By nature, rabbits choose one or a few places (usually corners)
to deposit their urine and most of their pills. Urine-training
involves little more than putting a litterbox where the rabbit
chooses to go. Pill training requires only that you give them a
place they know will not be invaded by others. Here are some
suggestions to help you to train your rabbit to use the
litterbox.
Older rabbits are easier to train than younger rabbits,
especially babies. A rabbit's attention span and knack for
learning increases as they grow up. If you have a baby, stick
with it! And if you are deciding whether to adopt an older
rabbit, or litter train your older rabbit, go for it!
Yes! This is often the most important factor. When rabbits reach
the age of 4-6 months, their hormones become active and they
usually begin marking their territory. By spaying or neutering
your rabbit, he will be more likely to use his litterbox (as
well as be much healthier and happier).
It depends on what's available in your area and what your
rabbit's habits are. Keep in mind the following as you
choose your litter:
most rabbits spend lots of time in their litter boxes
rabbits will always nibble some of the litter
rabbit urine has a very strong odor.
House Rabbit Society recommends organic litters, made from alfalfa, oat, citrus
or paper. (Some brands to look for: Care Fresh, Cat Country, Critter Country,
Yesterday's News, and Papurr) For a complete listing of litter types,
see the litter boxes and
liver disease article.
Stay away from litters made from softwoods, like pine or cedar shavings
or chips, as these products are thought
to cause liver damage in rabbits who use them. CatWorks litter has
been linked to zinc
poisoning. Swheat Scoop Litter should be avoided, because rabbits
will often ingest it. Because it is comprised of wheat, it is very high
in carbohydrates and can cause obesity, excessive cecal production, diarrhea,
bacterial
imbalance, and other health issues.
Another approach is to place a handful of hay in each box, or to simply
use hay as litter. It is helpful to put several layers of newspaper under
the hay, to absorb urine so that your rabbit is not standing in the urine.
Most newspapers today are using soy-based ink, which is safe for your
rabbit, but check with your local newspaper to make sure first. Obviously,
you need to change the hay fairly frequently (daily), since your rabbit
will be eating it. This method often helps to encourage good litter habits
as well as to encourage hay consumption, since rabbits often eat at or
near the same time as they use the litter box.
Pros and cons of the various types of litter include:
clay litter is dusty--if your bunny is a digger, the
dust can make her vulnerable to pneumonia
the deodorant crystals in some clay litters are toxic
clumping litters will clump inside the rabbit's digestive
and respiratory tracts (the latter if they manage to make
enough dust to breathe) causing serious problems and often
leading to death
pine and cedar shavings emit gases that
cause liver damage
when breathed by the bunny
corn cob litter isn't absorbent and doesn't control odor, and has the the risk of being eaten and casing a lethal blockage.
oat- and alfalfa-based litters (available from Purina, Manna-Pro,
and King-Soopers groceries [not sure what the geographical range of
this chain is]) have excellent odor controlling qualities, but if a
rabbit eats too much, they expand and cause bloating; these, too, can
be added, with the bunny's waste, to compost
newspapers are absorbent, but don't control odor
citrus-based litters work well, offer no dangers, and can
be composted, but may be hard to get and expensive in some
areas of the country/world
some people have reported success with peat moss which can
also be composted
Many people have great success with litter made from paper
pulp or recycled paper products. These litters are very
good at absorbing and cutting down on odors. A litter called
CAREfresh is available. You can find out about local places that carry Carefresh by emailing
or by calling 1-800-242-2287. A similar
litter in a pelleted form is called Cellu-Dri
1-800-382-5001. These litters are harmless if ingested.
Compressed sawdust pellets: are inexpensive,
highly absorbent litters used in many foster homes.
They are made from softwood or hardwood sawdust,
but they are not toxic because the phenolic compounds
are removed during their manufacture. Their wood
composition helps control bacterial growth and odors.
Wood stove fuel pellets and Feline Pine are two examples
of this product.
Litters made from Aspen bark are safe and good at absorbing
odors. One brand is called GentleTouch 1-800-545-9853.
Clean litterboxes often, to encourage your rabbit to use them.
Use white vinegar to rinse boxes out--for tough stains, let pans
soak. Accidents outside of the cage can be cleaned up with
white vinegar or club soda. If the urine has already dried, you
can try products like "Nature's Miracle" to remove the stain and
odor. To dispose of organic litters, they can be used as mulch,
or can be composted. Rabbit pills can be directly applied to
plants as fertilizer.
Use a cage large enough to contain a small litterbox (along with
bunny's food and water bows, toys, etc.) and still allow enough
room for the rabbit to stretch out. Place the box in the corner
of the cage that he goes in. With a litterbox in the cage, when
the rabbit is confined to his cage when you're not home, cage
time is learning time.
If it is on legs, build a ramp or stairs, or pile boxes to make
steps--anything so he can come and go on his own.
If the door is on top, put a small stool or box inside to help
him get out, a board or piece of rug to help him walk to the
edge of the cage, and a ramp, stairs, stool, or boxes to help
him get down (and up again).
If your cage is too small for a litter box, you may have a cage
that is too small for your rabbit. Our Housing FAQ has lots of info
on appropriate cages and enclosures.
Or you may have a dwarf rabbit and can't get a small litter
box. A good substitute is a Pyrex baking dish. Even 9" x 9"
is sufficient for a small 3 or 4 pound rabbit.
You may have a cage with wire on the bottom and a tray
underneath that catches the urine. In this case, the tray is
the litter box and the cage itself is where the bunny learns to
go. You can often place the litter box in the tray, under the
cage, so that you need not fill the entire bottom with litter.
P>
If you don't use a cage, you need to give the bunny a
particular area to call its own. Just put a litter box
wherever the bunny seems to prefer.
All rabbits will drop pills around their cages to mark it as
their own. This is not failure to be litter-trained. It is
very important for your rabbit to identify the cage as her
property so that when she leaves the cage for the bigger world
of your house, she will distinguish the family's area from her
own and avoid marking it. To encourage this, make the rabbit
the king of his cage. Try not to force him in or out of it--
coax him. Do not do things to his cage that he doesn't like,
or things to him that he doesn't like while he's in the cage.
The trick to getting the rabbit to keep his pills in the cage
is to give him ownership of his cage--respect the cage as HIS:
Don't reach into the cage to take him out; open the door
and let him come out if and when HE wants to come;
Don't catch him and put him back in the cage or it will be
his prison, not his home. Herd him back gently, and let
him choose to go in to get away from you (I walk behind my
buns, clap my hands, and say "bedtime." They know that
I'll not stop harassing them with this until they go into
their cage, so they run in except when they feel they
haven't gotten their fair share of time outside the cage.)
It's a bit like a child going home and closing the door,
because someone is calling her names. They may make the
playground an unpleasant place for her, but they can't
bother her in her own home.
If the rabbit has been snuggling with you, it's okay to
carry him to the door of the cage and let him go in--just
don't put him directly into the cage, and never chase and
trap him and put him in the cage.
Don't reach into the cage to get food dishes--anchor them
near the door of the cage so they can be filled with a
minimum of trespassing into the cage, or wait until the
rabbit is out to fill them.
Don't clean the cage while the rabbit is in it--wait until
he comes out. He'll come over and supervise you, even
help you move things around that you've set down outside
the cage, but as long as he isn't in the cage, he won't
see your cleaning as an invasion of his territory. (Smart
rabbits--I wouldn't object if someone were cleaning my
house, either... :-) )
The same technique can be used if a rabbit doesn't live in
a cage, but in a particular part of a room. Mark the territory
with a rug, tape, whatever, and don't trespass over that.
Even if your goal is to let your rabbit have full run of the
house, you must start small. Start with a cage and a small
running space, and when your rabbit is sufficiently well-trained
in that space, gradually give her more space. But do so
gradually! If you overwhelm her with too much freedom before
she's ready, she will forget where her box is and will lose her
good habits.
Start with a box in the cage, and one or more boxes in the
rabbit's running space. If she urinates in a corner of the cage
not containing the box, move the box to that corner until she
gets it right. Don't be concerned if your bunny curls up in his
litterbox--this is natural. Once she's using the box in the
cage, open her door and allow her into her running space. Watch
her go in and out on her own. If she heads to a corner where
there's no box, or lifts up her tail in the characteristic
fashion, cry "no" in a single, sharp burst of sound. Gently
herd her back to her cage and her litterbox, or into one of the
boxes in her room. Be careful, however. You don't want to make
the cage or the litterbox seem like punishment. A handful of
hay in the box makes it a more welcoming place. After she first
uses the box, praise her and give her her favorite treat. Once
she uses the box in her room a couple of times, you're well on
your way, as her habits will be on their way to forming. As she
gets better trained in her first room, you can increase her
space. Don't hurry this process. And if the area becomes very
big, or includes a second floor, be sure to include more
litterboxes, so as not to confuse her. Remember, as she becomes
more confident and uses fewer boxes, you can start to remove
some of her early, "training" boxes. Get your rabbit into a
daily routine and try not to vary it. Rabbits are very habitual
and once a routine is established, they usually prefer to stick
with it.
The more, the merrier, especially if your rabbit is a bit of a
slow learner, or is especially obstinate about where she wants
her box(es) to go. As her habits improve, you can decrease the
number of litterboxes.
Some rabbits love to kick their litter out of the box. You can
get a covered litterbox (with a hood) to help solve this
problem. You can also try experimenting with different litters.
A second problem is that rabbits often back up so far in the
litterbox that the urine goes over the edge. Again, a covered
litterbox can solve this problem. Another solution would be to
get a dishpan or other type of tub with much higher sides.
Still another solution would be to get a "urine guard" to place
around the back of the cage, to keep the litter from spraying
outside of the cage.
Compromise. If your rabbit continually urinates in a spot where
there is no litterbox, put his box where he will use it, even if
it means rearranging his cage or moving a table in the living
room. It is much easier to oblige him than to try to work
against a determined bunny!
Letting the bunny out of the cage and not watching her with
undivided attention;
(You can't watch TV or read the paper or knit or talk on
the phone and expect to keep your mind on what the bunny
is doing every second--if she urinates without being
"caught" and herded to the litter box, she'll be that much
slower in learning what she's supposed to do.)
Getting in a hurry.
Bunnies take time. Perhaps that's one of their special
gifts to us in this hectic world. They require that we take
time out to sit and watch and do nothing else. Besides
getting a well-trained bunny for your efforts, you also get
a short period of time each day to watch one of the most
charming little creatures on earth explore, skip for joy,
and in general entertain you with her bunny-ness.
Dribbles usually indicate a bladder infection. Get your bunny
to a rabbit-veterinarian who will probably put her on an antibiotic.
If the dribbling stops, you know that that was the problem.
(Watch out for antibiotics given by veterinarians not familiar with rabbits as
companion animals!)
If the "dribbles" are more than dribbles, or if the antibiotic
doesn't stop the problem, consider any factors that may be
making your bunny feel insecure (new pet, house guests, change
in location of cage, etc.), any of which can cause a bunny to
mark her cage more enthusiastically (similar to someone
having a dispute with a neighbor about the location of a fence
setting up a flag at the property boundary marker).
or by calling 1-800-242-2287. A similar
litter in a pelleted form is called Cellu-Dri
1-800-382-5001. These litters are harmless if ingested.