How Do I Train a Rabbit to Use a Litter Box?

Hi S.,

Here is one suggestion that has been successful. Take bunny every 15 minutes to the box and introduce him/her to the box. Let the bunny sit there for about 5 minutes or until it goes. This worked for us, so hope this info helps you. Good luck.

C. L.

I potty trained both of our rabbits. I used a small container, like one of those clear rubbermaid shoe boxes from walmart. All you do is fill it up with some pine shavings (beware the cedar ones are not good for bunny lungs) placed some hay inside and a few of the bunny poo poo's. I placed the bunny inside the litter box, they ate some of the hay etc. and then hopped out. Then every time I saw them start to poop on the floor I picked a few of the poo poo's, and the rabbit and placed them inside the box. After a few times they started to use the box with no problem. Even when I let them roam the house they still went back to the box. Good luck!

We had our rabbit about 8 yrs and he just recently passed away. He used a litter box and it was in one corner of his cage. We had a really big cage.

I was not as exact on everything the previous poster. I had a regular litter box for cats, I used cat litter. I put Timothy Hay on top of the litter when I changed it. He loved to hang out in that box.

Our rabbit was a biter. I have scars from the scratching and biting. He was not a loving rabbit. He bit me when I would feed him. He was the same way with hubby and he was just ok with daughter. We kept him 8 long years because we made the committment to care for him after adopting him and we did not want our daughter to think that if something is not working you just get rid of them. We made every effort to make sure he had a good life. His remains are now kept along with 2 of our dogs who have passed away.

As for food.....I think we had a weird rabbit. He was all white with pink eyes. He would eat anything. Dogfood, dog biscuits, all of my veggie scraps when I cooked.

We have a very large yard backing up to an 85 acre park so we also have a lot of wildlife....bobcats, snakes, raccoons, bats, etc. I had to watch him carefully when he had this type of play. In the beginning he was inside our house but we could not stand it because hubby and I had horrible allergies from his hair and everything. We moved him to a safe area on our deck right by the door. I had a cage from Petco that we use with our dogs that makes a pen and he loved to hang out in the grass.

When the weather was extremely hot or cold, we moved him to our temperature controlled garage for safety.

After he passed away, we donated all of our food, litter boxes, litter, water bottles, cage, etc to the animal shelter.

Good luck with your rabbit.

Hi S.,
There is a litter called Care Fresh. It's made from recycled paper. They have it at Petco. Fill the litter box with Care Fresh about 1/2 way then put hay on top of that. Rabbits poop while they eat, so that;s the best place to keep their hay. They need timothy hay when they are adults, lots of it. If you keep hay in the litter box and change it often, the rabbit should learn to poop and pee in the box. Limit the amount of pellets otherwise the rabbit will get too fat. Don't forget lots of veggies. Good luck!

When I was a kid we noticed that our rabbit always pooped in the same corner of his cage, and would go there to poop regardless of what was in the way. So to "train" the rabbit to use the litter box, you just put the box in his pooping corner, and he'll hop up on top of it and "use" it. My mom just put kitty litter in his litter box (we used an extra ceramic feeding bowl), and never bothered with the grass/hay, and that rabbit (a kindergarden hand-me-down) lived to be like 9 or 10 years old.

We had a wonderful rabbit for 11 years! (Yes, 11 is right, even though everyones says they only live 5-7 years!) We just put the litter box in her cage and she used it. We used clumping cat litter, I really do not think it matters. We actually hung the litter box in the corner of her cage so she would have more room. She would jump in it and do her business and actually liked sleeping under it! She really liked yogurt drops, they are bunny treats in any pet store. She loved celery, and the core of various fruits. We still miss her to this day. Good luck!

D.

We always used crushed corn cob pellets that you buy at a pet store. We were told not to use cat litter by a vet but I don't know why.
Best wishes,
E.

I agree with what several people have said. Our rabbit is litter trained. We use Yesterday's News also, and you can buy the large bags meant for cats for much cheaper than the ones they sell for rabbits in smaller sizes. We also feed him his hay in his litter box. You have to make sure his hay isn't getting soiled though, so keep it fresh. There are lots of great bunny sites online as well!

Yes rabbits will use a litter box. I have had rabbits for about 10 years. Long before I had my kids. I have 2 mini los with loppy ears. They are great with kids cause they don't bit, but they will nibble on the finger if they hungry.

You can get supplies or food at your local pet store or feed store. You can do a goggle search for feed store and will have several in Ft Worth I believe there is Russell feed store.

You will want to use Aspen litter it is the best for small animals and will not harm them. Cat litter there is too much dust and they breathe that so much because they are in the cage. Where cats do there thing and leave.

If you want the most for your money get your pet food and litter from your local feed store store. You can get a real large bag of aspen at the feed store for about the same price as a small bag from the pet store; and the same with the food.

We got a large plastic rubbermaid storage container and we get a large bag of aspen and store in the rubbermaid storage. The feed store will carry a large bag of rabbit food and it will last a long time is cheaper and better quality.
Most will carry show rabbit or purina it is the best ones.
My kids love going to the feed store so they can see the animals for sale like the fish and puppies.

Usually either place will carry litter boxes. I do recommend replaces the litter box probably once a year if need be.
I use the large corner litter box for rabbits. It is in the rabbit section of the pet store. The corner litter box is easier to get in and out of the cage than the square box.
I put the aspen in the litter box and they will start hoping in and using it. As it gets full we change it about 2 a week.
I save those grocery bags and I dump the littler in a plastic grocery bag and tie it up and goes in the trash on trash day.
It is one way to recycle those bags!

Also you show feed your rabbit.Timothy Hay is healthy for proper teeth wear because of the chewing action (rabbit teeth grow constantly). Plus, timothy hay can make a rabbit feel full so he may not chew everything in sight like your computer wires!
Alfalfa hay is very rich in nutrients and calories! House rabbits can get fat on alfalfa hay. Timothy hay is better than alfalfa for this reason.

I put a handfull of hay on top of the fresh box of litter and
they will hop in and start eating. This will also get the rabbits to go in the litter box.

Rabbits like to play as well as cats. There are cat and rabbit toys available now. This is a great way kids interact with the rabbits.

I have a 3 yr old who grown up with the rabbits and they love to feed the rabbits there carrots. I give her some carrots and she goes and sits down and puts the carrots in the cage one by one. She also learned what carrots was the color orange by doing this and is one of her favorite thing to do.
Sometimes I let her do this when I am cooking dinner for something for her to do.

Sorry this is long was trying to think of things to help.
Feel free to send a msg if you have questions. I am not a vet but I can share my experiences.

We have a rabbit and he is litter box trained. We bought one of the big cages on wheels that had a nesting box attached to it. We made this his bathroom. He has to have bedding for small animals in the litter box NOT CAT LITTER. We use CareFresh Pet Bedding. I like it because it is very absorbant and cleans up easily.

Bunnies like to eat while they do their business, so we put a little bit of hay across from the corner where we placed the bedding. Rabbits are actually very clean and don't like dirty cages. We clean his cage twice a day. In this "bathroom" we leave a little bit of his poop in the place we want him to go. It doesn't take very long for him to realize this is where the bathroom is.

We don't let our bunny run loose in the house because we have dogs. But they actually make the corner litter boxes for rabbits that you could use either in their cage or out in the room. Same idea -- leave a little bit of poop in the litter box until he gets the idea.

Hope this helps.

You can buy special litter boxes that attach to the inside of their cage. There is also specific litter that you need to use. If you have had the rabbit less then a month, let the rabbit get used to your home and family, then after a month start. Pay attention to where in the cage they are using to go to the bathroom. Where they are using the bathroom is the best place to put it. Here are a couple websites to help.

http://www.rabbit.org/care/index.html
http://www.adoptarabbit.com/index.html