Litter Training!!

[sheridan]

Hi,

I got my 2 rabbits 2 days ago and am trying to litter train them. I puta litter box in 1 corner but then found 1 of the rabbits was going inthe other corner. so I placed the litter box in that corner. Now I findthe rabbit sits in it but still pees outside and also tends to go inthe original corner. they also seem to occassionallypoop intheir bedding

What else can I do about them?

Any help would be great

Thanks

 

[Blyre]

You should consider perhaps putting a litter boxin both corners at first and eventually removing one once both bunniesare used to using the same box. You may have a case where the bunnieswant their own litter box.

I've read that pooping in their bedding generally is a way that theymark their territory and is basically normal so I wouldn't worry toomuch about that.

Good luck

Blyre

 

[sheridan]

Thanks very much. Will get another 1 tomorrow.

Thanks

 

[sheridan]

its not going too well. They started pooping inthe box but since then hav started going in different corners. I havebought additional litter boxes and put them in the used corners, buteach time them seem to use a different random corner or even the centreof the hutch!!!

Anymore hints or suggestions??

 

[naturestee]

If you have room, you can put a box in everycorner. Clean the cage often, and use vinegar to get rid ofany scent outside of the litterboxes that would encourage them to usethat spot again. Put some of their poops and wet litter intheir litterboxes to give them the idea.

Not all rabbits will be perfectly littertrained, either.Especially babies or intact adults. I've never been able tolittertrain Mocha, who is spayed, although she usually pees in herlitterbox when she's in her pen.

 

[sheridan]

I cleaned out their litterboxs and used vinegar to wipe them. I read that somewhere. could that be putting them off?

 

[naturestee]

Cleaning the litterboxes that completely couldbe confusing them, especially since it's a new idea to them.I rarely do a full clean-out of the litterboxes. I usuallyjust scoop out the wet spots and most of the poops. I usevinegar on the spots where they weren't supposed to go.

 

[sheridan]

ok, I have just gone and scooped up their poopand put iti n the litter boxes. I have now sprinkled vinegar around theareas that they are going.

Lets hope thats it. I hope

 

[maherwoman]

I agree...I'm always tempted to fully cleanboth our buns litterbox and the kitties' box, but if you do, you'rewashing away their own scent. They use that scent as anindicator to tell them where they usually go. If that's notthere, they might think it's someone else's, or might not realizethat's their litterbox, etc. At least that's what it's likefrom a cat's perspective...and I've noticed that a bun's litterboxpreferences/habits are very similiar to a cat's.

Also, when you purchase additional litterboxes, make sure to put alittle dirty bedding in them with the new, clean bedding you putin. Again...to indicate to them where to "go".

naturestee wrote:

Cleaning the litterboxesthat completely could be confusing them, especially since it's a newidea to them. I rarely do a full clean-out of thelitterboxes. I usually just scoop out the wet spots and mostof the poops. I use vinegar on the spots where they weren'tsupposed to go.

 

[Blyre]

Every since I had the experience with the corncob based litter, I had gotten into the habit of fully cleaning thelitter box. Of course, I didn't realize that I was washing Munchkin'sscent away at the same time. Since I started putting down a layer ofCell-Sorb Plus under the other litter (transitioning in order to gether used to it as well as using up the old stuff), I haven't had asmuch work to do and she's getting back in the habit of faithfully usingthe box again.

Blyre

 

[TrixieRabbit]

When I first got Trix, she picked where shewanted her "toilet" to be, so I put her litter box there. I put all herpoops in the box and tried to keep the rest of her cage as poop-free aspossible. I also put the wet newspaper she peed on in her box (smallpiece).
I think that if the only litter you have is the litter in her box, shemight prefer to go there. If you have her entire cage covered inlitter, she may feel the whole cage is essentially a large litterbox....

Oh, rabbits also like topoop at the same time they are eating.
It helps if you put their hay rack right above their litter box andeven some hay in the front part of the box. This will encourage yourbun to pee and poop in the box and will be more pleasant for her whileshe munches on her hay.

 

[maherwoman]

I agree completely...with both the litter being EXCLUSIVELY in the litterbox and the hay being next to the box.

Thankfully, when I had a bit of litter (CareFresh) strewn throughoutMaisie's cage when we first got her, she still went exclusively in herlitterbox. I think it was only because it wasn't much by wayof volume that I spread on her floor. I only did it because Ididn't want her to get sore hocks...and now that I have mats down forher, I don't have to worry about either thing!

Maisie's been quite well litter trained since day one, thankfully.

TrixieRabbit wrote:

I think that if theonly litter you have is the litter in her box, she might prefer to gothere. If you have her entire cage covered in litter, she may feel thewhole cage is essentially a large litter box....

Oh, rabbits also like topoop at the same time they are eating.
It helps if you put their hay rack right above their litter box andeven some hay in the front part of the box. This will encourage yourbun to pee and poop in the box and will be more pleasant for her whileshe munches on her hay.

 

[BEYZA]

Pachi used to poop on my bed..eeeww..

I, myself, didn't know how to train her. Thanks for my boy friend, hespent almost 5 hours to train her. I mean 5 hours, non-stop in arow.

He made sound like "SShhoooott" when Pachi seemed like to poop orpee.Pachi would juststop whatever she was going todo with ears up. When Pachi stop, he greet her with sweet voice .."GoodGirl" .. and pet her. Don't forget, 5 hours he kept training her. Youjust have to be patient and try to learn rabits' body language whenthey want to do it.

Now Pachi doesn't even do it in her cage. She wait until we take herout from her cageevery morning and evening. She just use hertoilet and spend half an hour enjoy doing her business and eating hay.Very inportant that you should put hay in their litter box.

Good Luck!

 

[sheridan]

ok, so far its not going too well. they gotbetter and started peeing in one corner in the litterbox. Now they seemto go in the litter box a lot but also seem to go in random cornersaswell. I have sprinkled some vinegar around but they dont really seemto be put off.

I am going to scrub their hutch down tomorrow and then do all thethings that have been suggested so maybe I will have a bit moresuccess

 

[sheridan]

Ok, I think I need some more advice. Ithought you put straw and hay throughout their hutch? I just noticedthat although they sem to go more in the litter box as I have put theirbowl In 1 part of it, they also go and eat hay and poop everywhereagain, but not as much as usual. Am I doing itright?:shock:



TrixieRabbit wrote:

When I first got Trix, she picked where she wanted her "toilet"to be, so I put her litter box there. I put all her poops in the boxand tried to keep the rest of her cage as poop-free as possible. I alsoput the wet newspaper she peed on in her box (small piece).
I think that if the only litter you have is the litter in her box, shemight prefer to go there. If you have her entire cage covered inlitter, she may feel the whole cage is essentially a large litterbox....

Oh, rabbits also like topoop at the same time they are eating.
It helps if you put their hay rack right above their litter box andeven some hay in the front part of the box. This will encourage yourbun to pee and poop in the box and will be more pleasant for her whileshe munches on her hay.

 

[dl incognito]

hello, i tried a bunch of different methods whentraining Rupert. What i found worked the BEST and what hasbeen working for months now is having his litter box (which is a hugecassorol dish) and filling it with pine chips. Before, i usedto line his whole cage with pine chips as well as put pine chips in hislitter dish. I found that he would go potty anywhere in the cage, soone day i decided to only put pine chips in his litter box and fromthat day on he only went to the washroom in that dish.Sometimes he'll poop outside of the dish or he might kick some out byaccident, but other then that, it's usually all neatly confined withinthe dish! When i let him freely run around i keep the cage open so thathe can freely jump in and do his duties in his litter and he's VERYGOOD at doing that! Even if i move the dish around the cage or outsideof his cage he KNOWS that that is his potty.

 

[sheridan]

well, so far this is what I have done.

I have scrubbed down their cage, cleaned everything. I emptied out mostof their litter boxes but left a bit in. I put their food dish in acorner of their large litterbox in such a way that they can only get toit if they sit in the box.

This has not worked. they still tend to go anywhere. I have alsosprinkled vinegar in the areas where they tend to go. they still gothere.

If I let them out of the hutch they do not pee but still poop everywhere around the conservatory!!!!!

Am I just destined to clean up their poop all day long? Thanks for all your help so far

 

[naturestee]

It'll probably take some time. Keepdoing what you're doing now. Oh, and put hay in theirlitterboxes, or above it in hay racks. They won't alwayslearn immediately. It may also be that they won't learn welluntil they're neutered.