Litterbox training – am I doing it wrong?

[Pickytxmom]

Hi!!!  First time bunny mom.  My little guy, Toby (7-months, getting neutered next week), does GREAT at going back to his cage to potty…..I’ve had him since Saturday and have only found one poo-poo on the floor.  That said, he has not chosen a corner to use in his cage…..I’m getting frustrated because I’m not sure what to do .  I’m using Aspen wood in his cage, I am putting poo-poo in his box and urine soaked wood.  I have hay in his box and right outside his box.  

I read in several places not to let a new bunny roam around until he is litter box trained, but I read that AFTER I had already let him roam.  (By-the-way…..he actually follows me and then plays in whatever room I’m in……too cute…..and my husband gets a kick out of the “binkies”.)  Should I confine him to his cage until he is trained???

Im learning so much about him……he LOVES romaine lettuce, really enjoys carrots, but will eat celery only if it is the only thing left in his bowl.  So far he is not a big hay eater, but I give him fresh hay everyday.

OH…..should I refill his water bottle everyday even if it is not empty?

So far very little chewing.  He was chewing on one of my books, I walked over to him and calmly, yet firmly, said “no-no” and gave him a chew toy…..was that okay?

He will head butt to let us know he is there .  Will sit on our laps for a long time.

Does NOT like it when I herd him back to his cage and steer him to go in……I don’t actually put him in the cage, just steer him that way.

 I also read that we shouldn’t put our hands inside his cage while he is in there, ok…..but, how can a friend feed him if we go out of town?  I’m not comfortable asking a friend to let him run around….what if they can’t get him back in his cage.

GEEZ….sorry about the rambling…..I almost wish one of you could move in for a while and help .

Im sure I’ll have many more questions….

Have a GREAT evening

[peppypoo]

Ask away, you’re in the right place!

In your picture I noticed that you have bedding all over the bottom of his cage…is this accurate? Though to us people it seems like it would be nice to have something nice and soft to lay on, many buns actually don’t really care for bedding, not to mention that the bedding can be confusing to a bunny learning to use the litter box. Imagine being in a room full of toilets..you wouldn’t know which one to use! Also, aspen shavings is a safe litter for bunnies but there are definitely better ones out there (and some of them are pretty cheap too, which is a plus). When you’re ready for a new bag of litter you could look into an alternative.

There’s no need to absolutely confine him to his cage before he learns his litter habits. However, the idea behind limiting his freedom is that he first firmly establishes where to go potty so that he’ll return to do his business instead of running all over the place. Looks like he already is good about going back to his cage when he needs to, so I’d say you’re doing fine on that .

Many of us here prefer to use ceramic water bowls instead of water bottles, because they are more sanitary and easier to clean. Bowls do need to be changed daily since hair and hay always end up inside, but the small parts and crevices of a bottle can be difficult to scrub out and as a result harvest unwanted bacteria.

Good job on redirecting him when he’s doing something he’s not supposed to! You’ve got the right idea there. Just a warning – up until about one year of age, some buns can become very, very frustrating in terms of destructiveness…I’m saying this from experience haha.

Some bunnies can be quite territorial and will snap at hands in “their” home, but if Toby doesn’t have a problem with it there’s nothing wrong with reaching inside his home to give him food or pets.  Territorial behavior is common in intact rabbits, but some neutered rabbits will still develop it as well.

Next time when it is time for him to go home, how about luring him with a treat instead?  Bunnies are really quite clever little learners, and are usually pretty fast to pick up on what the treat bag sounds like haha.  They also take to routines pretty easily…try putting treats in his cage when it’s time for him to go home; he’ll learn this routine before long and it’ll make the process much more pleasant for everyone involved.

One more thing – might I suggest allowing him a larger space? Those cages are popular “starter” homes, but are really much too small for a near-grown rabbit. Many of our members here end incorporating the cage into a part of a larger habitat enclosed by an exercise pen.

[Beccaberry]

I’m a new bunny owner too =D

I agree with peppy poo. I’m in the middle of litter training too it’s ridiculous but I’ve taught Wolfie to go to her litter box to get her “treat” as some people in the forums have suggested to make going to her litter box a good thing and praise her etc. I call the litter box a name  “poopy/poopoo” and say it constantly when shes in it and when shes out it i point at it and say it and sometimes she runs to it then I give her a treat.

 Mine did poopies everywhere when the whole floor was bedding but I cleared it it and confined bedding to only her litter box now she poops less everywhere. She’s still being litter trained so still finding loads of poops outside her tray haha. 

I wish mine ran back to her litter box when I let her out she just comes out of her cage and goes mental peeing and pooping FML

[IsabellaRobyn]

I’m new to bunny owning too and honestly this site gives the best advice! When I first got Belle I had sawdust all over the bottom of her cage (I just thought that was how it was meant to be) and a kind of littler in her pan – she was confused as hell! She would poop everywhere and pee in two different corners. I asked about it and everyone on here told me to just get rid of the sawdust and only have littler in her pan. Now she does all her poops in there and only pees in there too unless she is out in which case she’ll poop anywhere (but always pees in the box, never on the carpet – and if she’s feeling naughty she’ll have a quick pee on my bed -.- but she’s not doing that as much any more). I’ve noticed it’s got much less now though unless she’s on my bed so I think it just takes some time and persistence. By the sounds of things you’re doing a great job with your bun!!

[Beka27]

It really sounds like he’s doing well! I ditto the others about not wanting to have bedding everywhere and him needing a larger space. The absolute minimum is 2×4 feet, but 4×4 feet is preferable so you have enough room for a big cat litterbox, toys, hidey house, etc… I don’t know if the avatar picture is old and you’ve already addressed these things or not. Let us know.

You’re doing the right thing neutering him, but he does sound like a really good boy, so I’d expect him to only improve. I’d love to see some more pics of him too if you have any!

[Pickytxmom]

THANK YOU everyone………I will remove all the shavings from his cage and go from there.

As for getting a larger cage, I’m trying to come up with ideas .  My biggest obstacle is finding somewhere to put it.

I noticed in some of the cages on this forum that people put soft stuff for them, are those just blankets?

[IsabellaRobyn]

My Belle has a fleecey blanket but she doesn’t really use it that often it is just there as an option for her, I think most people on here have the same kind of blanket though .

[Deleted User]

My bun has the habit of peeing on blankets so I put towels down on the floor of her cage. It’s much easier to clean towels if she pees on those. =p

[TH004]

“So far he is not a big hay eater, but I give him fresh hay everyday.”

Try changing the brand and type of hay you are purchasing and maybe even where you are getting it from. Hay is a vital part of a rabbit’s diet. I never knew that until after my first one got really sick and the vet asked how much hay she ate. I said she didn’t like hay. He said that was a huge problem.

My rabbit now will only eat Oxbow brand hay in Orchard Grass or Botantical Hay. He is an adult though, so the hay that may be best for your rabbit may be different. (The backs of the bags will tell you for the most part what rabbits to feed it to. I’ve never had a young buns!) Also, look for hay that is very green and smells very strong. That is the freshest. You wouldn’t want to eat rotten fruit, right? Same thing with hay and rabbits When it sits out in the air, it’s like our food. It doesn’t taste as good. So, only feed him a little more than he will eat, then refill it.

As for the cage, you can always build up too. Google bunny condos and it will teach you how to make one. Rabbits don’t mind having different levels to live on.

Water bottle vs. bowl. You know, I did the bowl thing too, but I think my rabbit was ingesting too much hair in it. Also, when you are having a rabbit sitter while on vacation, I couldn’t count on that he/she would come over every day and change the water. So, I switched him to a bottle. It doesn’t have to be changed every day.

Welcome to the rabbit world! I’ve been a rabbit owner for 8 years and I’m still learning

[TH004]

I put towels out in my rabbit’s room. He likes to play with them, by digging, chewing and hiding under them. It is quite cute. That is why I have items on the floor besides toys.

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