litter trained bunny no more

Question
Hi, I bought a micro - lopp eared bunny about two months ago. Up until a week ago, she never pooed outside of her cage. For the most part, she did her business in her litter pan. I'm not sure if this has anything to do with it, but my cousins came over last week, and they own a pet bunny as well. THey didn't bring the bunny with them, but my bunny still attacked them no less *even when they left my bunny alone*. After my cousins left, she began pooing all over the place in the cage, and even outside of her cage. Why is she doing this now? How should we tell her to stop?
Thanks in advance,
- Rita =)

Answer
Dear Rita,

I have some tips on how to litterbox train a bunny here:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/training.html

You don't mention whether the bunny is spayed, but spaying will certainly help with litterbox training:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/spay.html

If you don't already have a good rabbit vet who can do this operation with confidence, you can find one here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

It's a *definite* possibility that the scent of the other bunny on your cousins drove your bunny to attack.  Some rabbits are extremely aggressive to strange rabbits, and many people find that when they bring home a "friend" for their resident bunny, the two end up in a Flying Furball of Fury!  It's a good thing your cousins didn't bring their rabbit over!  Rabbit introductions should be done with great care and caution.  

How long has it been since your cousins visited?  Your bunny's territorial behavior should cease in a few days, but the fact that she reacted so violently to the scent of a strange rabbit is a sure sign that it's time for her to be spayed.  

Hope that helps.  Please write back if you have more questions.

Dana

Hope that helps.  Please write back if you have any other questions.

Dana