how do i liter train my new bunny?

[amyrs2880]

Hey everyone.  I have just had my new bunny for a couple days now and I’m trying to find out about liter training.  (I put pics on a post in the lounge)  I have searched online a lot but I can’t find anything that is very helpful.  I have the liter box in the corner of her cage and timothy hay close by for comfort while she is the the liter box.  I have read everywhere online that they usually pick one corner to use it in so to put the liter box in the corner it usually does.  Also I read to put other objects in the three other corners (water, food, and bed), which I have done so they will chose to use the liter box.  Well, she uses the bathroom (poop and pee) throughout the entire cage.  In just a short while the entire place is covered-I didn’t realize they poop so much!  haha.  So does anyone have any tips?  Are there any hopes in training her?

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Welcome to Binkybunny!

Put only bedding in the litter box, keep the rest of the cage empty-the reason for this is it will confuse them to have litter/bedding throughout the cage-as well, if the bedding absorbs pee no matter where they potty they will just go whereever!

Pick up the poops and put them in the litter box instead of throwing them out-this will help your bunny catch on. Also leave the litterbox dirty for a week before emptying it. The smell and poops will encourage them to go in the potty rather then the rest of the cage.

Here’s some great info too!
https://binkybunny.com/BUNNYINFO/LitterboxTraining/tabid/62/Default.aspx

How old is your bunny? Baby bunnies may be harder to train, and until they are spay/neutered, litter box training likely won’t be perfect. As long as they understand to pee in the box-that’s great and you can work from there.

[amyrs2880]

Thank you that is really helpful!  I did have bedding in the cage and liter in the liter box, that makes sense that the bunny uses it everywhere.  I will leave the rest empty and hope that works!  I am not sure at all about the age of the bunny but I’m sure she is a baby.  She is only a little bit longer than my hand.  I got her from a pet store that was in bad shape.  The rabbits were in a big cage but it had wire flooring, a small water bottle, and half a tomoato to eat (and i read that tomatos are very bad for rabbits).  I think that she is much more happy in her new nice home. I will update about how she does with the rest of her cage empty.

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[RabbitPam]

Adorable!

If you scroll up to the green banner at the top of this page, you’ll see headings. Mouse over Bunny Info, and a drop down menu will appear. Click on Litter Training and there’s instructions with pix available. I’d recommend you read all of the sections for a good foundation of the basics of bunny care. Binky Bunny has worked to provide a lot of info. that bunny moms may need to know, and it’s right here.

[Beka27]

Rabbits can eat tomatoes, but they should be fed in moderation. They are technically a fruit and should only be offered as a treat. Some rabbits won’t even go near them. Do stay away from the leaves or vines, as they are toxic to buns. Really tho, there are yummier foods to offer your buns.

Like they said, remove the bedding from the floor of the cage. You’ll have to be very diligent to clean up any pee accidents right away. Soak up pee with a paper towel and put the paper in the litterbox as well.

She may not fully catch on until she is spayed. Or… she may get litterbox training, but when she hits puberty, those good habits may regress until she is spayed.

[Sarita]

Those are all good ideas – just be patient too – babies are more difficult to litter train at this age because they have short attention spans and well, they are babies.

[amyrs2880]

Thank you everyone for your responses they have been really helpful!!! I’ll keep everyone posted about how the training goes!

[iriswarrior1]

First of all…………………….AAAWWWWWWWWWW, HOW CUTE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You’re going to have to be really patient.  Pet stores do ABSOLUTELY nothing about making a rabbit a human-friendly pet.  They don’t spend time with them or socialize them, and they don’t usually use litter boxes at all.  Your bunny has spent its entire little life thinking it’s okay to crap anywhere it wants, and you’ll have to be patient, and hang in there.  My pet store bunny is only NOW using a litterbox on a regular basis, and he’s seven months old!  We neutered him over a month ago, and it helped a lot.

Some helpful hints–your bunny will like a certain type of litter.  Once you find out which one he likes most, and you’ll know because he uses the litter box more, DON’T change the brand.  My rabbits will only use one kind, and God help me if I buy something else!

Make it easy for him!  Hang his food, if possible and his water over the box in the cage, so he has to sit in it to eat and drink.  One of my bunnies constantly poos while he’s eating, so this got him used to the box.

Keep it clean!  Scoop every day, or even twice a day, if your bunny is a poo factory…..  Leave just a few behind, so he can smell them there. 

If you let him out of the cage, give him lots of boxes to choose from, and keep them all clean. 

Hope this helps.

[amyrs2880]

Thank you!!  Yes that really does help.  I have been trying everything that everyone has said for a couple days now.  Not much progress yet, but hopefully one day!  I do have her food hung over the litter box now, but there is not much room for the water to hang over it where she could reach it.  She definately poos everywhere like crazy haha but maybe she’ll use it in the litter box one day.  I clean it many times a day and put most of the poo in the litter box.  Thank you all for your help!!

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