CAGE/BATHROOM BEHAVIOR

Question
Here is my story....my 7lb., male...lop eared...2 year old bunny has stopped using his litter box to relieve himself.  I have had him for approximately 5 months.  When I first got him he was very good about going to the bathroom in his litter box...although he did sometimes go on his papers.  Something to note - he use to be able to roam around a pretty large area at will...I have had to stop this...not entirely..due to him upsetting the cat he shares the basement with.  He was trying to mate with my male cat..and since then my cat refuses to use his litter box...yes, what a mess.  My Vet said the cat feels threatened and is acting out.  So..I have limited his time out of the (3 ft. dog cage..his home) to mainly when I am cleaning it.  He now kicks all of the litter out of his corner box and lays in it to rest.  Therefore..his cage and papers become a mess with his waste...very fast.  I can see why he would not want to rest there.  Anyway...it just seems odd to me due to the fact he very regularly use to relieve himself in his litter box.  I also think he is not as happy now that he is not allowed to roam around the basement as much.  But, I have been given the advice that until the cat recovers...so to speak...and starts using his litter box again...it would be a good idea to contain the rabbit.  I am going to start looking for a large rabbit cage that has (2) tiers...maybe this will make him happier..one.. he will be able to rest somewhere else besides where he relieves himself and two it will hopefully keep the boredom down.  Please let me know what you think.  His cage is a mess!!!!  Also, he weighs approximately 7 1/2 pounds...is neutered...how much...and how often should I be feeding him pellets.  My Vet said it is not necessary to give him vegetables and fruit each day.  He said a treat now and then of each is fine.  Your thoughts on this also please.  I apologize for the lengthy email.  As you can tell I am very new at this and am not quite sure what the best way to care for him is.

Thanks for listening.
Sincerely,
Regina S. Hemp  

Answer
So he is definitely neutered?  Usually rabbits won't try to jump cats if they are already neutered.

You might try putting multiple litterboxes in his cage, so that he has lots of opportunities to use one, and also put hay in the litterboxes so he can eat and use them at the same time.

You can read more about litterbox training here - http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/litter.html and also about diet at http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/diet.html

Leith Petworks sells 2 story cages, if you have plenty of available cash to invest in one, I know several rabbits that have those.

www.rabbit.org has lots of good information, if you want to look there for more.

I would have a vet check to see if he is neutered (or if he is actually a she and not spayed) since this behavior isn't normal for a neutered rabbit.

Kim