Getting a baby bunny to pee in potty tray

[Bunny Lulu]

 Hello fellow Bunny Lover’s! I am a new human to my Bunny..never had one and got Buuny Lulu as a gift.all is well except for the fact she thinks my bed is her potty tray. It started out as our bonding ground, she would jump up to get her lil head rubbed…she loves it and I would rub her head and she would me kisses……now she just thinks its a giant potty tray…I am new to bunnies have washed my bedding 4 days in a row…now today I wouldn’t let her up on bed…I left the room to come back to a huge potty spot..not once, but twice this morning…….HELP! I put her in her tray after the first time…and the second and am afraid to have bonding time on bed. Thinking it wasn’t a good idea. What to do what to do. 

[buddybunny]

 I’m having the same problems. He refuses to use his litter tray and doesn’t understand peeing on us isn’t pleasant! 

Advice would be appreciated 

[Sarita]

MOving to behavior.

[bpash89]

 Your bed is all soft and squishy and absorbent and smells like human, how could she ever resist peeing all over it?  But seriously, bunnies and bed just don’t work so well.  Litter training takes time, patience and a removal of all things soft.  Don’t let her on the bed.  Keep her in a small space (her cage/x-pen) and make sure she has access to the litter tray all the time.  Every time she goes to the bathroom clean it up and put the droppings and dirty paper towels in her litter tray and clean the spot with vinegar.  Putting her mess in the box will make it smell like her and bunnies like to do their business in the same place.  If she already has a particular spot she’s been going then just put the litter box there.  Once she picks up the concept of using the box you can slowly expand her space.  But really, no beds.  Even the most well-behaved bunnies will forget all about the litter box around beds sometimes so for you own sanity just keep her off of it.  

[juniorjunior]

do you use a litter box in addition to a cage? i keep my bunny (junior) in a cage at night and he has no problem going to the bathroom there , but whenever he is out of the cage and roaming freely — he goes to the bathroom wherever he wants, even though he has access to his cage

[bpash89]

Yes, you must have a litter box. Litter training only works if 1. you make it clear to your bunny where he is allowed to do his business and where he isn’t and 2. that you are consistant with it. And most importantly, litter training only works if he has a litter box. If he’s just supposed to go in the cage then in his mind he is free to do his business wherever he wants within those 4 walls. So when you let him roam freely he is simply applying that same principle, only to a larger area.  He doesn’t know any different so he doesn’t know he’s not supposed to do it.  

Get him a litter box that he has access to all the time.  Make sure it’s a bunny safe litter and don’t have anything kind of bedding in the cage.  Give him some hay in the box and like I said before, clean up all messes quickly and put them in his box.  As he starts to pick up the concept of the litter box and is using it consistantly you can slowly expand his area of freedom.

[LBJ10]

bpash is correct. You need to have a litter box in the cage and have that be the only place that has “bedding”. Soft surfaces suggest that it is an okay place to go. Keep your bunny off your bed for the time being. It is soft and it smells like you. Your bunny is going to be very tempted to make it smell “better”.

[LoveMyMoMo]

My bunny has a litter box in his cage (which he always has access to), but he also has a very large litter box in the living room for when he is running around.
He uses both.
Hay and healthy treats are also good enticements for using a litter box.
If your rabbit likes going to the bathroom while comfy try carefresh bedding in the litter box, it’s comfy but also super absorbent.
Good luck!

[Author]

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