Experimenting ways to stop their urine marking

When I came home last night, they greeted me with this - stray pee again!

I have to clean up twice a day - morning before work and evening after work. It's really energy exhausting for me. The stray pee was semi-wet and cold which might indicate it was done at least an hour ago. 

Recently I am cleaning their stray pee with the diluted vinegar (1 part white vinegar in 2 parts water). But I do not like the acetic acid odor so I added a few drops of Lavender oil. No, Lavendar oil does not calm them much.

So i anticipated that they would stray pee  like the day before, outside at their playpen since I free roam them at night. I sprayed (neubulized spray) the diluted vinegar without cleaning dry outside their playpen before I went to sleep. Then this morning, guess where they stray peed?

Yes, within their playpen! Hahahahaha but I still have to clean up >:(   So this morning, I decided to spray the vinegar around their playpen before going to work. I think Koogle don't like the acetic acid smell and rested on their litter tray instead! 

I hope the diluted vinegar will work to curb them from stray peeing.

At evening when I came home, darn! they stray peed again. 

I'm not sure if I have sprayed those areas this morning. Hmmmmm ok, I shall try tonight to spray bigger areas. If spraying diluted vinegar without cleaning dry works, then all these days of bonding effort really worth it! 

Now I shall pray and wait. :D 

Before I turn in for the night....they posed so close to each other but again, for less than 5mins. 

Update: 23 July 2014 morning before work.....

Stray pee spotted outside of playpen but on the area where the diluted vinegar not sprayed on. Argh!!! I think I need to mop my whole floor with diluted vinegar soon to stop them from any potential marking chances. 

Continuing Bonding Day 13

About 5am, Cotton did his Bunny 500 and zoomed acrossed from our bedroom to living room. His cat collar bell rang furiously and during his dash, he hit onto our bed divan so hard that I could feel our bed shook a little (no, I'm not exaggerated at all). 

I woke up to check them out and saw a stray pee!!! Strangely, no stray poops or hays was found though. 

Koogle was in the playpen and the pee was still wet though cold. The color of the pee indicated it belongs to Koogle. Angst man. But luckily, the pee was within the corrugated board. Soaking the stray pee with a paper towel, I brought to Koogle's nose and placed it into the litter tray and gave a hard push-down on his head. 

So I decided to lock Koogle up and continued sleeping for another 3 hours. At about 8am, I checked on him again and this time, no stray pee found. Ok, I supposed he repented. 

While refilling their hays, I decided to get innovative and re-arranged their litter tray again. There's never a perfect setup for my bunnies because it depends on what stage of relationship and phase they are going then I changed accordingly. 

So this time round I added back the 2 food bowls by hooking onto the fence. The 2 food bowls will be used to contain their pellets and fresh vegetables. 

The smaller hay rack is placed on purpose at the front of the 2 food bowls so that it will bunny proof my metal support legs which are rubber coated. 

At the same time, this is to discourage them to eat so much pellets but more hays. Hahahahahaha

2 hay racks are added so that they will not fight for food and still eat together in the same litter tray. 

Well, I'm still monitoring how they will use and like their newly renovated litter tray still. 

At about 5pm, I was on my way home and Uncle Hubby who was home the whole afternoon told me some bun stray peed again at around 2plus and this time, just outside of the kitchen door. He took some pictures on what the buns were doing...

Uncle Hubby did not personally witness the stray pee being happened but given the circumstances evidence, it's obviously who was the culprit. The stray pee was still very wet so it meant it just happened not too long ago when Unclr Hubby found it. Uncle Hubby also said that prior to discovering the stray pee, Koogle flipped (we believed by accident) one of the metal food bowl out - no more pellets despite he kept digging into the bowl. 

What an alpha bunny!

I have no confidence in Koogle to leave him free roam unsupervised, although he did not stray pee from 2plus to 7pm. 

Continuing Bonding Day 12

Sigh......this morning at about 6am (what an alarm clock they are!), I heard some chasing kind of sound and decided to check them out. Sadly, 2 puddles of pee of Koogle still seen at corners of the front fence! Argh !

So I cleaned it up and also decided to move the water bowl to another position. Then something 'miracle' happened! Koogle flopped next to Cotton and lie his head on Cotton's belly! Omg! What a sight! So I took my cammy out but just when I wanted to take more angles, Koogle decided to time-out. Sigh!!

I also notice their water bowl is contaminated with their pellets dropped from the hay rack, so I decided to move the water bowl facing out. 

So now I wait again.....

While waiting to catch the culprit bun on stray peeing, they did something....Cotton lowered his head while Koogle was self-grooming (Cotton asking Koogle, please kiss me), but Koogle did not kiss. 

Instead, Koogle lowered his head to Cotton to kiss him and the gentlebun kissed. How sweet Cotton is.

They finally snuggled!!

 

But it was for a short while..... Then I caught the culprit who started to stray pee - it's COTTON!!! Omg!!! He stray peed twice 😖

After clean-up, Koogle was caught stray peeing at the same spot. And more stray pee when I stepped out of house. Argh!!!!

Jennifer suspected that my boys could be seeking for my attention as they only peed when I'm not around, despite Uncle Hubby was at home. Uncle Hubby doesn't really bother with them so they are attached to me. So I thought hard while at outside and instructed Uncle Hubby who was at home to let them roam free with supervision. 

When I was home 7hours later, Uncle Hubby who was sleeping on his 'job' while the boys were free roaming, we found out that there's ZERO stray pee observed. So that's the reason - they want to free roam! Cotton was found sleeping with Uncle Hubby at the AC room (why am I not surprise?) and Koogle was resting at the playpen. 

So tonight, they be free roaming while we be sleeping. We have no qualm on free roam Cotton since he's already 24-7 free roam but being confident with Koogle free roam unsupervised. Then again, this afternoon, Koogle has proven for past 7hrs of well-behavior so hopefully he continues to keep it up. 

Finger-X for now. 

Continuing Bonding Day 11

This early morning, Koogle strayed pee again! But it's pretty faint so I rendered that the modified litter tray works to certain extent. It also proves another thing - Koogle is trying to mark territory.

Then a few hours later in the mid morning, Uncle Hubby who took the day off from work texted me some pictures.

What????!!! Cotton also stray peed and Koogle did it again too!!!! Argh!!! It's obviously both boys are marking their territory. According to Uncle Hubby, there was no fight or chasing being heard or seen. 

Breathe, breathe, breathe....

Ok, I think I cannot take their stray pee anymore so I decided to outsource the bonding. I'm willing to pay - really no choice. So I shared my boys' interaction thus far with Jennifer and she actually told me I do not need bonding service at all and save my monies. She shared with me and advised me what to do instead. What????!!! Have business also don't want to do? Isn't she an amazing character in real life??? 

She even came up a theory why Koogle who started the pee marking - she suspected residual scent of Mi yeon still available. So she advised me to use diluted vinegar (1 part vinegar to 2 parts water) and cleansed the whole area. She also believes that over time, the marking territory will die down eventually. 

So I did as she said and even cleansed the playpen fences as well. I also rinsed with Dettol as I dislike the acetic acid smell. Hope her theory works! I never thought of Mi-yeon's residual scent linkage. So does that mean when one day if Cotton and Koogle both pass on (touch wood!), new batch of bunnies will pick up their scent and start pee marking all over the house??  

Anyway, I also bought 3 pieces of corrugated boards ($3.15 each) to lay on my tiles and tape with larger diameter clear tape. This is so to facilitate me to clean off any stray pee with ease. 

Now, add the bunnies in....

So far so good.

The real results be available tomorrow morning. Finger-X !!! 

While letting them to free roam for 30mins, again, Cotton would follow Koogle on-off basis. Then I saw them lying side by side between a playpen fence....

But, if you take a closer look, there's still a V outward space between them. To me, it means that they are still negotiating being together. It's definitely a very good sign for them but this bonding will take a longer route time. : / 

I can only wait for that time to come. 

Continuing Bonding Day 10 (Litter Box revamped)

This morning at close to 4am, Cotton began his destructive act by digging the litter box. WTF ?! 

And again, some bun stray peed too. It's Koogle again. What's wrong with this bun???

Fine! So I gave them a litter box each. Adding 2 boxes cramped up the already small space of the 4 piece pen. 

Fine! I gave them a 5 piece pen now.

I hope to see NO stray pee from you, Koogle or else off you go back to cage or get rehome. 

At 7pm......

War zone!!! Argh!!!!!!!!

So I put them in the red basket and did my cleaning slowly. Darn, it's so tiring.

I gathered that maybe....just maybe....they din like to step onto each other pees. So I decided to rethink how to reform and modify their existing litter box. An idea struck me while referencing how other people did theirs. So I rushed off to Daiso right after work to get these materials. 

Taking the larger tray, I covered with a plastic bag.....

.....then I laid a layer of the pee pad....

....I added the Cat Repellent mat! This is to create a depth so that they will not be able to contact the soiled pee pad or bedding or poops.

The size is not fitting so I need to trim off one rim of circle......

The Cat Repellent mat is pretty spiky - obviously..... 

....so the egg crate has to be placed on top of the repellent mat. 

....then added in the bedding....

...secured the 2 trays filled with Timothy hays....

And they tested their new litter tray. 

The egg crate is thick enough to prevent the spikes from poking out. My egg crate is detachable type and my tray requires 3 crate (1 crate costs $2). The repellent mat costs $2 so total cost invested for their new litter tray transformation spent is $8. Multiply by 2 since I have 2 such trays, it will be $16. 

Now the real test results will be known tomorrow morning if the hypothesis that they do not like to step on each other soiled areas hence pee out of tray stands or fall. 

Praying hard. 

Continuing Bonding Day 8

This morning, I was happy to see no stray pee though the playpen was littered with straws of hays and poops. Sweeping solved the problem easily.....

So we went to work as usual....we were at ease while at work.

When I returned, darn!!!!! Stray pee!!! So in the fit of anger, I placed them both into the red picnic basket and took my own sweet time to clean up their mess. Koogle stomped his foot several times - something he rarely does these days, but I ignored him. 

After their fresh vegetable meal and treat....... I spotted them in their new resting position! The closest they ever get so far. 

It's another night again. 

Continuing their bonding Day 7

This morning at 5:22am, there was some metal knocking sound and both Uncle Hubby and I woke up to check them out. Cotton was chasing after Koogle and I saw a pool of pee near the water bowl area. Ok, the hoo-ha must be because their litter tray had ran out of hay. I cleaned up the mess and refill their litter tray.  Before I switched off light to catch my 15mins more sleep, they laid next to each other. 

Before we left for work today, I took another picture of them again. 

Finger-crossed for now if they can really be gentlebun to each other while we at work. Will there be a poop, urine or hay war or everything when I'm home later? 

At about 6:30pm.......woot! They both are alive and well! No wounds found on them. They were resting when I entered the house. Somebun stray pee (suspected to be Koogle due to pee color where Koogle's darker brown and Cotton's pale yellowish) but I did not blame any bun because the litter tray was so wet that even the pee pad could not contain their pee. 

So what are they doing now? They are resting again after a meal of fresh vegetable and treats.