Litter training indoor bun?

So as some of you will know I have recently bought another rabbit.
At the moment he is living inside in a 120cm indoor cage with free access to the top floor of the house, when i'm around. In the cage he has enrichment (wooden platform/table thing, wooden chews, hanging hay toy and an edible chewtoy) and lots of hay to nibble on whenever he wants to.
When I let him out for his playtime, he poops and wees wherever he wants to and its becoming a problem... Its on carpet! So it stains and smells a bit too, even though I do my best to catch it in time and clean up asap.
I don't know how to litter train him! Some people have suggested just letting him go back in his cage whenever he wants-and he can! But he won't voluntarily hop in the cage on his own (nor out of it!) I have to physically pick him up and put him on the floor or back in his cage. He just wont hop out on his own, which is incredibly frustrating!

How can I litter train him? :shock:

I would restrict his space to start with with say a puppy pen, then provide a nice litter tray filled with hay and see if he gets into a habit of using that as his toilet. It won't happen overnight so you might have to wait a while, then when he is only using the tray you can give extend his space and hopefully he will go back to his litter tray when he wants to toilet. You can also pick up any poohs and place them in his litter tray so he might get the message. You also have to take into consideration the way he was kept before you got him as they do get into bad habits which are not always easy to break. Good luck!

tonibun said:

I would restrict his space to start with with say a puppy pen, then provide a nice litter tray filled with hay and see if he gets into a habit of using that as his toilet. It won't happen overnight so you might have to wait a while, then when he is only using the tray you can give extend his space and hopefully he will go back to his litter tray when he wants to toilet. You can also pick up any poohs and place them in his litter tray so he might get the message. You also have to take into consideration the way he was kept before you got him as they do get into bad habits which are not always easy to break.

Good luck!

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I will try it, Thanks

tonibun said:

I would restrict his space to start with with say a puppy pen, then provide a nice litter tray filled with hay and see if he gets into a habit of using that as his toilet. It won't happen overnight so you might have to wait a while, then when he is only using the tray you can give extend his space and hopefully he will go back to his litter tray when he wants to toilet. You can also pick up any poohs and place them in his litter tray so he might get the message. You also have to take into consideration the way he was kept before you got him as they do get into bad habits which are not always easy to break. Good luck!

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Okay thankyou
I'll have a go and we shall see what happens!

For the litter tray, could I use an old hamster cage base? Its pretty large and he'd certainly fit in it, its just the edges come up quite high. I'm not sure if he'll be reluctant to go inside it if it reminds him of his cage...
Also!
Should I put the litter tray in his cage and take it out eachtime he is running around and put it on the floor? Or just have it out when he's running about?

A hamster cage tray should be ok. If you let him free range he might not get the idea of using a tray. You will have to try various ways to suit you and him.

tonibun said:

A hamster cage tray should be ok. If you let him free range he might not get the idea of using a tray. You will have to try various ways to suit you and him.

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It seems that he prefers to poop and pee in the hallway by the stairs, so i'm hoping that if I put the tray in there, he might use it. I will see how it goes tomorrow-going to hunt around the garden for it, give it a good clean and make it into his litter tray!

Hi,

I don't know if it helps, but does he wee in a corner of his cage at all?

My new little boy has a corner in his cage he used, so I ended up adding lots of hay in that corner and he continued to use it. He now has a puppy pen and the cage is always open. So I added in a litter tray to his puppy pen, used abit of his used hay from his cage and topped it up with fresh and he now uses that no problem! I do also find the stray wee and poo in his cage but can honestly say the majority is in his litter tray. But the plan you have, sounds great xx

Ruthyjones89 said:

Hi, I don't know if it helps, but does he wee in a corner of his cage at all?

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He only seems to wee where the hay is. I've changed the hay corner about 3 times now and he always wees in the corner that the hay is on-very annoying as he then doesn't eat the hay thats been wee'd on (understandable!) so i'm hoping that the hay in the litter tray will work when he's free ranging.

My lot all have newspaper, straw and hay in their underbed storage boxes ie litter trays. Hopefully the hay will encourage your boy to use the tray as they love to eat and poo at the same time (hence why we get through soooo much hay).

Once he is neutered it should get easier.

I had a very brief weeing problem with one of mine, she was weeing in the corners of the shed. I soaked it up with Kitchen Towel and put the kitchen towel in the litter tray, she wee'd some more on it, I then removed it and she's been good as gold ever since. Pooing she is less cooperative on.


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