Do you want to let your new rabbit bounce around the house, but are afraid of finding little balls of feces everywhere? Don't worry, rabbits are clean animals by nature and training them to use the litter box isn't as difficult as you might think. What you need is to retrieve the materials, place the litter box and teach your rodent friend to use it.
Steps
Part 1 of 4: Getting the Supplies
Step 1. Purchase a manure tray
Rabbit-specific trays / boxes / basins have a raised rear edge (to prevent sand from flying everywhere when the rabbit rasp) and a lower front edge (to allow it to enter easily). The best thing would be to get several litter boxes, so that you can distribute them in different places in the house and exchange them without difficulty when you need to clean and disinfect them.
Either way, you don't necessarily have to use a special rabbit litter box. A normal litter box with lower edges is fine too, or you can simply take a shallow cardboard box (in this case, however, be prepared to replace it often as the rabbit tends to gnaw on it)
Step 2. Have newspapers close at hand
Use them to line the bottom of the tray to make cleaning easier.
Most newspapers now contain soy-based ink, which is not toxic to rabbits, but always check before using. Among other things, the ink can come into contact with the animal's fur, staining it with black or gray
Step 3. Get the proper litter box
Choose a product that is safe for rabbits, such as those made from paper or untreated poplar shavings. Do not use pine or cedar shavings, as they are treated with oils that can irritate the animal's lungs.
Do not use clay-based litter or clumping cat litter either. If swallowed, it could cause an intestinal blockage
Step 4. Purchase the cage
This should be three to six times the size of the rabbit in length. The first thing to do to train your rodent friend is to confine him in a cage where half of the space is occupied by food, water and a small shelter, and the other half by the litter. The confined space causes him not to dirty the area where he eats and therefore to use the tray correctly for his needs.
Step 5. Get good quality hay
Use hay to lure it into the litter box. Rabbits often like to nibble a bit while they are in the "toilet", so this encourages your new friend to use the space set up for that purpose properly.
Step 6. Purchase a scoop and disinfectant
You should clean up the urine-soiled litter tray every day, while the entire tray should be disinfected at least once a week. Use a commercial disinfectant specifically for small pets.
Part 2 of 4: Arrange the Litter and Cage
Step 1. Prepare the litter box
Line the bottom with a folded sheet of newspaper and cover it with about 2-3 cm of material. Rabbits don't bury their feces like cats, so they don't need a deep layer of litter.
Step 2. Put some rabbit feces inside the tray
Collect some and distribute them in the litter box. This allows you to leave a little rabbit smell in the container, thus inducing him to think that it is the right place to fulfill his needs.
Step 3. Insert the litter box into the cage
Place it at one end of the cage and sprinkle some hay inside, or connect a feeder to the back wall of the cage where the litter is located. As already mentioned, rabbits like to eat while fulfilling their physiological needs, so a little tasty hay will attract the attention of your new friend and encourage him to proceed.
Step 4. Set up a sleeping and eating area inside the cage
On the opposite side of the litter box, put some cloths to create the bed and bowls for water and food, as well as a corner that acts as a hiding place / shelter, so that it can feel safe.
Step 5. Place additional litter boxes in different areas of the house
Arrange some in areas where the rabbit spends time or plays when out of the cage. The more litter boxes you distribute in various places, the more likely you are to use them when needed.
Before trying to train him for the first time to use the litter box, observe him and pay attention to where he needs to be. Generally, the normal instinct is to carry them out in the back corner; once you have identified your favorite area, put the litter box right there
Part 3 of 4: Training the Rabbit to Use the Litter
Step 1. Start training your new friend as soon as you bring him home
Adult rabbits learn faster than puppies (under 4 months of age). However, it's never too early to start. Set up a tub and make it available to him as soon as you bring him home, and start teaching him how to use it. The important thing is to be patient and you will see that he will eventually learn.
To begin with, when you see that it leaves excrement outside the litter box, collect it and put it inside the container, so you begin to suggest where it should go
Step 2. Consider spaying or neutering your rabbit
Uncastrated adults are more territorial and use their smells to reclaim space. This means that they tend to urinate and leave traces of excrement in various areas of the house, so that their own smell marks the territory. However, if you do castrate your long-eared friend, it will become easier to train him to use the litter box, because in this case his need for territoriality will be significantly reduced.
Step 3. Teach the rabbit to use the litter box in its cage
First of all, it is worth limiting the space to the cage with the tray, so that he learns not to dirty the area where he sleeps and eats. It only takes a few days for it to learn, and once it has learned, you can start letting it out of the cage as well.
Step 4. Allow him to stay out of the cage for short periods
When you allow him to go out to move a bit, as soon as you notice that he is crouching in the position to defecate, grab him gently and put him in the litter box inside his cage. You can understand that the rabbit is about to defecate when it raises its tail slightly upwards. You have to be vigilant for this, but it helps if it allows you to catch it in time.
In the early stages of training, do not let him go out for more than ten minutes at a time and do not leave him in an unsupervised room (you must be ready to stop him before he does his business). As he learns to use the litter box regularly over time, you can ease your vigilance and give him more freedom
Step 5. Congratulate the rabbit when it uses the litter box correctly
Never scold him and don't get mad at him if he doesn't use it, it's certainly not the right way to train him; positive reinforcement is definitely a better technique.
Offer him a small treat, such as a bite of apple or carrot, right after he goes to the litter box. This will strengthen a positive link between the evacuation and the tank
Step 6. Have an adequate number of litter boxes
When you see that it starts to use them reliably, you can decide to change the quantity or position if necessary.
For example, if you see that the rabbit only uses two and ignores the others, the unused ones can also be removed. If you ignore one, but urinate in a corner a meter away, move this litter to the corner you like
Part 4 of 4: Cleaning the Litter Box and Coping with Accidents
Step 1. Clean the soiled areas of the litter box
Once a day, collect the dirty urine material. It is advisable to leave the feces for a day or two, so that the rabbit can smell and recognize the place as a suitable place for defecating.
Step 2. Do not remove all the feces from the dirty container
When cleaning the litter box, pay attention to those larger residues that appear wetter, which are made up of semi-digested food. Leave them in the container so the rabbit can eat them back and get some vital nutrients. Without these waste, the animal could suffer from gastric disturbances and diarrhea and, in the long term, even food shortages.
Step 3. Clean the container completely
Once a week, empty the tray completely and clean it. Simply put the entire contents in a plastic bag, tie it tightly and throw it in the trash. Clean the litter box with a disinfectant, rinse thoroughly and let it air dry, then put some new newspaper on the bottom and some shavings.
Veterinary clinics or pet stores sell disinfectants that are safe for use on pet accessories
Step 4. Clean up after any accidents
Accept the episode for what it is, then clean the area thoroughly so that it doesn't continue to be mistakenly considered a good place to go to the toilet. Use a solution based on organic detergent powder and scrub carefully using a clean cloth or sponge. Rinse with clean water.
- Don't scold your rodent friend and don't punish him. These animals learn nothing through punishment other than being afraid of the person who is scolding them.
- When cleaning dirt residue, always test in a corner first to make sure the disinfectant product doesn't discolour the carpet or carpet.
Step 5. Eliminate lingering odors
Apply a baking soda solution to the carpet and rinse with clean water. If the dirty surface is smooth, such as tiles or linoleum, finish the cleaning process by rubbing with denatured alcohol.
Do not use products that contain ammonia; since this substance is a component of urine, it actually strengthens its odor
Advice
- Make sure the edges of the litter box allow the rabbit to get in and out easily.
- Talk in a low voice to your pet rabbit.
- Some rabbits prefer different types of bedding or containers. If your pet used a different type of litter box in his previous home, try to get a similar one.
- If he forgets his litter box habits, limit his access area. This should solve the problem. In this case, a fence is often helpful, blocking the space available to him until he can resume using the litter box correctly.
- Make sure the cage is of good quality.
Warnings
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Avoid litter made of coniferous wood, corn on the cob, clay, and clumping sand. Aromatic conifer-based materials such as pine or cedar emit gases that cause damage to your four-legged friend's liver and respiratory tract. This can cause chronic asthma and respiratory disease, as well as reduce the rabbit's ability to properly absorb standard medications.
- Clay-based litter dust can be inhaled by the rabbit resulting in irritation of the nose and eyes; it can also form lumps in his lungs and make him more vulnerable to respiratory diseases. If the rabbit ingests clumping or cob-based litter, a solid mass can form in its digestive system which can lead to intestinal blockage, often fatal.
- Even if you don't see the rabbit eating the litter box, don't assume it's safe. Rabbits are meticulously groomed and your pet may ingest particles that have clung to their fur.
