Litter box training advice

[Koukla76]

Hi! So many questions!! I have a new 8/9 month old bunny named Thumper. We’ve only had him since Sunday but he’s been so good and only pees/poos
In his cage. So I decided to put a corner litter box in his cage to see if he’ll go in the litter box and not just wherever in the cage. I got new carefree paper bedding for his cage and put his previous paper pellet kitty litter in the litter box. Well, he’s still going wherever in the cage, what can I do to make him just go in the litter box
I know I should scoop the poop and put it in the litter box, but the poops are so little and add up!! Lol , any advice?

[Azerane]

Scooping the poop and putting it in the box is the correct thing to do. You can wipe up pee with a paper towel and put the paper towel in the box also, then clean the pee area with a mix of vinegar water. You will need to remove the bedding from the rest of his cage, that will confuse him as to where he’s supposed to be going. Just bedding or litter in the litter box is needed. Is he neutered? Rabbits that aren’t neutered can be litter trained, but often it is more difficult.

How big is the litter box? Rabbits seem to prefer bigger litter boxes and sometimes the corner boxes are very small so he may be reluctant to use it. Hanging some hay above the litter box, or putting a pile in one end of the box can help encourage him to use it as rabbits like to munch on hay as they poop

[Koukla76]

No he’s not neutered, and I do have a corner little box but it’s one of the big ones ,and I hung hay right in front of it so I’m assuming maybe I should replace his bedding with new bedding so he doesn’t get confused with the smell? I do plan on neutering him so I guess I’ll keep trying and see how it goes, until then. There isn’t any pee to wipe up because his care fresh bedding absorbs the Pee but I have a different paper pellet kitty litter in his box because that’s what he was peeing on before, i’m using the care fresh paper as bedding care fresh is new for him and he never used to use that is bedding

[Ellie from The Netherlands]

Yay, welcome new bunny owner to our forum This forum is a treasure trove of good advice from long-time bunny owners.

Rabbits can definitely be litter trained, as they’re creatures of habit. A habit can be difficult to un-learn and replace with a new habit, but gentle encouragement and being patient helps.

We had the same problems with our bun, and we got some great advice which you can see in this thread: https://binkybunny.com/FORUM/tabid/54/aft/146503/Default.aspx
Breintje has been doing well ever since. There were some slip-ups, because we had a corner-model litter box. Since we got him a large rectangular litter box (which actually was the lower lid of a muffin carrying tray) things have improved drastically. Our bun became so well-adjusted to this new situation that a year later we recognised a health issue as soon as it came up. He was peeing outside of the box, and this was our cue to take him to the vet ASAP. He seems to be doing well now.

This is important info for new rabbit owners: they really are creastures of habit. Watch these closely, gently try to replace unwanted habits, and keep an eye out for sudden changes in their habits as they might indicate health issues. Living together, and learning each others’ ways and habits will greatly improve the bond between you and your bun. They are such wonderful animals, and they will really form an emotional bond with you. Having a bad day? Many people here have found that their buns actively sought them out to comfort them. Wonderful, isn’t it?

[kmurphy]

If I understand correctly, you have paper litter in his litter box and carefresh in the rest of his cage?
If that’s the case I believe that the soft fluffy carefresh might be confusing him. Most people only use carefresh (or any type of disposable bedding/litter) in the litter box. For the rest of the cage many people don’t have bedding or they have a fleece blanket but only if the bunny does not chew.
This helps the bunny understand where to go potty and where not to. Hope this helps!

[Koukla76]

Oh really? So I’m confusing him? Won’t the plastic bottom of the cage be uncomfortable???? Maybe I will change the set up then.

[Ellie from The Netherlands]

If it’s too slippery for your bun you can always put a sheet of cardboard into it.

[Vienna Blue in France]

It shouldn’t be uncomfortable no, and buns like chilling out in their litter trays……. but to stop mine slipping on the plastic I glued a bit of carpet square in the middle of the bottom but they actually choose to lay on the cool plastic. (The carpet gives them some traction though to jump up onto the shelf.)

Try to avoid putting hay and/or absorbant stuff in the rest of the cage even in the bedroom part, only in the litter tray. Then they’ll learn to go there.

The first winter, I put straw in the bedroom compartment for my very experienced litter-trained bun and she started going on the straw (!!)… so I stuck (another) carpet square down to take the chill off the bottom and gave her a fleecy blanket instead. (She shoves that to the side too ! )

[Koukla76]

I noticed that he was moving the bedding and just lay on the plastic!

[Bunny_Rabbit]

From my experience, before my rabbits were fixed I would have never thought they would ever learn how to use the litter box. All of a sudden, after their neuter something clicked and they started to use it!
So I suggest to get him neutered (for multiple reasons)
Keep scooping up his dropping and put them in
Try different litters (my rabbits love carefresh)
try different parts of the cage
Also a way that helped get one of my rabbits used to it;
Well my rabbit really likes to pee on blankets so I plopped one in and voila!

[Author]

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