[jada1082]

Hello- I am new here. and just picked up my new bunny on Sun. She is a mini-lop 4 months old. And seems to be adjusting. She was very shy at first and just ate out of my hand for the first time this morn!!

I am trying to get her litter box trainied. but she seems to be having a hard time with it. She doesn't go in one spot on the cage. I got her a hay basket for her to chew/rest on, and see even started peeing and pooping in that. I am wondering if she thinks that basket is her litter box? I am wondering if i should take it out.

 

[Jovie]

Personally, I would put all her hay in her litter box because bunnies like to chew hay while they pee/poop, that's how I litter box trained my buns.

 

[Purple-Hops]

Congrats on your bunny!
My bunny caught on a bit with the in-cage litterbox when she was 4 months old but by the time her hormones kicked in (about 4-6 months) she refused to use t outside the cage. It was no problem for me once i had her spayed. She's 5 years now and the only problem with her poops is when she's stressed.
As Jovie stated, place all the hay in her litter box. Only in the litter box. Use a paper based litter (I like Yesterday's News and plain newspaper). The bigger the better with the box you choose. I used a dishpan when she was small and now she uses a cat litter box (which you can get as low as 2$ at Dollarama).

 

[Nibbler]

welcome to paw talk and congrads on your new little friend.

 

[caitlin14]

yay congrats on your new bun!

 

[jada1082]

Thanks! I have been taking your suggestions and putting ALL the hay in the litter box only. she was doing good yesterday with it, but this morn she did both her business on the fleece blanket in the cage.
But she is at the age were she needs to get spayed going to look into getting that done soon. Got to find a vet. and hopefully the cost isn't too much or it will have to wait til after xmas.

 

[Purple-Hops]

Hey! Glad to hear you're considering spaying. It will literally double her life expectancy and help with her hormone-induced aggression (temper) and litter box habits.
This link will help you find a rabbit savvy vet: http://www.rabbit.org/vets/vets.html Cost can become an issue. Back 4 years ago or so I paid close to 250.00$ (canadian) for Acacia's spay. Some clinics do it for less and more depending. There are some shelters/rescues that offer a low cost spay program. So don't be afraid to shop around. The thing is, you want to make sure the vet is rabbit savvy. Some vets treat rabbits like cats and offer similar handling and treatments which is a big NO-NO!!! (the best question to ask the vet [not the receptionist] is how long should you fast the bunny before the surgery.. Because a rabbit savvy vet will inform you that rabbits cannot vomit and therefore there's absolutely NO need to fast a rabbit! If the vet suggests any amount of hours of fasting then go somewhere else. Fasting is a dangerous practice for rabbits)

Hope this helps!! Keep us updated!

 

[jada1082]

That is a FANTASTIC trick for weeding out the non-rabbit savy vets! I wil def use that in my search! Thanks!

I think she does have a little diva temper already! We are still getting to know eachother. But she thumped at my 4 times when play time was over last night and i wanted her to go back to her "room". I tried bribing her with food after the first thump, but it was no use. she just wanted to be out relaxing. But with her litter habbits we aren't quite there yet.

 

[Purple-Hops]

She'll come around. Did I mention how long it took me to befriend Acacia?? I got her off a byb where she lived in a commercial store bought rabbit cage with mama and 3 siblings. o.o She was so bratty and tempermental I couldn't even hold her unless we cornered her and grabbed her (which was terrifying for her) after her spay and a lot of patience I'd say it still took months. She's 5 now and still iffy about being picked up so I do it as little as possible. She comes up for treats though.

***Recipe for bunny treats: 1/2 cup wheat flour -1/2 finely shredded carrots - 1/4 cup of water- 1/2 cup dried oats. Mix it all up in a bowl until sticky and moldable. Make small balls out of them (or patties but cook for less time) and bake them until they're hard all the way through. (mine take about a half hour on 350 degrees before they're hard and no longer soft on the inside.)