Hutch Burn

Question
I have three hollland lops, all from rescue in San Diego. Just moved them indoors because we all just moved to Sequim WA.
They are in cages made by Bunny Abodes, 2' by 4', two on the bottom the old man on top. They are all fixed.
The problem: They are box trained and are either not lifting themselfs when they pee or are sitting on the soiled hay.
The worst is my old man Bentley, He is twelve years old, way too old for a bunny. He just sits in his box and pees. He has to be washed every morning.
I change out my boxes every morning and wipe down the floor of the cage. They are perfect about only 'goin' in the box.
We never had this problem when we kept them outside in San Diego.
They are all some what old. Bentley is on over time. Molly is about 6 and Buster, who does not have the problem is around 4.
I am thinking of putting racks in the boxes so that they do not sit right on the hay.

Thank you for your help,
Cindy
noahshelper@mac.com

Answer
Hi Cindy,

part of the deal is being outside, it is always easier for urine to evaporate faster than inside a house.  They haven't changed their habits as much as the weather (drying moving air gently blowing over wet surfaces and hay).

I suggest two things:  first, the hay racks will help.  Second, I would use wood stove fuel pellets (aka hardwood stove fuel pellets) in their litterpans.  You can get a 40 pound bag for $3.50-$4.00 from a home depot or similar type store.  It makes excellent litter as it is extremely safe (not like cedar chips), it is very absorbent, and easy to remove the used portion when cleaning the pan.  It breaks down into sawdust, but it will wick moisture away from them if they sit in the pan, it won't be directly on them.  The hard woods actually have a pleasant smell that partially counters the urine smell.  

Congrats on having a twelve year-old still going good.  Your others are hardly old.  Age 6 is considered the tip of geriatric for indoor house bunnies, who can live on average 10-12 years or more, while outdoor hutch rabbits are lucky to live past 5.

Final thing is watch their weights.  If they are overweight you will see problems because of carrying extra weight.

Lee