just a whinge about all the poo and wee

This morning i took one look at Rosie and Hutch's hutch and run, and I just sighed and went back in the house

The toilet training didn't work. I cannot believe that two bunnies can make sooooooooooooooo much mess in 12 hours, there was so much poo in the run, there was nowhere to put my feet so I could clean it up. The hutch was full of wee and more poo. The bed is just another litter tray, wee and poo in it.

I have been cleaning them out in the evening too, sweeping all the poo away, wiping the lino down and laying fresh newspaper, changing the litter boxes x 3, but still the hutch and run is in a disgusting state in the morning. I go to Vince and the girls' hutch and run, and I can pick up the odd stray poo, change the 2 litterboxes, and job done, plenty of time for nose rubs and fussing, but not Hutch and Rosie. There is so much poo even they stand all over it and it turns to powder.

It's starting to get me down a bit. DH has expressed concern about how we will be able to manage this in the summer when there are flies about. In the summer I always sweep the hutches out twice a day and check the buns plus we use the patio for eating our dinner on which won't be very nice this summer as Rosie's hutch smells like farmyards whereas Vince's hutch smells all rabbity (which I quite like )

There doesn't seem to be any solution to this, I just wanted to get it off my chest. Rosie used to be so clean when she was on her own, I just don't understand it.

Even the guinea pigs are cleaner then this, at least they wee and poo in a corner of their bed instead of all in it.

Sorry about the whinge

I can sympathise, Recently moving my rabbits to new sheds I kinda have to start over, the group that were neutered ages ago are going to the try or just outside it mostly but the others have just been done and are a disaster. They also had the runs from stress and the operation so that was even worse. I clean up what they do away from the tray and you can either put it all in their tray to encourage them or like I do take away that stuff and I only do their trays every second day intil they are using it regular and then its done everyday.

I've tried all that but it doesn't work I really do believe I have tried everything, other than sticking a cork up their bums !

It's something I just have to live with, it's the way they are.

What a pair of naughty monkeys.

I can see your concern about the summer, so I recon some rear-guard would be in order. Im sending you lots of luck that they clean up their act soon!

I just read up about the Rear Guard, thanks for that I feel even more worried about the summer now as their whole home is a giant litter tray.

What techniques have you tried? Rather than teach you to suck eggs, that way I can see if there is anything else I can suggest which isn't on your list.

Thank you. I housed them in a very small space with a bed and a litter tray for over a week (i know this sounds awful) The wees started going in the littertray, followed by the poos. I extended the living space and there were a few stray poos but no wee in the bed or poo.

I scrubbed the whole hutch before putting them back in with pet disinfectant and then water and vinegar mix. I put them in the hutch and the slowly over time the tolet training went out the window.

I've tried having 1 litter box and up to 4 litter boxes. I tried just newspaper, newspaper and shavings, newspaper and hay and a combo of all three. They don;t go in any particualr spot so I cannot put the trays in the optimum place to catch the wee.

I tried keeping the litter boxes really clean, I've left them dirty. I put one under their hay rack.

In their bed I had a heap of hay like I do the other group, but they wee and poo in it, so I took the hay out and gave them towels, they still soil their bed.

It seems the more room they have the more poo they do. They do use their litter boxes, but the rest of their home as well. The run takes the brunt of the poo, it really is absolutly covered.

I also tried not giving them greens and treats, but that made no difference. I am not over feeding, I give them two egg cups each in the evening.

I've put them in the run on the lawn for a change of scene thinking that may help in some way?? Made no difference.

Rosie was a very clean little girl before Hutch joined her. The rescue said Hutch was a very clean boy. It's liek they are in competition with each other to make the most mess! Could it be territorial? I'm considering splitting them to identify who is doing it, I'm really desperate to sort this out as DH is subtly hinting that they go. He is worried about the flies all their mess is going to attract and the vet fees if we have to constantly battle flystrike.

I look at Vince and the girls and they are so clean and don't smell bad. Rosie and Hutch smell like a farm yard, it's horrible, especially when it rains and it gets wet. Their poos escape from under the run where the patioslabs are a bit uneven, and they end up being trodden on.

I just don't understand whats going wrong and tbh it's making me feel really sad as it really is quite unpleasent. I'm dreading sweeping them out in the morning I do love them though

so I recon some rear-guard would be in order.

[b]Recon the bunnys will be glad of rear guard if they are about to get a cork stuck up there bums

I wish some enterprising person could work out a way to turn bunny poo into an energy source, then all us bunny owners would be very rich.