Litter Training my 2 rabbits.

[bunnybunny]

Okay so my rabbits live outside in a hutch and they aren’t really well litter trained. We bought them a box and fill it with the same stuff as the hutch (hay, straw and sawdust) but they don’t really use it. The girls ‘go’ all over the hutch and it’s becoming an issue as we have to clean it every day so they aren’t sitting in filth and their hutch doesn’t become smelly and/or ruin like our previous one (which wasn’t very well-made). Since we have a new hutch I am attempting to litter train them. I have just filled their toilet box with newspaper (non-shredded) and regular dust-extracted hay completely covering it . Will that be suitable and safe for them and will it actually work. Another issue is it’s difficult to see at night will that create a problem of them not really finding the toilet box or am I okay?

[LittlePuffyTail]

How old are your bunnies and are they spayed?

[DanaNM]

What is on the floor of the hutch? If you want them to use the litter box, there should only be bedding in the litter box, not on the floor of the hutch, as this confuses them.

Are they spayed? Are they bonded or just neighbors? How old are they?

If they are not spayed, they will have bad box habits, as they will mark territorially. Babies also are difficult to box-train.

How big is the hutch? Bunnies in small spaces don’t often have good box habits as they view the whole area as their toilet. They will usually pick a corner, and you should put the box in that corner. Add some soiled bedding and their poop so they know to use the box.

This isn’t an all inclusive list, but here are some options to use in the litter box:
Good materials to put in the box are:
– just hay (doesn’t absorb smells and liquids as much, needs to be replaced daily)
– pine pellet bedding (sold as wood stove pellets, horse stall pellets, or feline pine litter) – my favorite (safe, cheap, absorbs odors very well)
– care fresh bedding (more expensive, but picky bunnies love how fluffy it is. pretty good at absorbing smells)
– newspaper is OK, but can stain their feet and get gross and mushy. might be better off with just hay.

Bad materials:
– pine shavings – the aromatic compounds are very dangerous to bunnies, they accumulate in their liver
– clay cat litter – very dangerous if eaten

. . . 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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