Litter Training Tips and Tricks
Tish is the litter box training page we wrote to send home with all of our clients in the information packet they receive when picking up their Bun. We hope it might be helpful for all people who are litter training their new pet rabbits.
LITTER BOX TRAINING
Amy J.
1/29/20255 min read
This information is actually the litter box training page we wrote to send home with all of our clients in the information packet they receive when picking up their Bun. We figured that it might be helpful to actually have it on our website for those who might be needing some guidance in training a new pet bunny.
Litter Training Tips & Tricks
Congratulations on your new bunny! If this is your first pet rabbit you may be amused and astounded by how many poo balls such a small animal can create. We lovingly refer to them as furry PEZ dispensers for a reason! But rest assured, your bunny is capable of being litter box trained and, for most rabbits, this is a fairly straightforward process.
Setting the Stage for Success
We advise families to have at least two-three “real” litter boxes, along with a supply of disposable shallow boxes or dishpans that can be used to help a more confused bunny get the hang of it by providing extra boxes to use while you determine his favorite places to “go.”
We prefer litter boxes with plastic (rather than metal) grates, to keep bunny’s paws clean and to keep the litter and “bunny business” contained in the box.
We sew washable litter box liners from two layers of fleece, or a layer of fleece and a layer of flannel. They are quick and easy to make and are laundered easily, after adding the collected poo balls to the garden for composting.
If you choose you use disposable litter, we recommend compressed wood pellets (made of softwood, rather than hardwood) which are sold for $4-7 per 40 lb. bag at feed stores and some hardware/home improvement stores. The contents of the litter box can be composted directly in your garden beds, with no concern of burning plants because rabbit manure is low in nitrogen.
Other families like to use paper bedding products like CareFresh, or its store brand equivalent. We advise against the use of cedar or pine shavings in the cage or litter box, as both can be toxic for bunnies. Aspen shavings are permissible, but are not very absorbent of urine or odors.
You will want to keep some paper towels handy for dabbing up urine (smaller pieces cut from each paper towel are adequate and are a more convenient size for placing inside of the litter box, as detailed below.)
You may want to have a natural enzyme cleaner such as Nature’s Miracle if bunny could have an accident on carpeting or furniture in your home.
We recommend mixing up some non-toxic cleaner in a spray bottle. Our recipe is 2 teaspoons baby wash, 1/2 cup vinegar, a few drops of mild scented essential oil like lavender or lemon (optional), and hot water. Shake vigorously to mix. We use this spray to clean cages and litter boxes daily. Once a week, we soak litter boxes in baking soda and white vinegar to help remove the urine deposit build-up from them. Weekly soaking helps keep the litter box looking “pretty” and in good condition.
In the Beginning
The majority of bunnies enjoy munching on hay while they sit on the litter box, so it is wise to position the box under the hay rack, if you have one available. If you don’t have a hay rack, cutting a toilet paper tube into two or three smaller pieces and stuffing them with hay can keep him interested while he sits on his potty and nibbles the hay out of them.
The first few days in his new home, your bunny will probably not pay much attention to the potty habits his mother taught him. Some people will be blessed with bunnies with practically perfect litter box habits, but most will have bunnies who need a bit of reminding and training. It is best to expect less-than-stellar litter box habits from a young bunny who is learning to adapt to a new home, a new family, and a new life. Your young Bun will typically begin making his new space smell like home by leaving droppings and urine everywhere in his cage/exercise pen. This is normal. He is telling everyone and everything that this is his home and he is claiming it. It is best for him to be confined to his cage and exercise pen, close to the litter boxes. Keeping his area small until he learns to use his box will be the best plan to follow.
Your job at this point is to observe where most of the urine and poo balls are, and place the litter boxes in those areas. Begin dabbing up urine with small pieces of paper towel and place them in the litter box, under the grate. Likewise, pick up scattered poo balls, and put them in the litter box. Both of these tasks should be done multiple times each day. After a few days, your bunny should have chosen one or two areas of preference for his litter box locations. Once that has been established, the extra “disposable” litter boxes can gradually be eliminated (while you continue to pick up stray poo balls and dab up urine to put it in the preferred litter box(es). If you have young children, picking up poo balls can be turned into a slightly gross counting game which will leave you both laughing as the numbers grow higher and higher some days, but should gradually decline. Charting your bunny’s progress would make a fun bar graph activity. :)
When you clean your bunny’s litter box, it is important to return a couple of the urine dabbed paper towels and a few poo balls to the litter box, rather than cleaning it fully. Bunnies like to smell their urine in their potties, so removing all of his scent will make this a longer, more frustrating process for you both.
As Time Goes On
As you and your bunny become more comfortable with each other, you will settle into a routine. He will often give some small signals that he needs to use his litter box.
Some bunnies begin to “dig” just before they urinate.
If you see your bunny beginning to lift his tail up, chances are he is about to relieve himself.
Occasionally a bunny will press his bottom up against a solid surface and “go”
If you can carefully and safely move bunny to his litter box, you are teaching him where to go to the bathroom. If you can startle him by thumping your foot or giving a stern “NO!” you may stop him in time, so he can be shown where the litter box is. This is more important to remember as you give him more freedom, after he has mastered his potty in the cage area. When he has earned the ability to have a larger play space and free-roam time, be certain to continue adding to his success by having multiple litter boxes available for him during his play time.
Don’t get discouraged! Training some bunnies takes more time and patience than others.
Neutering/spaying you bunny will help the litter training process immensely. Talk with your rabbit knowledgeable vet about the best time for neutering to occur. Most vets prefer to neuter at 5-7 months, depending upon the bunny’s size and health.
Poo balls happen! Training bunnies to urinate in the litter box is a reasonable and achievable goal. Having said that, poo balls are usually an uphill battle. They just pop out whenever a bunny hops and he may not even realize he’s leaving a trail behind him. Some bunnies are more cognizant of pooing in the litter box, while others tend to be clueless.
Pay attention to the size and shape of your bunny’s poo balls; they can tell you a lot about his health. If they are strung together by fur, your bunny needs to eat more hay and drink more water to avoid GI Stasis. Groom him well when he molts. If the poo balls are few in number and are shriveled and dry looking, you should begin treating him for GI Stasis. Mushy poo can indicate tummy troubles over a newly introduced treat or other digestive problem, so a call to your vet would be in order. A plump, round poo ball is the sign of a healthy bunny.