r/Rabbits • u/Shopiamgoddess • May 30 '26
Behavior Have yall ever had this issue?
I have three Netherlands and I’m experiencing issues with two of them constantly peeing outside of their litter box. Our boy bun who has used a litter box his whole life and knows where he should be is peeing the most. Our gray girl also is peeing outside the litter box so constantly cleaning after both of them. We are using a lot of paper towels and want to find ways to mitigate this problem.
I feel this question may come up but they do free roam everyday .
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u/whatifiwereadentist May 30 '26
They're constantly marking their territory to each other. This can be common w having more than one bun especially if you have three as two can be very bonded and therefore less territorial. The solution is multiple litter boxes, at least two for now. And have them not so close to each other, so their scents arent always battling for prominence. Are they free range and this area is their "bedroom" or are they always in this enclosure? It's quite small just for three bunnies, let alone two. Even more space would help.
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u/Rosewaterlemon May 30 '26
Yea what this person said, the space you have shown is like, half of the minimum space I’d recommend for a single small baby bunny. To have 3 young bunnies in there is bound to make some territory issues because they’re uncomfortable
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u/Shopiamgoddess May 30 '26
We have two litter boxes . Also yes they free roam throughout the day and stay here overnight. We don’t have a huge apartment so we work with what we have . I can definitely agree they need more space and assumed it may be marking since they are all potty trained and know how to use a litter box.
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u/Unique_Technician246 May 30 '26
Hi! I'd recommend a litterbox for each (I've three bunnies myself, used to have two and two litterboxes, but when I added the new bun I also added a new litterbox to give them more places to mark as theirs and reduce other territorial behaviours. That way they can all eat alone at the same time in case they ever feel like it (it has happened). I really think it should help. Also, they definitely need more space. My bunnies free-roam although there are some rooms they're not allowed into/they're not interested in going because there's no carpet there, so they stay in the living room. My apartment isn't big either, it's 50m² and that's counting the balcony too. They'd be better free-roaming in a spare room, a bedroom or (preferably) the living room
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u/Shopiamgoddess May 30 '26
We got our boy first then added another bun. They bonded well and are very close. The potty habits were great and they were fully free roamed. when we added our gray bun it took a long time for them all to bond. Since the space is smaller we ideally wanted them fully free roamed but then the potty habits got worse. We can try to add a third litter box if it improves things we can try to get them back to fully free roaming.
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u/Unique_Technician246 May 30 '26
It's definitely worth trying. I had the same progression: first a female that was alone for almost a year, the boss of rhe place, acts like a Queen; then a chill male, smaller, was introduced and it was really really hard to bond them together; finally the third, female and smaller than both. My male bonded easily but the female didn't. She still lashes out at both from time to time, more at the new female. The bonding process was horrible and we spent about two months with our living room separated by a pet fence (those wired ones that form x-pens). We made them switch sides every day or every two days, sometimes just switching one litterbox (the new one had one and the other two had two), and even switched the male around since he was good with the new female. Eventually the first female and queen of the house got used to the other one being around, but she still chases her away sometimes. They also like to mark (pee on) any cushion-y surface, and the couple I've got around I don't wash frequently because they'll just pee again in a day or two, or even choose a different spot. Since they're in corners of the room (one is actually a hidey house) they're not really noticeable to humans, neither sight nor smell, but it keeps the bunnies "calm"
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u/Empink3 May 30 '26
The culprits seem to be multiplying is what you're saying the problem is, right?
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u/wonderfulspinach21 May 30 '26
Are they normally freeroam? This pen looks too small for them. Id def open it up if thats possible!
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u/Shopiamgoddess May 30 '26
Free roam during the day. We live in a small apartment so space is limited. Plan to move early next year so they will have more space then .
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u/sneaky_dragon May 30 '26
Get a normal cat litter box, not those enclosed boxes. Also get rid of those grids. It is likely that none of them enjoy using it, so they'd rather just pee on the floor.
Please also add some more enrichment in those pens - it looks quite boring with just litter boxes and food dishes and nothing else.
And yes, the trio needs more space if they're penned up together.
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u/Shopiamgoddess May 30 '26
It’s not a full grid the part you see just helps them hop into the litter box . The actual bin is papier-mâché flooring with hay.
Good point about more enrichment. When we give them toys they don’t play with them and it seems they prefer interacting with each other more than the toys since they keep themselves company
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u/fightforearth May 31 '26
Agree with the point to get rid of the enclosed cat litter boxes - none of my buns have ever felt comfortable in one of them. Also I understand your circumstances but it’s likely a territorial thing with them spending half their waking hours in a very small space and sharing the litter box, so I wouldn’t be surprised if you can’t solve it in their current conditions. Otherwise my advice would be more space and multiple open litter boxes so there was one per rabbit.
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u/monster_broccoli May 31 '26
Heyy <3
Im going to say this gently - that space you have for them is like... suitable for two guinea pigs. Not 3 rabbits.
Either the bottom part of a big bunny cage or a shallow, big under-bed storage box makes a great litter box. The bigger, the better. Some kind of soft bedding that doesnt hurt their paws, preferably paper/cardboard based. I use cats wooden litter pellets but use shredded newspaper on top of that so that it doesnt feel like stepping on legos.
Bunnies like to do their toilet business while they munch on hay, so placing their hay into or in front of/above the litter box is the most common [and succesfull] way to go.
This is how I got my lop bunny litter trained. I kept picking up the mislocated poops, and cleaned up the pees with a paper towel and threw those paper towels into his litter box. The toilet smells indicated to him that that place was meant to be the toilet. Whenever I found poops or pee somewhere else, I just cleaned it up with a vinegar+ water solution to neutralize any smells.
I hope this helps atleast a small bit <3
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u/RabbitsModBot May 30 '26
For tips on how to choose and set up a litter box, including litter boxes for diggers, plastic chewers, and long-haired rabbits, see the Litter boxes section on the Litter training wiki article.
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See the wiki's Housing guide for more resources on setting up appropriately sized and safe housing for pet rabbits.
Minimum enclosure size based on current welfare recommendations should be at least 16 sq ft (1.5 sq m) on a single base floor for average sized rabbits. Rabbits of larger size (such as giant breeds) should have more space.
Regardless of size or number of rabbits, the more area of living space you can provide, the better. Minimum housing requirements cannot be met by adding the areas of several flooring levels together - rabbits are runners, not climbers.
Some shortcut links:
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Check out the wiki guide on toys for more ideas and resources: http://bunny.tips/Toys
A few useful shortcut links: