Tuesday, August 24, 2010

How do you litter train a rabbit?

I have 2 dutch bunnies with a giant hutch and loads of space in a run below. They poo where they eat, i give them hay in their litter box, and in the morning I clean it out. But they also do a lot of mess every where else, and they mess up their run a lot. There was grass there to help decompose their mess, but they chewed it all up and destroyed it. So now their run is also a mess. Help!How do you litter train a rabbit?
Start with a good litter. Most cat litters are made from clay or other substances that will be very harmful to your rabbit, who will spend just as much time nibbling as eliminating in there.





The best litter source I've found is wood pellets designed to be burned in a wood pellet stove. They are natural with no added chemicals, and when wet simply dissolve, and are extremely cheap. You can find them at most hardware stores. You'll want to clean it out every one or two days. You can also try just newspaper or a litter like Yesterday's News that is just recycled paper.





Once you've got a box (a new cat box is just fine) and put your choice of litter down, put ample handfuls of hay on there. Show your rabbit this new treasure, and put it where she likes to eliminate the most. Don't leave hay or bedding anywhere else, so they don't get confused. Sweep up any stray pellets and put into the box and you can blot up urine spots and place them inside as well to give her the idea. She should start to use it enthusiastically as it's natural for a rabbit to eliminate in a specific spot. When she's got the idea of the box down, you can start moving it (slowly) to a spot of your choosing. Always praise good behavior, but do not scold accidents; this does more harm than good. Just put all accidents back into the box.





If your rabbit starts to dig out the litter, you may need to step up to a covered box, just cut some extra holes for easier access.How do you litter train a rabbit?
The best way to litter train a rabbit is to put the litter box where they normally poo. Get a cat litter box(a rabbit one is too small for two grown dutch bunnies) and fill 1-3cm with cat litter (preferably made out of recycled newspaper). Place this where they usually poo which is almost always in a corner so keep the litter tray in a protected/secluded spot. You may need to move the food bowls to somewhere close by.


if youre rabbits do not lie the litter tray, try putting treats on top


Indoor rabbits are trained the same way.


Your rabbits may dig in it.


:)

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