Help! Beginner to rabbit litter training...??

I have 2 Netherland Dwarf rabbits - They are 9mths (Buddy) and 7.5mths old (Lulu), they are bonded and living together. As they are house rabbits I am interested in starting litter training them. I have placed a litter tray in the area the last few week just with some straw in to see if they do try and use it. Buddy 75% of the time does use the litter tray but does occasionally wee over the edge as he sits too far back. Lulu is a bit more hit and miss, she uses the litter tray 40%-50% of time but she is not spayed yet and I have read that this does contribute to how litter training goes. I have a few questions that would be very grateful if anyone could answer to help me with their liter training.

What do you put in the litter tray? (e.g. Hay, Straw, Cat Litter, Shavings etc) or is there a certain brand made for rabbits I should be using?

How often should the litter tray be cleaned? (I imagine often as it starts smelling quickly but if I empty it too often otherwise will the smell go so they wont use it anymore?)

Any other advise on how to litter train rabbits?

Thank you for taking your time to read my post

Hello, six month old Alfie lives inside with us and we let him out to have the run of the house as much as we can. I use a triangle shaped cat box, brand is "tail waggers" (fantastic as is two piece and has a lip) At first we placed it on the floor outside his home when he was out and found he would use it, now we just leave it in his home and have found that as long as he can get back to his enclosure when ever he needs to he is fine. No accidents.

I clean every three to four days. I use wood shavings at the bottom covered by a thick layer of good quality straw and oaten hay. (great for "chew and poo")



Rod

I use a few different trays for my two girls.

Spaying will make a great difference and you should be able to have this done now. (Make sure Buddy goes to keep her company)

They have one underbed storage box with fitch as a base and a layer of hay on top. This gets changed once a day as it's in the front room.

They have an underbed box with built in hay rack which has just fitch and hay in the hay rack. This gets spot cleaned daily and a full disinfection every 1 to 2 weeks.

They also have a small cat litter tray with lip that is fitch with hay layer.

I've used woodshavings, wood based cat litter but found fitch to be the best.

Here are their trays:

Small cat tray in cage:



Built in hay rack (from Manor Pet Housing ):


Underbed storage box:



Never have accidents with urine, but as you can see they still spread their poos around (scent marking even though neutered)

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I use 32L storage boxes, lined with newspaper and filled with hay. They get cleaned daily

The general consensus is the place the litter tray where the rabbits have chosen to toilet, but my lot have always toileted wherever I put their trays.

Hello!

I put a thick layer of newspaper in the bottom and cover it with the bits of hay that are always left in the bottom of the bag, along with some fresh as rabbits often like to eat and poop at the same time. There's a ton of different things you can use for litter, its just dependant on whats available to you and your preference - so don't be afraid to experiment as long as you check its safe first.

Since Kirsty has been litter trained for a long time and is very good at it, I spot clean his litter tray twice a day and do a full clean of the toilet itself (I use an under-bed storage box) with water and soap once or twice a week. However as far as I am aware a lot of people usually just do a full clean every couple of days. As you are currently litter training at the moment I would recommend always leaving some poop and a small amount of urine just to help them recognise where they need to 'go', until they are using it frequently.

Spaying will help a lot with Lulu, I get the impression that you are planning on having her spayed? If not, it's definitely something I'd recommend and is worth a good look in to.

In general, just try to make sure that the only place where there is pee and poo is their litter tray. It is normal for rabbits to have a few poops outside the tray so don't worry if this happens, just try to pick them up and put them in the tray whilst you're still training.

Hope this helped, please feel free to ask me anymore questions you have. :wave:

Thank you for all your advise and the pictures, It really has been a huge help. The underbed storage box is an excellent idea - I think I will buy some new litter trays, one with an edge will be excellent for Buddy and also a underbed storage box as their litter tray currently is quite small. That way ill have two so I can put one on the other side of their room, hopefully that will minimise any accidents. I am currently cleaning their litter tray out every 2-3 days so that's good, I will make sure I leave a bit of wee/poo in there during training. I am planning on having Lulu spayed next month now she is nearly 8mths old, I got told they can be spayed from about 6mths but wanted to wait until she was a bit older as it is more of a major operation compared to Buddy's Castration - I was worried enough about Buds having his operation at 4mths old but the thought of Lulu's operation seriously worries me, I know in the long run it is better for her health and happiness. I am currently looking for a very experienced vet, might put a post of here.

Once again thank you for all your advise

Thank you for the Manor Pet Housing recommendation, I have just had a look at some of there stuff �� amazing, think might have spoilt bunnies, just got to try and convince my husband to let me buy new things for the bunnies.

This is what we have from MPH - so you can see and try to tempt the OH


Hay rack which is filled 24/7 with readigrass


Hay station which always has their most favourite hay in it



Their dig box which is filled with play sand. They adore this and it's perfect for indoor bunnies that like to dig. They also like to sit on top of it.

(Obviously you've seen the litter tray)

I've got my eye on the desk for when we move as well probably have a music room/office

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Really love the hay station and I'm sure the bunnies will too. The castle looks good, as you mention would be great as a digging area as Lulu loves to dig in the garden.

Hi, great advice above, also ensure you use a really good hay (Timothy is one type) so they'll eat enough of it. It should be green not brown or yellow. This keeps their teeth and tummies healthy and encourages use of the litter tray. If your bunnies are struggling with the concept, place the tray where they poop and move it to where you want it a few inches each day.

Spaying will definitely help and is very safe with modern surgical techniques from 4 months. Leaving it later only increases her risks of uterine cancer and turns hormonal behaviour into learned behaviour. It will also take some time for her hormones to die down after.

You'll get there, and probably quicker than you think. Good luck!

EyerollChase: Thank you for the advice about the hay - our currently have meadow hay but I will defiantly get some Timothy hay. Thats good to hear about the spaying I think its just be being over protective of the bunnies haha.... I am defiantly goingto book her into the vets in the next couple of weeks.

frankieb1928 said:

EyerollChase: Thank you for the advice about the hay - our currently have meadow hay but I will defiantly get some Timothy hay. Thats good to hear about the spaying I think its just be being over protective of the bunnies haha.... I am defiantly goingto book her into the vets in the next couple of weeks.

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Totally understandable! It's always scary when our fluffles need surgery. The risks these days are so much lower than they used to be though. Just read as much as you can about the procedure and aftercare so you know you're prepared. I find that makes things easier. Good luck with it all! :wave:

Aly&Poppy<3 said:

I use 32L storage boxes, lined with newspaper and filled with hay. They get cleaned daily

The general consensus is the place the litter tray where the rabbits have chosen to toilet, but my lot have always toileted wherever I put their trays.

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Gee your Sable bun looks a bit like my Alfie!