Litter training

[buckaroo948]

I got my bunny about a month ago and she seems pretty happy. The only thing that troubles me is how she refuses to exclusively go in the litter box. She’s pretty much stopped going outside in her cage, except for her bed. I’ve put pee pads in her bed because that’s the place she chooses to pee. Her cage is small as I haven’t added on to it yet (I’m getting more squares for more room soon) and I don’t know how to train her to pee in her box. Im gone about 9 hours of the day to school so I can’t immediately put her in her box when she uses the bathroom. Is there anything I can do?

[Sirius&Luna]

Try moving her litter box to the place she’s choosing to pee, or add an extra one, you can always remove the extra one when she’s got the hang of it.

[buckaroo948]

See, I can’t add another because her cage is too small rn, but I suppose I could switch the litter box and bed, but I think she’d still use the bathroom in her bed :/

[LittlePuffyTail]

How old is your bun and is she spayed?

[buckaroo948]

Somewhere around 5-6 months, and no, she’s not spayed

[DanaNM]

First, please plan to spay her if you aren’t already planning on it. Female rabbits have very high rates of uterine cancer if they are not spayed.

Spaying will also help with the litter box habits.

That said, bunnies will often toilet on soft things. My girl Bertha cannot have a soft bed because she will pee on it.

For now, I would remove the bed, and have the only “soft” area in the cage/pen be the litter box. Many people like carefresh bedding for litter training because it is soft and fluffy. Place the box in the corner that she pees in the most. Mop up any pee with a paper towel and place it in the box. Clean up any other areas where she goes with white vinegar.

I also can only have hay in the litter box with my buns. Bunnies tend to toilet when they eat hay, so having a hay rack over the box helps with that. Alternatively, have a “kitchen” end of the box with hay, and the other end without hay.

The other thing is when the cage is very small, bunnies often see the whole thing as their toilet, so if things still don’t improve after you take the above steps, increasing the size of her area might help too.

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[buckaroo948]

Thank you! I’ll definitely try that, and I’ll see if I can find a vet near me that spay her

[DanaNM]

That’s great!!

Be sure to find a vet that is experienced with rabbits and has done lots of spays. The spay surgery is much more invasive than a neuter, so experience is even more important! Ask your prospective vet lots of question about how many spays they’ve done, etc. This will be a good opportunity to sort out a vet for any future health concerns she might have. It sucks a lot to be stuck with a sick bunny and no vet. :-/

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

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