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Note: Baby bunnies and bunnies that aren’t spayed and neutered may be tougher to train.
Some bunnies get it in a few days, others in a few weeks, or even longer. Don’t get discouraged, I found that persistence pays off.
Persistence - Bunnies are creatures of habit. Even a few weeks may be too short for the persistent. So for your persistent one, you may need to continue training. Though my other two rabbits got it within a week, Bailey took months, and even then I had to watch to make sure she didn't fall back into old habits. It only takes a few days to establish bad habits, and it can mean weeks of retraining.
| 1. THE LITTERBOX |
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Litter: My favorite litter is compressed paper litter like Yesterday’s News. It’s safe and it is the best odor control litter I have used. Don’t use any pine shavings or cedar wood shavings or any clumping litters – all very dangerous. However, dried pine pellets like feline pine or woodstove pellets are okay
Include Hay: I always make sure there is fresh hay in the box. Bunnies poop and eat at the same time.
Add poop!: Put your bunny’s droppings and a urine soaked paper towel in the box.
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| Add a healthy treat: I like to add a small amount of a pleasant smelling herb like mint, basil, or rosemary in their litterbox. It not only smells good, but it’s a tasty treat for them too, and great encouragement to get in. |
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| 2. ACTUAL TRAINING |
| Start small: If I give too much freedom too fast, that just invites a poopfest. So, I allow my bunny to master one area before moving him/her to the next. If your only space right now is a small cage then I suggest getting an x-pen to allow at least some space to stretch and exercise while he’s confined. This won’t be forever, just until he is litter trained. Usually takes a few weeks. |
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Find the favorite corner: They usually do their business in a favorite corner. I put the “well prepared” litterbox in that corner. If my bunny decides on a few corners, then I put in a few litterboxes. I have found that they begin to prefer one, and I slowly take out one at a time.
Clean up urine mishaps asap:
It also helps to clean up any urine that's outside the box as soon as you notice it (that includes blankets/linens) It can really be tiring at first, but diligence can pay off. |
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Training Sessions - Catch ‘em in the Act: I find the best way to catch ‘em in the act is to spend time with my bunnies everyday around the time they eat. This is when they will most likely need to poo too!
Each time I catch my bunny lifting its tail to pee or poo, at that very moment, I’d say “No”, and nudge him to the litterbox. (it doesn’t help to do it after he’s done the deed) |
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| 3. GIVING MORE FREEDOM |
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This is when great habits can go down the drain. It's important to allow limited freedom and watch like a hawk.
Make sure to still catch them in the act in any new space. You’ll need to be diligent about watching until they are completely trained in every place. In larger spaces, like the living room, I bring a water bottle, and give a quick squirt. It reaches them fast and right when they are lifting their tail. Then I herd them back to their litterbox. Again, don’t chase! If they just refused to get it, I would only then pick 'em up and place them just in front of the litterbox, blocking escapes, so they can jump in the box on their own. Then I quickly back away so they feel safe to stay in there.
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Teach the word "Litterbox"
I also used the technique from LINK. I said the word "litterbox" over and over while herding. After a while, I could just say the word litterbox, and my bunnies knew to go there.
Should the litterbox be only in their cage/pen?Many bunnies will still go back to their cage or area to pee and poop, but if you have a large house, or there is a corner in a room that just seems to be a continuous target no matter how much you've trained him/her, then I would put a litterbox there. |
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| 3. TIPS FOR STUBBORN BUNNIES |
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STAY OUT OF THEIR SPACE:
Some territorial bunnies just figure everywhere is fair game for territorial marking. And it doesn't help if you are reaching into or entering their space. This may confirm that they don't really have a space of their own, therefore, it's all their space.
SO......... |
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.....I let their space, their cage, be a place that is THEIRS. I don't clean or reach in while they are in there. (I may drop food and water in, but that's it). I try not to reach in to get them or physically lift them up and put them back in.
Instead, I let them come out on their own
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and if I can't herd them back in after play time, then when I do pick them up, I place them just outside the entrance, blocking an escape so they go back in on their own.
Once they "get it", then I can usually reach in and pet them and offer affection in their territory. But if you find that that makes things worse, then of course don't do that anymore. :) |
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| 4. BAILEY - THE PERSISTENT MARKER |
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My solution w/ Bailey:
Spend time with her on the floor.
Even though Bailey mastered the litterbox in her area, she has what I jokingly call OMD – Obsessive Marking Disorder, As soon as she gets freedom, she begins marking one small area in the living room with territorial pills. (and having a litterbox there didn't help)
So I started observing her. Unlike my other bunnies who want to run and explore, Bailey immediately looks for attention. So as soon as I let her out, I lay on the floor in the area that she likes to mark and I pet her. For some reason that has helped decrease her marking.
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Maybe this makes her feel secure, relaxed and accepted in that area. Maybe since I'm on the floor too, she's sees it not as just her area, or maybe she feels she doesn't have to prove her dominance through marking since she's getting "dominant rabbit treatment" aka: grooming/petting. I'm really not sure, but whatever the reason, her marking diminishes in that area if I follow that routine.
UPDATE: Bailey rarely marks in the general area, but she has taken to making her own pen look like a poo bomb went off. But as long as she keeps her poos in her pen, I'm happy.
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| 5. TROUBLESHOOTING TIPS |
- Litterbox too clean? Could the box still have a strong detergent smell? Make sure to rinse well and put in some of their own poo back in.
- Litterbox too dirty? Some bunnies will begin going outside of the box if their box is filthy.
- Scented Litter? Some litters have a strong wood or perfumed additive that is offensive to some bunnies. (e.g. I accidentally grabbed the "fresh scented" Yesterday's News litter, instead of the unscented. Boy, what a mess - my bunnies wanted nothing to do with the litterbox)
- Litterbox seem like punishment? When litter training, you don’t want to scare your bunny into the litterbox. That will only have the opposite effect. Never chase him or yell at him to get in the litterbox.
- Give ‘em enough space once they're in. Though some places suggest to offer a treat when the bunny goes in. I have found more success when I just quickly back away once they jump into the box. I can say “Good Job” and have a treat for him in there already, but I find it better to keep out of his business while he’s doing his business.
- The Cloth Trick to help minimize TERRITORIAL marking: A member posted about this in the forum, and I have also seen this on the show "Barking Mad". Rub a cloth all over your bunny, then rub the cloth on the area he likes to mark. The idea is that s/he will no longer feel the need to spread his scent around if it's already there. The few people that have tried this have said it works. Note: Territorial marking is very difficult to eliminate completely if your bunny is not spayed/neutered.
- Still Baffled? Just start observing when your bunny does it and where? Is it right away? Is it in one particular area or all over the place? Post in our FORUM, and we'll help you get to the bottom of it.
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Do you have some great littertraining tips? Email 'em, and put “Littertraining Tips” in the subject line.
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