Litter Training Rabbits
 

That’s correct, your rabbit can be litter trained! {victory}

Rabbits are clean and habitual by nature, choosing only one or few places to deposit their urine and droppings.

The ease of litter training rabbits vary with each individual, and may be affected by the following factors:

• age (adult rabbits are said to learn faster, but I've managed to litter train baby rabbits within 1-2 weeks time)

• spaying/neutering (this reduces your rabbit’s hormones and decreases the urge for territorial markings)

• presence of other rabbits (which are not bonded to your rabbit)

• size of your rabbit’s initial space

• changes in your rabbit’s routine or surroundings

How To Begin Litter Training

• initially, keep your rabbit in a smaller area. The area size may be gradually increased once your rabbit’s litter habits improve

• place the litter box in one corner of your rabbit’s cage or playpen. If your rabbit has already chosen a corner as its ‘toilet’, place the litter box in that corner.

• put hay/food at one end of the litter box. Rabbits usually eat and answer nature’s call at the same time

• if your rabbit pees or poops outside of its litter box, wipe the pee with tissue and/or pick up the droppings, and place the tissue and/or droppings in its litter box

• if your rabbit pees outside of its litter box, wipe the spot with vinegar to mask the scent of its pee, to prevent your rabbit from peeing there again. Vinegar is also very effective in removing calcium residue left behind from a rabbit’s pee

• when you let your rabbit out for exercise, or if your rabbit is not caged, begin with a small exercise space. Leave your rabbit’s cage door open so that it can go back in to use its litter box

• as you increase your rabbit’s space, you may need to place other litter boxes around the area especially if the area is large. Observe your rabbit to see which litter box it uses. As your rabbit learns, it will start using fewer litter boxes. Remove those which are no longer used

• keep your rabbit off furniture and beds until it has developed good litter habits

The Litter Box

• the litter box should be waterproof and large enough for your rabbit to sit comfortably in, with enough space to place hay/food at one end of the box

• if your rabbit lives in a cage, make sure that after placing the litter box inside, there is still enough room in the cage for your rabbit to stretch out

• if your rabbit roams freely around the house, you may prefer to use a bigger litter box in which you can place your rabbit’s water bowl, food bowl and hay all inside

• senior or disabled rabbits would prefer boxes with a lowered entrance (easier to hop in)

• placing a wire mesh (coated with plastic so as not to hurt your rabbit’s feet) over/into the litter box will make your set-up cleaner as your rabbit will not be able to dig/throw litter from its box, and your rabbit’s feet will not come into contact with its pee and droppings. Make sure the grids on the wire mesh are large enough for your rabbit’s dropping to fall through and the mesh must not have sharp edges which may hurt your rabbit

• clean the litter box regularly. Your rabbit may refuse to use its litter box if it becomes too dirty

• use warm water and white vinegar to disinfect and remove urine stains

Example of a DIY small litter box (the L-shaped plastic piece is the urine guard):

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh8/somebunnie/1.jpg

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh8/somebunnie/2.jpg

Example of a DIY large litter box:

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/h...e/DSC00827.jpg

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/h...e/DSC00826.jpg

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/h...e/DSC00828.jpg

Which Litter to Use?

• the best litters are organic and are plant fiber, recycled paper, hardwood, or citrus based. Some brands to look for are Woody Pet, Breeder's Celect, Healthy Pet and Carefresh

• alternatively, you may simply line the litter box with newspaper

DO NOT USE softwood, corncob, clay, and clumping litters:

• aromatic softwood litters made from pine or cedar emit gasses that cause liver and respiratory tract damage

• dust from clay litter can irritate your rabbit's nose and eyes when inhaled. These may also form clumps in the rabbit's lungs and make the rabbit more vulnerable to respiratory problems

• clumping or corncob litter can form a solid mass in the rabbit's digestive system if ingested. Even if your rabbit does not appear to be eating the litter, it is better to err on the side of caution. Your rabbit may ingest litter particles which are clinging to its fur when grooming itself

Possible Problems

• spraying, or depositing urine and droppings outside of the litter box (this may occur once your rabbit reaches puberty at around 6 months of age. Your rabbit is becoming more territorial and starts marking its territory with urine and droppings. Spaying/neutering is an effective means of eliminating this behaviour)

• urinating over the edge of the litter box (a covered litter box, or a litter box with higher sides, can solve this problem. Alternatively, purchase or make your own ‘urine guard’ to place around the back of the litter box or cage)

• your rabbit insists on using another corner as its ‘toilet’ (if your rabbit has made its choice, you will have to oblige it. Place the litter box in your rabbit’s selected corner, and this may involve rearranging the cage or your furniture)

• dribbling over the cage/floor (dribbling usually indicates a bladder infection. Bring your rabbit to a rabbit-savvy vet immediately. However, if the medication prescribed by your vet does not eliminate the dribbling, check for other factors which may cause your rabbit to become stressed or to feel insecure enough to start marking its territory)

REMEMBER, DO NOT punish or hit your rabbit whenever it has an ‘accident’. Your rabbit may not understand why it is being punished and instead, may associate being near you with being punished. This could lead to your rabbit avoiding any contact with you. Use positive reinforcement instead, such as rewarding your rabbit with a treat each time it jumps into its litter box and when it uses its litter box correctly. You can tell when your rabbit is peeing - it will sit still, its nose will stop twitching or the twitching slows down significantly, and its bum & tail will be lifted up.

Re: Litter Training Rabbits
 

bit bit is natural know how to pee and do his daily potty in one side
i actually didn't train him at all........
when i let him out..he just wont shit or pee - hahaa
then one day when he was standing next to his cage - i realized why is he standing there whole time and not roaming
the moment i open the door - he went inside and start shitting and pee {shy}

rascal aka t-rex and nee nee cannot
train them also cannot...

when they first came - i try to train - cannot
the first time they start roaming around - there will poo poo all over
worst part rascal will go smear the pee all over his body - gross!!! disgusting fellow and he loves to play with his shit as though he playing football!!!!

till today both of them are hard to train
when rascal get too excited - his poo poo will come out as well

nee nee - it all depends but not a well trained as well. I dont know why
i give up of both of them... i just get ready my mini sweeper to sweep all their papaya poo poo. {happy}

Re: Litter Training Rabbits
 

Could it be because they smell another bunny's scent in their territory and so they feel the need to pee and poo there as territorial markings?

I think I've been very lucky with my 3 rabbits.. they learnt very quickly and have been good all these while. Sometimes, they jump out of their litter box before they are done with poo-ing, and so a few poos drop out from their bum while they jump out. Apart from that, no other accidents.

However, each time a new rabbit comes into the house, they will start to pee and poo when they smell the new rabbit's scent.

Buttons was my first bunny. When Yohji came to live with us, Buttons used to pee & poo next to his play pen.. to mark her territory.

And then when Hans came, in the beginning, I used to carry him to the couch and let him run around there while I sit next to him. Without fail, after Hans goes back to his play pen, the 2 big fellas will come up to the couch, smell Hans' scent there.. then they will pee on my couch!! So I've stopped letting Hans play on the couch..

Re: Litter Training Rabbits
 

maybe or possible but they cant like pee everywhere :)

rascal one.... can be the same spot but he always shoot everywhere including the wall all his acid pee haha.....

anyway my responsibilities is every morning i have to clean their cages and also wipe the whole house if i encounter and acid pee he shoots while he is out
he needs supervision most of the time... if he is roaming

worst part at times he is so daring he goes up to second floor - that's my problem

note my rascal and nee nee loves climbing!!!

Re: Litter Training Rabbits
 

nak tanya...
rabbit saya dah pandai pee dalam litter tray...
tapi die melepaskan bom bulat2 x kira dimana jua dia berada..
bole tolong ajar mcam mana nak ajar supaya x berak merata?
sebab saya nak bebaskan die dalam rumah

Re: Litter Training Rabbits
 

is your bunny / rabbit still small?
if small can train
but if big already..... susah nak train.....

Re: Litter Training Rabbits
 

Actually, adult rabbits are supposed to have better litter habits compared to baby rabbits.

Afro, has your rabbit been spayed/neutered? How often do you let it out of its cage? And lastly, is the poop all in one pile, or scattered all over?

I'm guessing that your rabbit is pooping around to mark territory. This type of poop will be scattered all over (instead of in one pile). If this is the case, maybe your rabbit is still not used to the whole house and needs to make sure that everyone knows it's his area by pooping around. Letting him/her out more often will help.

If he/she is already let out most of the time, then you have to look into spaying/neutering. My male rabbit had good litter habits as a baby. When he matured around 5 months, he still peed in the litter box but started marking territory by pooping everywhere. Once I neutered him, and his hormones died down.. his litter habits became very good again.

Re: Litter Training Rabbits
 

adult rabbits have a better litter habits ar {happy}
nope......one good eg both rascal aka t-rex and nee nee does not ! {shy}

stubborn more like it {happy}

Re: Litter Training Rabbits
 

sori saya x cakap dlm BI coz BI saya terabur..
kalau baca saya faham tapi kalau nak tulis balik macam tongkang pecah.hehe...{shy}

FYI, yang male baru 4 bulan. female lak baru 3 bulan..
22 same je berak terabur...{nah}
hari2 saya lepaskan dieorang kat padang depan rumah. atleast 2-3 kali sehari. sekali lepas dalam 1 jam. slalu gak lepaskan dalam rumah tapi dsebabkan berak terabur, saya kluarkan sekejap je la...{ohmygod}

tahi dieorang 1 1...x berkumpul.bersepah!! FYI lagi, sambil berlari pun dieorang bule melepas..{ohmygod}

22 rabbit saya belum dimandulkan lagi. sayang la nak mandulkan...
nanti saya xde baby rabgit lagi kalau dah mandul...{cry}

kalau ada cara yang berkesan, bagi tau saya yee.....

Re: Litter Training Rabbits
 

kalau saya nak mandulkan rabbit saya, yang mana saya patut mandulkan? M @ F? atau 22 sekali?
berapa cost untuk mandulkan?
x ada side effect ke?
umur berapa paling sesuai untuk mandulkan?
FYI, rabbit jantan saya dah mula tunjukkan sifat agresif. dia selalu gigit sangkar & cakar2 kain pelapik tidur. adalah tu tanda2 yang dia tu dah mature?

Re: Litter Training Rabbits
 

this one not litter train lo.............. that is why their poo poo everywhere..
spay and neuter can help a lot....

both also you spay or neuter -

Re: Litter Training Rabbits
 

Neuter (for male) is an easier operation and less invasive compared to spaying (for females). Spaying is more invasive because the vet has to cut through the female's tummy to reach the reproductive organs. Whereas for males, the vet can just make small slits in the testicles.

The price is about rm200 for the operation, on average. Different vets will give different price. If performed by an experienced vet, the operation is very safe.

Males can be neutered once their testicles descend. This usually happens around 5 months.

Females can be spayed when they reach 6 months.

Now your male is 4 mths and female is 3mths. Rabbits begin to sexually mature at 3mths.. so you should separate them now otherwise you will end up with a pregnant rabbit, and she is too young to be pregnant right now.

There is nothing to 'kesian/sayang' about neutering and spaying. The rabbit will recover in just a few days (within 1 day for male, and 2-3 days for female). After that, they can live happily together without the stress of wanting to mate all the time.

What is more kesian is when people simply breed their rabbits. Then simply give away all the babies.. don't care good homes or not. And the babies get exploited the same way as their parents.. made to breed non stop because that's what people think rabbits should do. And when there are too many babies to handle, people release them into the wild.. of course the rabbit will die within days. Now, that is kesian.

If you want baby rabbits in the future, you can always buy them.. don't need to make your own babies. There are lots of rabbits being churned out by petshops daily.. I don't support this practice, but at the same time, pity those rabbits.. they are innocent victims, so if you want a baby rabbit, go 'rescue' one from a petshop or adopt one from the shelters.

Another thing people are not aware off is that rabbits should not be separated from their mothers and sold before they are 8 wks old. A lot of ppl want to buy baby rabbits because they are cute.. the younger the better. That is a mistake. Too young and the baby will die after you bring it home. The stress of being removed from its mother, the stress of moving to a new environment, the stress of having to adapt to solid food before it's system is ready.. all this will kill the rabbit. Too often, you hear of ppl complaining that their baby rabbit died after just a few days after they bought it. This is the reason why..

Sorry, I can't write in BM haha my BM very 'koyak'! But good that we can still understand each other :D

Re: Litter Training Rabbits
 

thanks yee u all bagi sugestion & info ni kat i...
i dah fikir masak2 nak mandulkan dieorang after final exam end of this month...
dah letih i nak kemas poo poo dieorang.hehe...{shy}
& 1 more thing, i hope u all pray laa to me sebab nama i dah dimasukkan ke dalam list untuk adopt 1 rabbit baka holland lop berumur 1thn 8mnth. very da comel maa...{wink}
if berjaya, weekend ni i boleh ambil rabbit tu....{happy}

Re: Litter Training Rabbits
 

afro, free ambil gambar photo rabbits
saya nak tengok {wink}

Re: Litter Training Rabbits
 

act...i dah dpt pun holland lop yang orang nak adopt tu.hehe...{happy} i ingat nak neuter dia bcoz tahi dia bucuk{arrogant}... muka kiut tapi tahi bucuk x bes la.haha...{shy}.ni i bagi pic dia. nama dia bobo. lagi 2 ekor wabit i ada kat rumah. nanti cuti sem i upload pic dieorang k!

Re: Litter Training Rabbits
 

cute but why the second photo that dude look so messy hahaa
no grooming ar.....

Re: Litter Training Rabbits
 

Is the rabbit healthy? Something doesn't look right in the 2nd left picture.. and the far right picture, is the butt area ok?

For rabbits living in metal wire cages, it's best to put something on the metal wire, otherwise the rabbit will get sore hocks from standing on hard surface which is very painful for the rabbit. Use a towel, or tile, etc.

Re: Litter Training Rabbits
 

2nd pic tu masa i lepas lap2 badan dia dengan kain basah bcoz dia lepak kat tempat dia kencing.geram betul i...{angry}.i memang lapik dengan towel pada sangkar tapi masa ambil gambar, towel tu baru lepas basuh. tengah sidai.act...i x kurung dia. i biarkan dia bebas dalam bilik

Re: Litter Training Rabbits
 

gambar last sekali memang macam tu....
bulu dia curly2 sikit. dah sikat pun macam tu gak.haha....{shy}
thas why la he look like messy...

Re: Litter Training Rabbits
 

eiiiiiiiiiiiiii{kiss}bestnyer korang bela arnab...i pun minat gak tp sah2 hubby tak kasik bela sebab kat umah dah ade 4 kucing (1 mak + 3 anak)...tambah2 plak mak dorang yang 3 ekor tuh pegnen lagi..tgh menunggu hari plak tuhh...huhuuhhuuh..bertambah rakyat....sebab tuh saya terpaksa iklankan anak dia 2 ekor for adoption...

{shy}hubby just bg syarat, klu nak bela2 lagi "menatang" lepas nih..hamster jek boleh sebab senang nak jaga...rabbit dia x kasik{cry}.....tu pun klu kucing yang 2 ekor kat umah tuh orang dah ambik utk adoption....uhhuhuuhuhhu{nah}..

pst...sorry..i pun x cakap BI....berterabur bukan cam tongkang pecah..tp cam titanic karam...{grin}kues kues kues...wakakakak{shy}