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Questions
- How to litter train your rabbit
- Litter trays for rabbits
- Litter for rabbits
Whether you have an indoor or an outdoor bunny, litter training to encourage them to use the toilet in allocated areas will help to keep their home environment nice and clean. It will also mean there’s less for you to clean, as you’ll only have to spot clean the rest of their hutch! Bedding will last longer and stay dry, which is important in any weather. If your rabbit is out in a hutch, soiled bedding can cause issues in both the summer and the winter. In summer, the waste matter will attract flies and other insects which can result in your furry friend getting a fly strike. If they aren’t litter trained then they’re more likely to do this all throughout their bedding which is much harder to clean. In winter, flies might not be as big of an issue but keeping bedding as dry as possible to stop your rabbit from catching a chill is much easier when they’re not going to the toilet in it.
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For indoor bunnies, being litter trained will help you to be able to give them much more freedom. They may still have the odd accident but if most of their toileting is done in a specific area, they can freely run around more and spend time with you.
How to litter train your rabbit
Litter training your rabbit is not typically a long or arduous process. Bunnies by nature like to be relatively clean although if they’re neutered, this does make the process easier. First, you should decide where you want their litter tray to go and pop it into their hutch or home. For a period, you may need to give them a little less freedom around the house or the garden to help them understand that the tray is where they go to the toilet. If your bunny has a run they use on the grass when you can put a litter tray in their exercise area as well. If they have a multi story home then they should have a toilet on each floor which will make them more likely to use it. If they have to wake up and go down to the bottom of their hutch to use the toilet, they will likely not bother and just find somewhere else to go so you need to make sure to get ahead of them and prevent this.
Add a nice thick layer of litter to their tray and make sure to have fresh hay either on one side of the litter tray or just outside of it. Rabbits are a little different to some other pets who like to keep their toilet and feeding areas separate. Your bunny will almost always be eating to keep their teeth nice and worn down, providing a high quality feeding hay like Science Selective Timothy Hay Rabbit Feed in or next to their toilet will encourage them to use it.
You might notice that your rabbit decides that a different corner of the hutch is better to use the toilet in and in this case, it’s easiest to just move it into their preferred corner. Once they start to use it reliably, you can slowly adjust where it is and your bunny should continue to use it as they grow used to it. They should always have a litter tray in whatever space they’re in to help give them the option to make the right choice. Litter trays should be spot cleaned every day and cleaned out every other day with a pet safe cleaner.
How long does it take to litter train a rabbit?
Litter training a rabbit is different for every floppy-eared friend. They might start to grasp it within a few days or it can take a few weeks for them to really understand where they should be going to the toilet. To speed things along, you can reward toileting behaviour if you catch it when it’s in the right area. Giving your bunny a bit of their favourite fresh treat can reinforce the behaviour. It’s important to remember though that accidents will happen, especially if your bunny is young and not yet developed enough to hold it for long periods. Rabbits will also go to the toilet if they get excited or out of territorial behaviour, but with persistence and keeping the litter tray clean, they usually grasp it within three weeks or so.
Litter trays for rabbits
A litter tray for your bunny doesn’t have to be anything elaborate. A simple litter tray like the Savic Cat Litter Tray is a great and cost effective place to start. The tray needs to be shallow enough for your bunny to hop into but allow for you to put down a different kind of substrate to help them distinguish where their toilet is. If you want a rabbit specific litter tray, the Rosewood Corner Litter Tray Large is the ideal shape and size for a bunny toilet. With the high back, it stops litter spilling over the edge if they’re digging through it but the low sides allow for easy access. A corner tray is perfect for bunnies as they tend to naturally choose a corner to go to the toilet in anyway. A corner helps them to feel safe rather than going out in the open with no protection around them.
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You should avoid using covered litter trays with doors on the front as your bunny isn’t likely to choose to go in there to use the toilet and will be more likely to go outside it.
Litter for rabbits
As for litter, avoid the use of any clay based or clumping substrate as they can cause internal blockages if ingested. While cats are fussy about what they eat, rabbits are more inclined to taste everything and if they get a taste for their litter, it could spell problems if you’re using something that could potentially harm them. A natural paper or wood based litter would suit them best. A recycled paper litter like the Breeder Celect Cat Litter is one safe option and a wooden pellet litter like CJs Kitten Wood Pellet Litter is another. Paper substrate may be more absorbent than wood litter but the paper will need changing more often.
You should make sure that whatever substrate you use for their litter tray is different to their bedding. If you use paper based bedding then you may want to get something different like EasyFeedz Loosefill Softwood shavings to differentiate between them and help your bunny know where to go to the toilet.
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