Rabbit Owner Chat V.2

[Vine boom sound]

I have no idea who to talk to about this, obviously not my parents, but I have decided to come to this thread for some advice on my rabbit.

For the last few weeks. my rabbit has not been using the litter box as she should be. About 75% of the time she poops and pees around the litter box and around the cage instead of in the litter box. We use to have the corner litter pans and she worked fine with it. But it got old, dirty, and broken, so my family decided to replace it with a plastic tub. My rabbit is about 14 inches long and about 6 inches wide. The tub is 13 inches by 15 inches, and it is 8 inches deep. Now, I have to clean out her cage when I come home from school, and right before bed because she has peed and poop so much in her cage. I want to replace her litter box, for I believe it may be too small for her to move around to pee and poop in. I am thinking about getting her a cat litter box, because I know the litter box choices for small animals are very limited. I am thinking about getting this one, either in large or jumbo.

My questions are: why is my rabbit not using her litter box like I want her to? Is it because the litter box is too small, or is it something else? Should I get this new litter box in large or jumbo? What does your litter box look like, in terms of shape and size compared to your rabbit? Have you had this issue before? If so, how did you solve it?

Anything would help. PLEASE.

[nervousdog]

Is there bedding in her cage, along with the litter ?
She may not be distinguishing it from one another .
Try replacing the bedding with a fleece blanket or something else to give her grip .

Then "retrain" her to use the litter box, mop up pee and poo and put it back in the box, put hay above the litter box/ in the litter box, etc .
The size may be an issue too, so couple it with getting the new litter box as well .

[Vine boom sound]

Is there bedding in her cage, along with the litter ?
She may not be distinguishing it from one another .
Try replacing the bedding with a fleece blanket or something else to give her grip .

Then "retrain" her to use the litter box, mop up pee and poo and put it back in the box, put hay above the litter box/ in the litter box, etc .
The size may be an issue too, so couple it with getting the new litter box as well .

I use a dog crate for her cage, so the only bedding is her litterbox. I will try the suggesting of putting the pee and poo back in her litterbox, thank you!

[Blue_Aussie]

I suggest a cat litterbox, it works really well for my bunnies and the rabbit litterboxes are not good.They are too small.
Also, put the hay rack/box above the litterbox so they can only eat hay if they are in the litterbox. Rabbits naturally eat and poo at the same time and this will help prevent accidents. the litterbox you linked looks almost exactly like the one I have except mine has a little curve so it makes getting in and out easier and the back has a little higher walls.

Good luck!

[Vine boom sound]

I would like to thank you two for the advice on Snickers. Unfortunately, she did pass away about an hour ago, and I feel so terrible about myself. Again, thank you.

[Blue_Aussie]

Oh no! May I ask how?
I'm so sorry for your loss :c

[Ancient Frost]

I lost my first kit yesterday. Tortellini kindled that one on the wire and I couldn't save it. But 7 are safe and alive in the nest. I think 2 of them are going to be gray.

[Blue_Aussie]

Aww, good luck with your kits!

Update on Echo:
Romeo and Echo are doing really well with bonding. They run around together every morning and night during playtime and their cages (X-Pens) are right next to each other. I haven't had them share a cage yet but they do hop into each others together during playtimes. Romeo is still bad about marking things in Echo's cage but its not as bad as before.

Question: Does anyone have tips for getting your rabbit comfortable around vacuum cleaners? Romeo is fine with them but Echo freezes in his far corner and I feel like he gets too stressed out...

[Star_Bun]

The best thing you can do is give him a place to hide(cardboard box with two entrances works well) while using the vacuum so he can feel safe. He may never like the vacuum or he may eventually get used to it over time

[Blue_Aussie]

I actually have just that! (the cardboard box with some entrances)
I just feel like he is super stressed the whole time... should I take him out of the room while having another person vacuum or vise verse?