Teaching an Old Bunny New Tricks: How to Litter Train Your Rabbit

Are you looking for some advice about litter box training for your pet rabbit? Believe it or not, rabbit house training is not that difficult, and, unlike the adage "you can't teach an old dog new tricks," you can certainly train older rabbits. My friends had two rabbits living in their house (among other creatures), and with a little bit of patience, they were able to practice potty training with both of their rabbits.

Best Litter for Rabbits

Stay away from clay litters, like the kind you might use with your cat. Instead, look for organic litters, preferably those made from oat, alfalfa, or even paper. Brands that might work for you are Care Fresh, Critter Country, Yesterday's News, or Cat Country. Softwood shavings are thought to cause liver damage in rabbits, so stay away from pine or cedar litters. You can even forgo litter entirely and use hay, but that's only going to work if you are up to the challenge of changing the hay daily. You'll soon discover which litters work best for your rabbit.

Multiple Locations, Multiple Litter Boxes

In addition to having a litter box for your rabbit inside his or her cage, you should have a few extra boxes around the house in quiet corners. Your rabbit will likely decide on a favorite location, and once you've determined that, you can leave the box in that location and move any unused litter boxes. Litter box training will go much more smoothly if your rabbit has options.

Keep Your Rabbit's Litter Box Clean

Although some people recommend cleaning the litter box daily or even twice a day, you don't necessarily need to be so OCD about it. Every other day or every third day will keep your rabbit happy and keep your house smelling fresh. Clean up any accidents that happen outside of the litter box as soon as you see them, and put the tissue into the litter box. Your rabbit will soon get the hint and your house training will be successful. Use white vinegar to clean out the inside of the litter box at least once a week, and for any tough stains, let the box soak over night.

Encourage House Training

Make sure, first of all, that the litter box you have chosen is the right size for your rabbit. Once you've got the right box, put timothy hay right next to the litter box so that your rabbit can eat and poo at the same time. Might sound gross to you, but it will make your rabbit crazy happy. You might want to keep toys in the area as well. You will have your favorite bunny friend house-trained in no time.