Doe using nest box as toilet.....grrrrr.....

So one of my does is due tomorrow...I gave her a nest box on Saturday. She jumped right in and proceeded to make herself at home. Not really "nesting" but just checking it out. This will be her first litter. I am not entirely sure she took, she looks thin to me, but I guess time will tell. The issue is that no matter where I put that darn nest box, she poops and pees in it! How do I discourage this? :evil:

If you've got space you can try giving her 2 boxes and she should pick one as a toilet. Otherwise all you can do is keep cleaning it every day.

So far (insert knocking on wood sound here! :lol: ), I've only had one bred doe with this behavior, and she was a first time doe. No matter what corner I put it in, she would use it as a potty, even after her kits were born. I was afraid she was going to continue this behavior, but this time around, and as a more experienced doe, she isn't doing it any more than the normal pellet here and there when she hops in and out. The only other time I've seen it, in my very limited experience, is when one of my does ends up actually not bred, and they view the nest box as more of a play toy to dig everything out, and spread it all over the cage. :evil:

fuzzy9":16tk04c5 said:

So far (insert knocking on wood sound here! :lol: ), I've only had one bred doe with this behavior, and she was a first time doe. No matter what corner I put it in, she would use it as a potty, even after her kits were born. I was afraid she was going to continue this behavior, but this time around, and as a more experienced doe, she isn't doing it any more than the normal pellet here and there when she hops in and out. The only other time I've seen it, in my very limited experience, is when one of my does ends up actually not bred, and they view the nest box as more of a play toy to dig everything out, and spread it all over the cage. :evil:

Click to expand...

That is my suspicion, that she is NOT actually bred. She looks too skinny and I don't really feel anything when trying to palpate....we shall see....

I have had that problem a few times myself and each time the doe was not bred. Thats not to say that your doe is not bred that has just been my experience. I did clean it out daily and added new bedding just in case.

Akane's suggestion is a good one. If she has appropriated one box as a potty, she will likely keep the other one clean for the kits. Worth a try!

I have noticed that it works best for me to wait to see the doe carrying straw before I give her the nest box. The only ones that I didn't see that with, turned out not to be pregnant and they just made a big mess by digging all the shavings out of the box that I gave them and not adding any straw to it.
Just this morning, as I was feeding, I noticed that 2 [of the 5 that were bred] does picked up the hay that I fed them and started hopping around the cage. I always get a lift when i see that, since it has always [so far] indicated that YES she's pregnant
Since none of the does is due until at least the 15th, I hadn't planned to give them nest boxes until Wednesday but my does seem to like to get things ready a little early & I love to accommodate them.
The one that is the 1st time mommie did a wonderful job of gathering up ALL the hay and building her nest between the nest box and the side of the cage. I just smiled because that is exactly what her sister did last month with her first litter. I just waited until a couple of days before she was actually due and carefully moved the whole pile into the nest box and moved the box into the location where she had put her nest. It all seemed OK to the last doe. I hope it works as well with this one.

Well, she is on day 32 and no kits yet...I am pretty sure she missed. She is not skinny but looks too svelte to be preggers...I will wait until day 36 and then rebreed. She LOVES that nest box LOL! She spends almost all her time in there. I even saw her sitting in the box and stretching out her neck to eat from the feeder so she would not have to get out! Silly rabbit!

I had one Holland lop doe that peed on her babies if it wasnt summer i would of lost them.Holland lops are not the smartest rabbits.

Grrrrr! Darn first time does! I have two due any time now, and BOTH have peed in their nice clean nest boxes. BRATS!!!!!!!! :lol: :evil: