited on the paving stones not in the tray. We can cope with that fine, although we're not sure exactly why it's happening, but now it's wee as well. It's hard to clean up rabbit wee on paving stones so I'm looking for options if anyone can suggest any, eg:

Would a very low-sided litter tray make a difference? (the one we use now is about 4 inches high)

Is there anything I could put on the paving to absorb wee that could be easily changed/cleaned? Because they're outdoor, under cover but some rain does get in, it would need to be solid enough not to blow away or get very soggy.

Also the run is a bit 'Heath Robinson' so taking the roof off to get in and clean it is a major job, we do it twice a week and clean the whole run, hutch etc out, but we couldn't get in every day, it would take too long and in this weather it's a bit grim to do.

MTIA for any help

Would a carrier with a low entrance work?

When bonding recently I was a bit low on clean loos so I used the bottom of their carrier which although it has high sides it had a low entrance.



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I'd try a low entrance tray like a potting tray or dog bed, maybe she can't judge the height any more or has some arthritis making it hard to make the jump in and out.
Clean the slabs with vinegar in warm water and maybe some soap to help encourage her back into the tray.

CarelessSquid07 said:

Would a carrier with a low entrance work?

When bonding recently I was a bit low on clean loos so I used the bottom of their carrier which although it has high sides it had a low entrance.



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We used to have a hay box for them, the kind of box meant to go under a bed, they used to sit in it a lot, when she stopped going in it we bought - at VAST expense!! a dog bed with a low entrance to encourage her in but she's almost never gone in it. I thought I could try that for the litter tray but it's got holes in the bottom! But I will try a low potting tray

Thank you, I'll try the potting tray idea, and the vinegar tip is helpful, just ordinary fish n chips vinegar?

spoiltrabbits said:

Thank you, I'll try the potting tray idea, and the vinegar tip is helpful, just ordinary fish n chips vinegar?

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White vinegar, rather than malt - looks like a clear liquid. Can often get small bottles in supermarkets, or buy in bulk online or possibly agri stores.

I use a growbag tray for 2 of mine. The guinea pigs have a plastic shoe tray from argos (like a grow bag tray but with shorter sides).

Update
Since buying a very shallow tray, there is less poo and almost no wee on the floor. I also bought some cheap fabric door mats which make it easy to tip any poo into the litter tray between proper clean outs, they are machine washable which is very useful. Luckily my rabbits don't chew mats.

So thanks everyone, that's really good progress and makes life nicer for me and my rabbits

Wonderful! :thumb:

Good to see that the advice on here has worked for you and your rabbit.