Pet rabbits are usually fairly easy to house train. Rabbits are naturally clean; in the wild, rabbits will use an area away from their warren as a toilet area. You can take advantage of this natural instinct to help to house train your pet rabbit.
Pet rabbits that have been neutered or spayed are much easier to house train than rabbits that have not been neutered or spayed, as neutered or spayed rabbits show much less territorial behaviour.
Let The Rabbit Choose
To start house training your pet rabbit, note where the rabbit chooses to use for its toilet area. If your rabbit is in a cage or hutch, this will usually be one corner of the cage or hutch.
If your rabbit does not haev a cage or hutch, and is going to live in a room or rooms of your house, initially keep your rabbit confined to a single room or area. Cover the floor with newspaper or other protection. The rabbit will choose an area, probably a corner of the room to use as its toilet area.
Introduce A Litter Tray
Now you know the place your rabbit has chosen to use as its toilet area, you can begin house training the rabbit. Place a litter tray with wood shavings or non-clumping cat litter in the area that your rabbit has chosen, preferably with a little of the soiled newspaper or cage floor covering in it.
Leave some hay or food at the side of the litter tray to encourage your rabbit to sit in it. The soiled material in the litter tray should remind the rabbit what the tray is for.
When you clean the litter tray, leave a small amount of the soiled litter in the tray as a reminder until your rabbit consistently uses the litter tray.
This part of the house training process is teaching your rabbit what the litter tray is for. Your rabbit should now be using the litter tray, and not using other places. After a few days, you can move onto the next stage of the house training process.
Move the Litter Tray
Your pet rabbit’s choice of location for its litter tray is probably not the place that you want it. Once your rabbit is consistently using the litter tray, you can begin to move it to a location of your choice.
Move the rabbit’s litter tray a small step at a time (a few feet each day), and your rabbit should continue to use the litter tray, even as its location gradually changes.
During this part of the rabbit house training process it is still useful to leave a small amount of the soiled litter in the litter tray when you clean it. Leaving a pile of hay at the end of the rabbit’s litter tray will also encourage your rabbit to sit in the litter tray while its digestive system is working!
Remember that your rabbit will only use the litter tray if it can get to it and is happy with the location. If the rabbit’s litter tray is in another room with the door shut, the rabbit will choose somewhere else to go – you can’t expect it to hold on forever!
Can you use bits of news paper in the rabbits litterbox? And i have put the litterbox where the bunny has went to the washroom but then he just decides to go somewhere else. what should i do?
Yes you can use ripped up news paper in the rabbit’s litter box. There is a brand of rabbit litter called Yesterday’s News that is made from recycled newspaper. You are just doing the recycling bit yourself!
In my experience, the best way to get your rabbit to use the litter box if it keeps using different places is to try to get the rabbit to stay in the litter box for a period of time, until it has used the litter box. You can do this by putting lot of hay in the litter box for the rabbit to sit and eat, or even by creating an enclosure with a small area around the litter box. Keep some soiled litter or bedding material in the litter box, because if it is too clean, the rabbit might forget what it is meant to do there.
My bunny is still getting used tothe litter tray but is peeing around the house. his pee looks thick and milky.(but still yellow) is this normal?
Rabbits deposit excess calcium salts in their urine, sometimes making it cloudy or milky. This is not a problem, unless it occurs regularly. If this happens regularly, it may be that the rabbit’s diet is causing the problem.
If the urine has a very thick consistency (sludgy), it could indicate bladder problems and should be referred to a vet.
we have a male rabbit who uses a litter tray with hay in it, but he also sits in it when he is not doing a toilet to eat the hay should we leave him there or take him out.
Hi May
I wouldn’t worry about him sitting there to eat the hay. If you take him out he may start to forget his litter training!
I have an outdoor rabbit that comes into the house quite a lot, I was wondering if it should be possible to litter train him, having a litter box inside and out? Would this work?
Hi Laura
There’s no reason that this won’t work, however it is important to maintain consistency. Don’t keep moving the litter boxes around, and keep a little of the soiled litter in the boxes when you clean them out.
If you are finding it difficult to litter train your rabbit, it may be best to keep him in his outdoor hutch, and litter train him there before trying to litter train him inside too.
Richard
I’ve had my rabbit just short of 2 weeks, she settled in after just a couple of days.
She uses her litter tray but she also goes to the toilet around the house too.
Have you got any advice on how to get her to only go in her litter tray? I always
Leave a bit of soiled litter in there when I clean it out. I really
Need her to start going in her tray only as I have a baby crawling around. Thanks
Hi Nicola
Try putting lots of hay (or even some fresh greens) at the side of or inside your rabbit’s litter tray to encourage her to spend lots of time in there. Eating the hay makes the digestive system work, and when that happens, you get lots of pellets coming out! This picture shows what I mean.
If there is one specific place in the house that she uses, try putting a litter tray there too.
This could be territorial behaviour, which may be reduced by having your rabbit neutered.
Richard
Thank you for you’re advice.
she’s still not always using her litter tray but at least she’s using her cage
I didn’t actually have a cage for her until a few days ago, once I got it I locked her in it for 2 days solid and now when she does come out she seems to go back in it for the toilet-so far so good
You’re welcome. I’m glad things are improving!
my rabbit is about 3 months old and has no problem going to the toilet in her cage if she is roaming near there, however every time she is on the sofa she starts going to the toilet, should we stop her coming on the sofa for a bit to try and train her? even though the sofa is where she is happiest in the evening… Any advice welcome. thanks
Hi Amy
This sounds like rabbit territorial behaviour. Urinating on the sofa is a way of marking her territory. It may also be that she is trying to show you that she is the boss, because she is marking an area that you use a lot.
Neutering can often reduce or stop territorial and dominant behaviour in rabbits, however your rabbit is still a bit too young for this. Most vets wait until 4-6 months old before they will neuter a rabbit. Until then, I think stopping her from coming on the sofa is probably the best way to prevent this behaviour. It will also enforce that you are the dominant one, not her!
Richard
Hi! i have my rabbit for two weeks and she is about 14 weeks old. i am trying to house train her. She doesnt have a cage and stays in the bathroom when were out and she seems tohave no problem going toliet in her litter tray upstairs. However when she comes down stairs she constantly tries to go toilet on the sofa!! i dont think she is going toilet anywhere else though. Is this just becuase she is using the sofa as her spot to wee? she is getting better and does go in her litter tray alot and we have now put litter tray on floor just in front an no longer let her on sofa – do you think she will be able to trained as long as we keep on eye on her and put her in litter tray when we catch her! its just difficult cause as soon as you leave room she is on sofa!!!!
Hi Andrea
A lot of rabbits seem to like using the sofa, I think that it is a territorial thing because she sees you sitting on their all the time, and wants to show you that she is the boss. Neutering your rabbit when she is old enough (4-6 months) will probably help with this. Otherwise, you are doing the right thing, just be persistent, and firm but gentle when you catch her. Praise her and give little treats when she uses her litter tray.
Hope things improve!
Richard