Litter Training Advice Please

[Jo Leigh]

Hi everyone,

I am new to binkybunny.com and I need some advice on litter training my 9 week old male Netherland Dwarf, Merlin. I have had rabbits before, however, they were all adults when they moved in so they were already litter trained. Merlin and I have only been together a few days but he seems to be settling in well. He is such a cutie! 

On day one, I placed the litter tray in a random corner in his cage. I know I should have probably waited to see where he was going toilet but I got a bit excited setting up his new home! That night, I noticed that he had urinated in the litter tray. I was very proud of him! We also had a little incident or two on my bed but I have heard that is quite normal. Merlin wasn’t so good at pooping in his litter tray though. I put some hay (and some of his poop) in his litter tray to encourage going in the litter tray. However, he still continues to poop everywhere in the cage. I cleaned out his cage a little bit today (I left his litter tray a bit dirty though) and when Merlin went back inside he pooped and urinated in the middle of the cage. I didn’t notice any more pee in his cage when I came home tonight, so I think he was probably just marking his territory. However, there was more poop in the middle of the cage. He doesn’t appear to be going toilet in any corners, it seems like he just poops where ever he walks! I understand that he is young and litter training may take some time but any helpful tips would be greatly appreciated. Also, any tips for caring for baby rabbits in general. 

Thanks for your time! 

[Beka27]

If he’s a baby, this is normal. It could be territorial marking, but more likely, he’s just young.

Make sure there is nothing soft or absorbent anywhere in the cage. Keep all the litter in the litter box only. Remove any other bedding, towels, litter from the floor of the cage. Clean up accidents as soon as you see them.

You may want to add an additional litter box, or one very large box. Put hay in his litter box to encourage him to do his business there.

Do all of these things, but realize he may not fully “get it” until he’s been neutered.

[Jo Leigh]

Thank you for those tips! 

Merlin has started going in his litter tray a bit more – he literally just jumped into it as I typed that! Yay, Merlin  there has definitely been some progress so thank you.

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