My parents had a litter box trained rabbit hopping around with the 2 big dogs 40 some years ago. My mother said she can't remember how it was litter trained. Are they like cats in that mom teaches the tiny bunnies? If someone says a rabbit is litter trained, can I just put down a litter box, put Dust Bunny in it (which is what I do for new cats/kittens) and all done? When do I have to cage the rabbit? People are offering the cage and water bottle with litter trained rabbits. I need to know!
Hey MC! Rabbits living in burrows tend to keep a latrine area so as not to spoil the entire warren, so most have a natural tendency to be tidy. We keep Chicory in a larger cage on the floor and when he chose his spot to pee, we put a smaller plastic tray on the spot and he went in the tray thereafter. When he is allowed to run around outside of his cage, he will always return to the tray to pee, but we occasionally find droppings around (not such a problem). Never have tried putting his tray in a different place outside the cage so don't know if he's trained to the litter tray or the spot in his cage.
You will have to cage the rabbit any time you cannot be watching it. They are chewers and can destroy furniture and wooden moldings, but the biggest reason is that they
will chew any electrical cord within reach, and can be electrocuted.
Couple other pointers, unneutered males will be more likely to spray (scent marking) and are not as fastidious with the litter box. Chicory is an exception, as he has a near perfect record. Sherman was literally hit and miss with the litter box, and so not kept in the house.
In the litter tray we use a pelleted cat litter made of wheat grass and cover that with a light layer of Care Fresh (pulpy paper fiber). Totally safe, no odor, no tracking, and makes excellent compost. A lot of folks use a cat sized litter box with hay in it, but we want Chicory to eat his hay, not pea on it.
If you have more house bunny questions, let me know!
