LITTER TRAINING RABBITS....

LITTER TRAINING RABBITS....

How do you litter train a bunny? This is a question I am asked many times so I have decided to post it to my site, so anyone can access it without any problems. It is much easier to litter box train a younger rabbit as they are still forming habits. When you first get your rabbit, or if you are able to check out the rabbits cage before you buy it, check to see if they have a "special" potty corner. Most rabbits have a preferred corner, normally on the opposite side of the cage from their food, where they use the toilet. Now, what "stinks" about a healthy rabbit is the urine, so that's the most important area to check for. Once you have located their special place, just put a litter pan in that corner, with about 2 inches of litter in it. Do NOT use any scented or scoopable litter of any kind, it messes up the rabbits' nose! I find the best litter to be a product called "Critter Litter" or it's brand name of "Critter Country." They are both the same things and are 100% oat hulls made into pellets. They are totally odor free and act like little sponges to sop up moisture, which eliminates the smell. They are also totally biodegradable, and septic safe. A rabbit doesn't bury their waste, but they do like to dig!

Once you have the rabbit's litter pan in place, use a rag or a piece of paper towel to sop up a bit of their urine from the bottom of the pan, and drip it into the litter. That will sort of give them the idea as to what it's for. Yes, they often think you have given them a nice little bed but will figure it out soon!

This type of training works great! As the rabbit starts using the box, you can start to let him out, supervised, for short times. Be sure to watch the bunny and watch for bathroom behavior! A rabbit almost ALWAYS backs up to urinate, and they normally use a corner and lift their tail! When you see this behavior, quickly say, "no, (animal's name)," and pick them up and put them in their litter pan and shut the door of the cage. Wait until they use the litter, then make a dig deal of it and let them back out. Rabbits' aren't dumb, they figure this out pretty quickly! If you DO have an accident, be sure to use a mixture of Lysterine mouthwash with 50% water to wash down the area, to remove the odor. They will use an area more than one time, using the odor to locate it. If a rabbit insists on urinating in a different place, try to stick a litter pan there and see if they use it. Once they are in the habit of using a litter pan, you can slowly move the litter pan from one area to another, or you can put out multiple litter pans, if that is what you want to do.

With my house bunny, I kept the litter pan in his cage in the living room. He could easily get in and out when he wanted to, and used the pan without any mishaps. Some rabbits seem to leave trails of "beans" behind them, but that's not what stinks! Get them picked up when you see them, and it will discourage them from leaving them behind.

Be sure to remove the used litter out of the rabbit pan regularly, and don't wash the smell out until your house bunny uses the pan most of the time.

Good luck with house training your rabbit! If you have any questions, you can e-mail me for more information!

Deb Holdren

Http://www.thecrystalbunny.com.