Urinating in front of food dishes

Question
QUESTION: Hello,

My house bunny, Ebby, is fully litter boxed trained.  We rescued another outside bunny, Ginnie, who also was litter boxed trained.  After about 9 months of socializing because they are both does, we finally have both in the same hutch outside...we let them run free every day in the backyard, but their living quarters is the hutch.  We are now having an issue with them peeing and poohing outside their litter boxes, which happen to be in the same area of their water and food dish.  We have 2 litter boxes...and they share one food dish and one water dish....so instead of taking one hop into the litter box, they are do their business on the floor of the hutch in front of the food and water dish.,.....I don't know if they are trying to mark the dishes as their own and just keep marking over each other....i just don't understand why they were both litter boxed trained before we conjoined them in the hutch.

Please HELP......miss the good old days of litte boxes!!
Brenda

ANSWER: Hi

Are Ebby and Ginnie both spayed?  If they aren't both spayed well then I think you just answered your own question.  They are marking their food dish as their own.  I have had my perfectly wonderfully litter trained rabbits go so far as to actually sit right in their food dish and use it as a litter box just so that the other rabbits would find it less appealing.  Well it didn't work because then they all started doing it.  I did just recently try something else that worked but I don't know if it will help you or not.  You can give it a shot.  I use large crocks and they all look exactly the same.  I let the little devil use it as a litter pan for a few days and I kept a little bit of the poo right in there.  Then I put a new clean crock in the cage with the fresh food and they don't use the new crock at all.  They still use the old dish as a litter pan so I just let them.  I can't quite understand it either.  They will even sit in it while they are watching TV with me at night.

If Ebby and Ginnie aren't spayed you really might want to consider getting that done.  It will really cause them to be less territorial when it comes to things like this and you will really be surprised at the complete changes in their bad behaviors.

Good luck and if you need anything else please let me know.

Pam

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks for the feedback.....both bunnies are spayed....I'm thinking of moving the food and water dishes away from the litter boxes..they have hay in them.......maybe have 2 food dishes in different areas of the hutch with 1 water dish.....I just don't know what else to do.....they are both spayed but it really seems like they are trying to mark their territory.

Answer
Hi Brenda

Rabbits don't generally like to eat where they go potty.  It is really not a bad idea to put the dishes on the complete opposite end of the cage as the litter box.  Hopefully if you give them each their own dish this will help them with their little spraying problem.  I know some people recommend using hay in litter boxes but I absolutely never use hay.  It just confuses them since they like to eat the hay.  I always use shredded paper or carefresh litter.

These are just some ideas's.  I hope your bunnies get their issues worked out soon.

Good luck

Pam