Litter Training a New Rabbit?

2820 Views 3 Replies 3 Participants Last post by Jess, May 29, 2012

HomeworkCrazy

Discussion Starter · May 25, 2012

so i'm pretty sure most of you have heard about my new 8year old cripple rabbit, Prince... well, i would like to ask, how am i supposed to litter train him...?! i'm trying to train him to use his cage as a litterbox and he just isn't getting it but of course, it's got blankets in it rather than an actual substrate... i don't want to use anything loose otherwise he'll get it in his fur, ears, and he'll drag it all over my floor when he jumps out... how do i litter train him to use the blankets and towels? he NEVER pees outside of his cage but he poops inside and outside of it! i don't exactly understand how to littertrain a rabbit and in his previous home, he was just supposed to go where he stood... is it too late to train him?

UPDATE ON VET VISIT!
for those of you that read my last thread on Prince the rabbit and his to-be vet visit, i got him to the vet, and yes, they work on rabbits on a regular basis and they ARE a good vet for rabbits.... here is what the doctor said
my main concern was fixing the small stuff first, so i asked him about checking out Prince's ears and weird bald spot on his neck... they did a skin scrapping and apparently Prince has infected ears (or something like that!) and the infection made Prince itch the back of his neck along with his ears-therefore, Prince itched himself raw back there... infection explains droopy ears and constant scratching, so i got eardrops for them to use regularly... an easy fix! NO ALLERGIES! thank goodness!
my second concern was his weepy eye-got that checked out and apparently it was a swollen eye duct and the vet said it should fix itself over time-but if his eye was still weepy in about a month, i should bring Prince back to get rechecked
my third concern was getting his funky tooth checked out, so i had the doctor look at it and he said it looked like he probably just chipped his tooth a long time ago-since Prince didn't act like it was painful or causing him a loss of appetite, he suggested we didn't need a dental... he was also concerned Prince was a bit old for anesthesia and might not come out of it
my fourth concern was his foot, the vet inspected it and doesn't want to do anything about it... he did tests to see if it was causing Prince any pain and he concluded that it wasn't-he explained to me that amputating nor rebreaking and casting wasn't exactly the solution... rabbits put their balance on their hind feet... amputating his hind foot off would throw off his balance BIG TIME so the doctor really didn't want to do that... he said rebreaking it and casting it also might not be a good idea because it might not even heal right due to the fact that it has been broken so long... he gave me suggestions for Prince though... he said to keep him on soft surfaces-carpet, towels, blankets, rugs... he said occassional hard surfaces such and outdoor terrain wouldn't hurt Prince much but suggested he wasn't on it very much... he also told me to make sure that Prince gets plenty of running time so he can keep his leg muscles strong and not to wear him out or encourage him to go further if he didn't want to so as not to strain his leg... he said he could give me shots or pills that would be good painkillers for his leg if i really wanted them but i said no due to the fact that Prince honestly isn't in pain anymore
my fifth concern was getting Prince neutered-talked to the doctor about it and he didn't think it was necessary... he pointed out that again, Prince was old and might not come out of anesthesia... he also didn't think it was necessary because if he was to get any "sexual organ-related" diseases he would have gotten them by now.... he also said that as long as Prince wasn't marking on everything or being aggressive or territorial (which he isn't!) then he wasn't having hormonal problems... he also pointed out that there were no females for him to get pregnant
so there is my update on Prince! yes, i know it sounds like the vet is pathetic but what he says makes sense to me and honestly, i think the vet is right! Prince may look kinda funny with his foot but if fixing it could mean just making him worse, i won't do it... just be happy that Prince is okay and happy in his new home!

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fuzz16

· #2 · May 27, 2012

How old is he?

Nuetering on males is less invasive and as long as vet is experianced it shouldnt be issue if younger than 9 depending on size health ect. Rebreaking his leg will be just as dangerous as nuetering because its anethesia that you wanna worry about.

Its difficult sometimes to train a fixed rabbit, moreso unfixed because pooping everywhere marks their territory.
Does he pee i his box? I recomended a litter box with high sides and low entrance lije ferret box. Newspaper if you dont wanna use pellet type litter. Or diy carefresh is affordable.

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HomeworkCrazy

Discussion Starter · #3 · May 29, 2012

8years...
he pees in his box.... just like i mentioned on top...

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Jess

· #4 · May 29, 2012

A good vet should be able to put an older bun under with out an issue... At the clinic I observed at, they did a dental on a 9 yr old rabbit and he did fine! With a neuter, they are put under for less than 5 minutes.
If you did feel comfortable fixing him, just get bloodwork done before hand to make sure it is safe.

It's fine if you just leave him be too though. IME, older rabbits are usually over the whole hormone/territorial thing, so they tend to be a little better about the litter box. Smudge was fixed when he was 5 years old, but before that he would always pee in his litter box too.

It helps to use two different beddings: Keep the blankies for his cage, and a pellet or paper based bedding works well for the litter box. This helps them differentiate where they are supposed to sleep or go potty. If you are worried about softness, Carefresh, Boxo, ect are really comfy for them. It helps a lot to put the hay in the litter box too, since they like to eat and go to the bathroom in the same place. The bigger the better too, for the litter box size. I like to use the basic cat ones.

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