Behind those cute little faces and fluffy tails, these little animals are also poop machines. Did you know that one rabbit can produce over 100 poop pellets daily?
That’s a lot of poop pellets scattered around your house. They also urinate up to 8 times a day, meaning you will need to clean your house almost twice a day. There must be an easier way.
So can rabbits be potty trained?
A rabbit can be potty trained at any age. Older rabbits are easier to train than younger ones as they are more relaxed. Potty training requires patience and consistency. It can take 1-2 weeks for a rabbit to be potty trained depending on their age, personality, and if they are spayed or neutered.
Are you interested in potty training your floppy-eared friend, but you have no idea where to start? Yes?
Well, this guide will provide you with all the information and steps you need to successfully potty train your rabbit.
Is It Possible to Potty Train a Rabbit?
Rabbits are highly intelligent animals, and it’s possible to train them to use a litter tray. Before you get started, there are some tools and materials you will need to successfully potty train your bun, such as:
- A litter box (cat litter trays work very well as they are deep) or rabbit potty
- Rabbit-friendly litter such as shredded paper
- Hay to nibble on
- A poop scoop or small spade
- Bunny-safe disinfectant
- Newspaper
- Treats for rewards
Is It Hard to Potty Train a Rabbit?
Potty training a rabbit is not necessarily hard, but it does require consistency and patience. You can litter train a rabbit as early as 4 months old. Training younger rabbits can be more challenging as they have short attention spans.
Bunnies that have reached puberty (3 months old) are known to be territorial and aggressive because of their fluctuating hormones, which makes potty training even more difficult.
Getting your bun neutered or spayed will make a big difference when you potty train them, as they will be more focused and not so territorial.
How to Potty Train a Rabbit
Let’s take a closer at these 5 steps on how to successfully potty train your bun:
1. Pick A Corner
When you potty train a rabbit, it’s best to keep them in a small enclosure so they can focus on one designated spot to do their business.
Try to pick a corner for the litter tray, as bunnies like to press their backsides up into a corner when urinating or pooping.
2. X Marks the Spot
A great idea to encourage your bun to use the potty is to scoop up stray poop balls and place them in the litter box. Doing this shows your bun where they need to poop (like putting an X on the spot).
You can also lay newspaper down, and if your bun urinates on it, you can place this in the litter box as well. The urine smell will help them identify where they need to urinate.
You will only need to do this a couple of times until your bun stops urinating and pooping outside the litter tray.
Rabbits love to nibble on hay while they poop, and this comes naturally. Take advantage of this fact by adding a hay dispenser to your rabbits’ enclosure that is situated just above their litter tray at the far end.
This will encourage your bun to climb into the litter box to eat the hay and will encourage them to poop inside the box.
3. Keep the Litter Box Clean
It’s essential to keep your bun’s litter box clean as you don’t want them to get urine and poop matted in their fur (which defeats the point of potty training). A dirty litter box will also breed disease.
Use bunny-safe disinfectants such as equal amounts of water and vinegar mixed in a spray bottle.
Keep any blankets, shredded paper, or absorbent material away from your bun’s enclosure until they are litter trained. Your bun might urinate on these materials, which will confuse them as to where their potty is.
4. Positive Feedback
When your floppy-eared friend uses the potty correctly, verbally praise them and reward them with treats. This will encourage your bun to use the potty.
Make sure to clean up any urine or poop when there are accidents so you don’t confuse your bun.
If you catch your bun lifting its tail to urinate where it shouldn’t, you can say “no” firmly and gently guide them toward the litter tray.
5. Give Them Space
Once your bun uses the litter box properly, you can slowly start giving them more space to roam. This is a great way to check if your bun has grasped the concept of a potty.
If you find that your bun is still urinating on the floor and not in their litter box, it’s okay to take them back to a smaller enclosure and redo a couple of steps until they are correctly potty trained.
How Long Does It Take to Litter Train a Rabbit?
A rabbit can typically be potty trained within 1 to 2 weeks, but this strongly depends on your bun’s age, personality, and whether they have been sterilized or not.
Rabbits that aren’t sterilized will take longer to potty train.
Because they aren’t neutered, they tend to spray urine everywhere to mark their territory. Besides this factor, some rabbits simply take a little longer than others.
My Last Bunny Thoughts
The best thing you can do for your bun and your home is to litter train your rabbit. Luckily, rabbits are super intelligent, and litter training them won’t take you months of work.
Consider having your bun spayed or neutered to help speed up the training process. This will also stop your bun from spraying urine all over to mark their territory.
It’s important to remember that there will be accidents, but with patience and a positive attitude, your bun will quickly pick up the good habit of using a litter box correctly.
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