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.