Help with litter training

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cocoxbunny

cocoxbunny

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For the past 4 days or so my bunny has been using her litter to pee in and the last two days she's just been peeing inside her cage. I feel like once I get happy that she is finally using her litter normally, she just completely stops and pees other places. She's just on and off with using her litter. Was she litter trained for 4 days? I'm confused as to why she has these random days where she starts to pee inside the cage instead of her litter. Any tips on getting her litter trained permanently so she doesn't forget? (just pee obviously, poop isn't as bad)
 
Everytime she pees outside spray some vinegar and water on the area so she doesn't smell it, and, try wiping it up with a paper towel, then place the paper towel a little under the bedding so she smells it there.
Andy was perfect using the litter box then suddenly decided to pee outside of it, I always just cleaned it up and now he's back to being perfect with the pee, (not so much with poop lol)
Also rabbits like to poop and pee while eating hay
And they like to pee in corners
I switched to aspen from car fresh, he did not like aspen (neither did I) his litter training got better once I switched him back over to care fresh (not saying you have to get care fresh, maybe just a bedding that the rabbit is used to)
Also, when cleaning out the litter box, leave a little old-used bedding in the litter box

Hope this helped! :)
 
BlackMiniRex said:
Everytime she pees outside spray some vinegar and water on the area so she doesn't smell it, and, try wiping it up with a paper towel, then place the paper towel a little under the bedding so she smells it there.
Andy was perfect using the litter box then suddenly decided to pee outside of it, I always just cleaned it up and now he's back to being perfect with the pee, (not so much with poop lol)
Also rabbits like to poop and pee while eating hay
And they like to pee in corners
I switched to aspen from car fresh, he did not like aspen (neither did I) his litter training got better once I switched him back over to care fresh (not saying you have to get care fresh, maybe just a bedding that the rabbit is used to)
Also, when cleaning out the litter box, leave a little old-used bedding in the litter box

Hope this helped! :)
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I did the whole paper towel thing for a while and after a while I just took it out and she was normal with the litter but now she's back to peeing outside. Should I just try the paper towel under the litter again? I always clean her cage with water and soap after she pees and I use a cage cleaner also which has a very nice smell (safe for pets) so I use that so she doesn't smell anything in the hopes of going back to her normal litter habits. I've had my bunny for almost a month now and she is about 2 months old (I believe) so I'm not sure how long it'll take for her to start using her litter tray normally. How long does it usually take? Thank you btw!
 
cocoxbunny said:
I did the whole paper towel thing for a while and after a while I just took it out and she was normal with the litter but now she's back to peeing outside. Should I just try the paper towel under the litter again? I always clean her cage with water and soap after she pees and I use a cage cleaner also which has a very nice smell (safe for pets) so I use that so she doesn't smell anything in the hopes of going back to her normal litter habits. I've had my bunny for almost a month now and she is about 2 months old (I believe) so I'm not sure how long it'll take for her to start using her litter tray normally. How long does it usually take? Thank you btw!
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Your little bunny is still very young!!
Don't stress about it. Sometimes young ones don't litter train. Those that do may forget those habits once hormones activate.

It is after a bunny is past hormones and is fixed that they litter train themselves.

So in the meantime, use the paper towel idea everytime she pees outside the box. Other than that, don't worry about it.

For when she is old enough, here is a tutorial for litter training.
 
Blue eyes said:
Your little bunny is still very young!!
Don't stress about it. Sometimes young ones don't litter train. Those that do may forget those habits once hormones activate.

It is after a bunny is past hormones and is fixed that they litter train themselves.

So in the meantime, use the paper towel idea everytime she pees outside the box. Other than that, don't worry about it.

For when she is old enough, here is a tutorial for litter training.
Click to expand...

Is it possible that her litter box may be "too dirty" for her to pee in? Because usually when i clean her litter box she tends to pee there for about 2/3 days and after that I just always have to wipe down her cage cause she peed outside of her litter box, would cleaning her litter possibly help?
 
Some rabbits don't like a dirty litter box. So perhaps that could play a factor. However, if you follow the tips on my tutorial and put plenty of fresh hay on top of the litter twice per day, then there won't be an issue with a "too dirty" litter box (-at least not for a week).

With a large enough litter box, the right litter, and the additions of hay, a little bunny shouldn't be able to cause the box to have any odor whatsoever for up to a full week.
 
Blue eyes said:
Some rabbits don't like a dirty litter box. So perhaps that could play a factor. However, if you follow the tips on my tutorial and put plenty of fresh hay on top of the litter twice per day, then there won't be an issue with a "too dirty" litter box (-at least not for a week).

With a large enough litter box, the right litter, and the additions of hay, a little bunny shouldn't be able to cause the box to have any odor whatsoever for up to a full week.
Click to expand...

I have a corner litter box now which seemed to be fine when I first got her but i think I need to buy one of those storage type litter boxes and my only concern for those types is that it doesn't have the really high sides like the corner litters and I don't want her to kick around her poop or pee higher than the box since she lifts up her tail when she pees
 
The storage boxes are typically high enough. But there are the rare buns that really lift their butts up high. Some on here have then used a taller sided storage box with an opening cut out so bunny can more easily get in and out.

Also, be generous with the hay in the larger box. As she's training, I'd suggest putting the hay further back in the litter box so she has to get all the way inside the box in order to get to the hay. They like to potty as they graze, so you want her inside the box and not just reaching in to get to the hay.
 
Blue eyes said:
The storage boxes are typically high enough. But there are the rare buns that really lift their butts up high. Some on here have then used a taller sided storage box with an opening cut out so bunny can more easily get in and out.

Also, be generous with the hay in the larger box. As she's training, I'd suggest putting the hay further back in the litter box so she has to get all the way inside the box in order to get to the hay. They like to potty as they graze, so you want her inside the box and not just reaching in to get to the hay.
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This is the set up that i want to have but i went to about 6 stores today looking for a pan that will fit in her cage perfectly but all were too big. The pet store only had huge ones for cats and the corner ones for small animals so I am still on the search for the perfect size litter pan

rubbermaid.jpg
 
Have you tried Amazon? There is a high back litter pan on there, made by Marshall Pet Products. I know some people have used a portable potting tray when they couldn't find a litter box like this. Not sure how high the sides are though. That plastic pan that you are looking for - it kind of looks like the ones I have seen in the kitchen section (near dish strainers).

I agree with some of the other answers. We have a bun right now that refuses to use a dirty litter box and will pee outside of it, even at the age of 5. That is how I know sometimes that I'm late in getting the box changed. He has also gone as far as pulling the newspaper and hay out of the box to indicate that it's no longer sufficient. :)
 
The reason you're having trouble getting a litter pan to fit in her cage is because her cage is too small. The cage itself could be used as a litter box. That's why I was suggesting getting a pen to put around the current 'cage' as permanent space.

I wouldn't go smaller than about 18" x 24" for a litter pan. Not only is training easier with a larger pan, but it also will last longer between cleanings.

The photo you attached should work great.
 
Blue eyes said:
The reason you're having trouble getting a litter pan to fit in her cage is because her cage is too small. The cage itself could be used as a litter box. That's why I was suggesting getting a pen to put around the current 'cage' as permanent space.

I wouldn't go smaller than about 18" x 24" for a litter pan. Not only is training easier with a larger pan, but it also will last longer between cleanings.

The photo you attached should work great.
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Yeah I'm beginning to look for something to put around her cage so that she'll have a bigger area to be in since she's gotten bigger from the time i got her. Also, what do you usually use to clean your bunny's litter/cage? Something that gets rid of the odor somewhat
 
doodlebugger said:
Have you tried Amazon? There is a high back litter pan on there, made by Marshall Pet Products. I know some people have used a portable potting tray when they couldn't find a litter box like this. Not sure how high the sides are though. That plastic pan that you are looking for - it kind of looks like the ones I have seen in the kitchen section (near dish strainers).

I agree with some of the other answers. We have a bun right now that refuses to use a dirty litter box and will pee outside of it, even at the age of 5. That is how I know sometimes that I'm late in getting the box changed. He has also gone as far as pulling the newspaper and hay out of the box to indicate that it's no longer sufficient. :)
Click to expand...

I should probably look in the kitchen section next time instead of the storage containers hopefully I'll have better luck with that. I'm going to start cleaning her litter maybe 2/3 times a week and see if there's any changes with that
 
cocoxbunny said:
Yeah I'm beginning to look for something to put around her cage so that she'll have a bigger area to be in since she's gotten bigger from the time i got her. Also, what do you usually use to clean your bunny's litter/cage? Something that gets rid of the odor somewhat
Click to expand...

I have two litter boxes but use just one at a time. When it is time to empty one, I prep the 2nd one so it is ready to go. Then I can take my time dumping the dirty one and rinsing it out. Usually a hose rinse removes all odor. If the urine has left dried residue, plain white vinegar removes that. I can let the vinegar soak on the area (since I already have a 'new' litter box in the cage).

cocoxbunny said:
I should probably look in the kitchen section next time instead of the storage containers hopefully I'll have better luck with that. I'm going to start cleaning her litter maybe 2/3 times a week and see if there's any changes with that
Click to expand...

The photo you have of the storage box with the higher sides and cut out entry will work just fine. Get that and all you need is the exercise pen. Voila! all set!

With the right litter and maintenance, there should be no reason to clean it more than twice per week. Have you read over this (click on word "this") section on my site that explains how to keep the litter box odor free?
 
Baron is not neutered, almost 2 years old now and he uses peat for his litter. Keeps the odor down very nice. Also he doesn't pee outside his box unless something scares him. You can buy a whole lot of peat for $10 at most garden shops, make sure they didn't add chemicals to it. I get a huge bag from Home Depot roughly every 4 months.
 
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