Most rabbits can be litter box trained.
However, there is not a guarantee that every individual rabbit is going to succeed.
They are not like cats, who instinctively seek some loose litter in which to bury their waste.
Try these steps to housetrain your rabbit:
Litter Box Training Steps
- Place an 8” x 8” cake pan, or similar container with low sides, in a corner of the rabbit’s cage. It is best to use the corner that seems to be its preferred spot for urinating and defecating.
- Fill the container about half full with box filler, such as pelleted recycled paper or other organic products such as pelleted grass. Wood shavings, crushed corncobs, walnut shell, and clay litter are not recommended.
- Place some recently deposited feces in the litter box.
- When your rabbit is using the litter box well, move it when it’s lightly soiled into a large box. A fresh litter box without the markings of its own waste will not carry the same message.
Rabbits may spend several hours just sitting in the box.
This is acceptable, as long as the rabbit is not soiling itself or chewing on the box or litter.
Do not punish the rabbit when it is sitting in the litter box.
- Praise your rabbit whenever it uses the litter box and possibly even reward it with a small treat. The treat should be taken out of the fruit/veggie portion of the daily diet. Do not exceed the daily ration.
- When the litter box is in regular use, move the rabbit into a small room, like a bathroom, with at least two litter boxes in opposite corners.
Remember, your rabbit will be more likely to use the litter box if it doesn’t have to go a long way to find it.
Make sure that there is one litter box visible at all times.
Allowing Freedom Outside
When your rabbit is very tame and comes to your call in the house, you can begin letting it loose for a few minutes at a time outdoors.
Make sure that your fenced yard is secure enough to keep rabbits in and keep dogs out.
Your rabbit will love to nibble the grass, but don’t allow it to eat very much the first few times.
Like any new food, fresh grass must be introduced slowly.
A rabbit that is acclimated to fresh grass can live outdoors, weather permitting.
Rabbits seem to love it and the tunnels they dig are not necessarily escape tunnels, only “rabbit warrens.”
