Refusing litter tray for toileting

[ERCD]

Hello lovely people,

I’m just looking for ideas.

I have a new baby boy - Ozzie, around 4 months (no birth date). The plan is to bond him with my Lola Bun.

He was neutered on the 21st of March and is healing very well. Hormones are dying and I haven’t seen any humping for a few days. We had a check up at the Vets today, and he’s been given Baytril as he’s sneezing. We discussed the wee-issue, but the Vet didn’t have any more suggestions at this point.

He is REFUSING to wee in his tray.

My buns have puppy pads and all are happy with this. When he first refused to wee on the pad in his tray, I bought the bunny litter he had previously been on. He refuses to wee on that too. He gets fresh hay twice a day which he’ll eat it from his tray, but he won’t wee on it.

He is in a pen in the living room, with his gf-to-be free roaming around him. This is going well. She can pee in a tray next to him - but he won’t pee in his tray. I swapped trays, thinking he’d pee in a tray that had already been pee’d in. Not so.

He doesn’t pee on his rug or soft bed.

He waits until I carry him into the bathroom, where he is happy to pee directly on the floor. I have wiped it up and put the tissue in his tray - he takes no notice of it.

If I put a pad or his tray in the spot he previously pee’d on in the bathroom, he’ll just pick a different spot.

I have unwashed trays in the bathroom, thinking he’d go in them. Nope.

It really is the most baffling thing. I don’t want him to hold it, so I get up in the night to take him to the bathroom.

Both me and my OH had to go to work last Monday so Ozzie had no bathroom breaks until I came home - no pee in his tray all day… I don’t know what to do.

Other than this, he is going well and is eating and is curious and has settled in well. Because of his sneezing, he hasn’t been vaccinated yet xx

 

[tonibun]

2 weeks post neuter isn't always long enough for Bunnies to get into better habits. Has he only ever wee'd in the bathroom but you say the humping is dying down? I think you will have to persevere for a bit longer. Can you leave him in the bathroom when you are out?

 

[ERCD]

I thought about it, but I’m reluctant to leave him in there. He can see Lola when he’s in the pen - he’d be all alone in the bathroom.

He won’t be on his own until next week, so I’ll keep at it. I’ve just never had a bun that behaves like this - usually they work out what the tray is for pretty sharp-ish.

 

[Shimmer]

I'm with tonibun. He needs a lot longer for hormone levels to settle down - like a couple of months.

 

[ERCD]

Yes. I absolutely understand that - but I’m looking for ideas on how to get him to understand that it’s ok to wee in the tray. It’s not that he wees in it most of the time, and then has an occasional accident or spraying. There is no spraying, and there is no weeing in the tray. There is weeing on the bathroom floor when I bring him in there (that’s not the problem - I’m happy to wipe it up). The problem is that he does not wee in his tray.

It’s been almost a month and he has not understood that he can wee in his tray. I get up in the night so he can wee in the bathroom. This isn’t a problem, I just don’t want him to hold it x

 

[Omi]

I can fully understand that you don't want him to hold it, but on the other hand you are actually facilitating the use of the bathroom for him and it could be starting to be ingrained behaviour.

If he is normally in the pen, why did you start to take him into the bathroom? I'm not criticising, just curious.

I would actually try leaving him in his pen with the tray and keep a close eye on him. During this time I would not take him to the bathroom. I think there's a chance he might eventually relent. Other than that, I would just wait until his hormone levels have completely settled down.

 

[tonibun]

Maybe have a word with his previous home as they might be able to throw some light on the problem. I had a Rabbit who had allegedly been indoors at his previous home so I put him in the kitchen. I noticed he wasn't weeing and I put him outside in a hutch and he went immediately! They can get into habits which are very hard to change.

 

[ERCD]

I can fully understand that you don't want him to hold it, but on the other hand you are actually facilitating the use of the bathroom for him and it could be starting to be ingrained behaviour.

If he is normally in the pen, why did you start to take him into the bathroom? I'm not criticising, just curious.

I would actually try leaving him in his pen with the tray and keep a close eye on him. During this time I would not take him to the bathroom. I think there's a chance he might eventually relent. Other than that, I would just wait until his hormone levels have completely settled down.

He is a new addition, and had had a nasty fight with another bun where he was previously. I was told he was “learning” how to use a tray. I fully expected weeing on anything soft, along with spraying.

I took him to the bathroom to let him hop about in a safe environment and to get used to me (we live in an open-plan flat). He started peeing immediately, so in a way he conditioned me. I had noticed he hadn’t gone in his tray, but thought he’d pee’d on the soft blanket in his carry case or the towel in the pen (he hadn’t).

I hear what you are saying about facilitating the behaviour - I am aware of it. For context - he had a wee at about 4pm yesterday afternoon and did not go again until about 7.30 this morning. (The wee at 4pm happened near my bins, as I took him outside for a bit.)
For me, that’s far too long. He drinks well, so I’d expect regular weeing. From 4pm until about 2am, I took him to the bathroom 4 times - and nothing. I now worry he has decided he wants to pee outside (I’m probably overthinking it).

The idea is that he’s going to be bonded with Lola, and be free roaming. If nothing else works, I hope he will copy her once they are bonded.

I’m just wondering if there is a trick I don’t know about. I’ve had bunnies for about 13 years, so I’d say I’m experienced, but this is not something I’ve had to deal with before (quite the opposite!) xx

 

[ERCD]

Maybe have a word with his previous home as they might be able to throw some light on the problem. I had a Rabbit who had allegedly been indoors at his previous home so I put him in the kitchen. I noticed he wasn't weeing and I put him outside in a hutch and he went immediately! They can get into habits which are very hard to change.

I have thought this - I’m wondering if he was locked away and let out to pee in the bathroom.

I was only told he was learning how to use a tray. I was fine with this as I thought we’d get there. And we will, but I’m concerned about him holding his wee for so long. I don’t think it’s healthy for him x

 

[Mervinius]

I wonder if it's becuase of the flooring in the bathroom. It might be similar to where he was before? He might think its only ok to pee on that type of surface?
You could try putting a litter tray in the bathroom with some tasty snacks in there and get him used to going in there. Then move the litter tray downstairs.
Could he also be stressed by the other bun? So he's only peeing when out of sight?

 

[ERCD]

I wonder if it's becuase of the flooring in the bathroom. It might be similar to where he was before? He might think its only ok to pee on that type of surface?
You could try putting a litter tray in the bathroom with some tasty snacks in there and get him used to going in there. Then move the litter tray downstairs.
Could he also be stressed by the other bun? So he's only peeing when out of sight?

I have thought that about the floor - he is comfortable on it. I’ve had his tray in the bathroom and he’s not interested. I’ve also had unwashed trays from the girls, and while he smells them, he’s not wee’d in them. I’ll try to bring treats in. That might make it more interesting.

He’s not stressed by Lola, he’s very curious and they lie side by side. There is no nipping through the bars, and neither is aggressive towards the other. I don’t think that’s the issue. He just seems vey disinterested in peeing in a tray. Or on a rug. Or a towel. Or the sofa… All the places all my other buns have wanted to pee. It’s baffling.

We have a vet appointment on Saturday so I’ll bring it up again x