Litter training & hay

I have 2 baby rabbits (just over 2 months) and naturally they poop everywhere (they have the run of my kitchen). Any info on litter training and on getting them to eat hay (I struggle with this - trying inside loo rolls which is helping a bit). Thanks in advance.

Hi welcome to the forum :wave: what sort of set up do your bunnies have, regarding litter trays. Bunnies love to chew and poo at the same time, so shallow low sided underbed storage boxes are a really good choice. I put layers of newspaper at the bottom, and a good layer of hay on the top. You could then try putting any stray poops into the tray.

Pets mum said:

Hi welcome to the forum :wave: what sort of set up do your bunnies have, regarding litter trays. Bunnies love to chew and poo at the same time, so shallow low sided underbed storage boxes are a really good choice. I put layers of newspaper at the bottom, and a good layer of hay on the top. You could then try putting any stray poops into the tray.

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I agree with this. Best way to litter train rabbits in my opinion is putting half good quality hay and half pellets in a litter tray (rabbits should eat their body size in hay daily), and they tend to figure it out themselves providing they are spayed/neutered. Also ensure the litter tray is a suitable size (I’ve found a large cat litter tray works well), as rabbits need to be able to do a 360 degree turn in their litter tray otherwise they will be discouraged to use it. You can also reward your rabbit with praise or treats if you see them using the litter tray, but this isn’t always necessary and I’d argue is more of a reinforcement. Any accidents should be put into the litter tray to encourage good litter habits and keep the scent to one area.

I agree with the advice you have been given. The best way to get rabbits to eat more hay is to get hay that they really like. You can get samples from most companies, the hay delivered from online companies is preferred to the pet shop hay, and their teeth are better for it. Haybox is my bunnies favourite at the moment :thumb:

Pets mum said:

Hi welcome to the forum :wave: what sort of set up do your bunnies have, regarding litter trays. Bunnies love to chew and poo at the same time, so shallow low sided underbed storage boxes are a really good choice. I put layers of newspaper at the bottom, and a good layer of hay on the top. You could then try putting any stray poops into the tray.

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Thank you very much. I have a litter tray that has a grid and a pull out drawer in the cage with a hay bag attached to the sides of the cage. Yes I've been putting stray poops in as well. They do use it especially for urine but they still poop on the floor a lot as well as the litter tray but I'm assuming it's as they are still very young (10 weeks now). Does this sound ok?

Zoobec said:

I agree with the advice you have been given. The best way to get rabbits to eat more hay is to get hay that they really like. You can get samples from most companies, the hay delivered from online companies is preferred to the pet shop hay, and their teeth are better for it. Haybox is my bunnies favourite at the moment :thumb:

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Thank you so much - I will try the haybox hay. They do eventually eat the 2 types of hay I have but maybe not as much as they should.