# pellet bowl in litter box?



## mathdan (Jul 25, 2009)

We have rescued two bunnies and are in the process of litter box training them. We have a 4' x 4' pen with a cat litter box being used as the litter box. (That's what the rescue organization used). In this litter box we have a dog wee pad on the bottom to absorb the pee, hay, and care fresh litter. The rabbits do go poop in there sometimes and pee in there mostly. We have a pellet food bowl outside of the litter box and the bunnies are pooing a lot by the bowl and sometimes peeing there. The question is, can we move the pellet bowl into the litter box also? We know that rabbits poo and pee right where they eat so we were thinking that if we moved the food bowl there, they would do most if not all of their pooing and peeing in the litter box.
Thanks


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## SweetSassy (Jul 25, 2009)

I haven't heard of that. Are you soaking up the pee with a paper towel and putting it in the litter box? That's what I would do. I would put the poo in the box too. 



Are you using bedding? I wouldn't use bedding if you are. That will just confuse the bunny. Good Luck.  April


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## Flashy (Jul 25, 2009)

I wonder if maybe using those bowls that attach to the side of the cage and then attaching them near their litter trays. I personally wouldn't put the bowl in there but having it suspended up slightly would prevent them soiling in it.

Something like this maybe.

http://www.pet-dog-cat-supply-store.com/shop/index.php?page=shop-flypage-28837

ther's a good link in the Bunny 101 forum about litter training so that might be worth a read 

and welcome to the forum


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## mathdan (Jul 25, 2009)

We are putting the poo in the litter box, but haven't put the pee soaked paper towel in there for fear that they would eat it.


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## SweetSassy (Jul 25, 2009)

It should be fine. Mine didn't. I think they may have tasted it. As long as they don't eat all of it, it's ok.


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## SweetSassy (Jul 25, 2009)

Don't leave alot of paper towels in there. switch them out with fresher ones. That way they can't eat it.


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## Snowball03 (Jul 28, 2009)

I usually put the food that Snowball poops in, into his litterbox. Mostly, it's the hay, but since I've been doing that he's barely pooped outside of his litterbox. The only time I notice that he does is when there's no hay in the litterbox.

In my local pet stores, I've seen food dishes that you can attach to the side of the cage. Maybe you could try that and have it in good reaching distance from the potty?


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## Pet_Bunny (Jul 28, 2009)

*mathdan wrote: *


> We are putting the poo in the litter box, but haven't put the pee soaked paper towel in


My bunny would pick up the tissue in her litter box and toss it out.


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## mathdan (Jul 28, 2009)

They are not actually pooping in the food bowl, but rather right next to it. The food bowl is only maybe two to three inches across, so they really can't poop in it. It seems more that they are eating and pooping at the same time - you see them eat and then when they move there are fresh poops right by the bowl. We thought that maybe if the bowl was in the litter box they would do the same thing, but tada the poop would be in the litter box.


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## degrassi (Jul 28, 2009)

When I first got my rabbit I noticed he was pooping around his hay rack when he was eating. So I moved his hay rack and attached it to the side of the cage right next to his litter box. That way he can eat and poop without causing a mess. 

I dont' see why you couldn't do the same with the food dishes. 

I use the food dishes that attach to the cage and they are great. They bolt right onto the NIC panel and are easy to move. I bought them because my rabbit was flipping over his dishes causing a big mess each morning. They would be a good choice for moving over to the litter box. That way they are up off the ground and are less likely to become soiled.


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## tonyshuman (Jul 28, 2009)

I forget who this is, but some forum member has bowls that they put opposite the food bowls because the bunnies like to poop while they're eating. Is it you Stan? Maybe it's SOOSKA or Naturestee? I forget who exactly. 

I think suspending the bowl above the litterbox would be good, like one of those things you put on the tub when you're having a nice soak but want something to rest your book on, if you know what I'm talking about. The bowls that attach to the cage would be good too. To be honest, I just put the bowl with pellets down right in front of my bunnies' faces when it's pellet time in the morning, and for Muffin, that's usually right outside of the litterbox. She sits in there and reaches out over the edge to eat. I also use something called plastic canvas to keep poo and pee separate and keep feets out of the dirty litter.

My bf's bunnies, Frida and Benjamin, have a a giant litterbox/hay nest. They kept on taking the hay out of racks and making nests of it on the cage floor, and then peeing in them, so he took the top off one of those super pet cages and just fills it with wood stove pellets covered with plastic canvas, then a heavy layer of hay on top. The pellet bowl and veggie bowl and water bowl just go near the front edge of the box (they prefer to pee along the back more than the front). This helps too because they like to knock over the water bowl, no matter how heavy a crock we give them, so he can kind of submerge it in wood stove pellets that keep it upright and absorb any spillage. They don't ever pee in the food bowls, but sometimes a poo gets in there, I think mostly from being flung about as they jump.


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## mardigraskisses (Jul 28, 2009)

I put Bayou's pellet bowl on the opposite side of where he does his business in the litter box. It's the only way he'll use it. :grumpy:


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## golfdiva (Jul 30, 2009)

Hershey's pellet bowl is in his litter box. The litter is at the other end of the box. I Velcroed the pellet bowl so he can't throw it around.


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