box training a rabbit?

Rabbits are indeed toilet-trainable ;) I've written an article on how to toilet train bunns here -

http://au.geocities.com/leaswebsite/bunnyhouserabb... -

Yes, rabbits can be toilet-trained … whether in his hutch, or free in your home, you’ll notice that your bunny usually pees in the same corner. So, get a flat tray - we cover Pookie’s litter tray with a couple of pages of newspaper and more wood shavings - and put the tray directly where he’s peeing. He then begins to associate the tray as the toilet. (Just a word of warning - NEVER use mineral cat litter, because if a rabbit ingests this, it can swell in his stomach and he will die. Much better are wood shavings or shredded paper.) The trick is really to put the tray where you observe him peeing, rather than try to get him to go wherever you place the tray … that will not succeed! He will eventually associate the tray with pooping as well, but this is relative to the individual bunny … some bunnies are easier to toilet train than others, and you must remember that, from a rabbit’s point of view, depositing a small pile of droppings, and their regular corners where they pee also, reassures your bunny that this is his territory, and that no other pesky renegade rabbits are going to try and claim it as theirs. Anyway, bunnies’ pellet-like poop isn’t very offensive, and is easy to sweep up! You can gather up the pellets which bunny deposits around the room, and place them on his litter tray - this will encourage him to recognise the tray as the place to deposit them in future. But rabbits can indeed be toilet trained because, to reiterate, they like to go in the one place … so when you find the place that they like to go, that is where you place the tray, and they will learn to associate the tray with their toilet. If they’re also peeing in a different spot, especially in a large enclosure or a big room, you simply place another, second tray in that new spot too - so bunny may have two trays, in a larger enclosure or room.

Hope it's helpful, have a browse of my site too if you're interested, and best of luck :)

If you have the Rabbit in a cage you will notice it try to go in one area more than the others. A small cage work good. Especially if it already has a favorite spot. Just put the Cat Pan w/litter in it over the favorite spot. Add some Rabbit Dung Balls on top of the litter. Normally they just keep the regular routine. Then move it into the house, a Bathroom with Tile/linoleum NO CARPET!!!!! Again, place your pan, behind/beside the toilet. Add Dung Balls. Keep door closed. IF the rabbit miss the Pan clean with Pine cleaner or something that remove the smell. Soon the rabbit should get the idea. After it proves trustworthy then you can open the door, LET THE RABBIT move out on it's on and find the way around. Keep a close watch, IF, an accident looks to be happening try to grab and move to PAN!!!!! Keep accidents cleaned up WELL. My rabbit never had an accident, but, I did take it to the Pan Regularly, 5-10 minute intervals and place in Pan to see if it need to Pee or Do. Remember, when you take to Pan, let the Rabbit ALWAYS find it's way out and around. I kept mine in the Bathroom at night when sleeping, just open Door slow so not to knock it in the head. Soon it know the Routine and Where to find it. I always placed a few Dung Balls for a reassurance after I changed the litter.

Hi! Most rabbits will take to a deep catbox type litterbox, just put it where he will notice it and leave things alone for a while... SOMETIMES rabbits will be afraid of them and you need for it to just "be" there for a few days, other rabbits will get in a litter box and rip and snort till there is litter everywhere BUT in the box, hehehe

My rabbits would use a cement block to get into the two foot high box with litter in it (high sides to help keep the litter in the box, my rabbits would pretend they were moles in the box...) I filled the box with a whole 25 pound bag of litter and was faithful to clean out the clumps every day otherwise the bottom of the box gets wet.. I tried lining it with lawn & leaf bags but rabbits just love to dig, they'd get t0 the bags at the bottom and rip it to shreds<(I had three pets inside the house) I Hope that this helps you & bunny on the same level..Ginger

First, what are the genders? And do you have your rabbits altered ("fixed")? Male altered rabbits are REALLY easy to train, but will do their duty anywhere they see fit as a method of "marking" their territory, especially if they're unaltered. So the first thing to do is to get your rabbits altered. Females are a bit harder (altered or not), but can also be trained...it just takes a bit more time. The next thing to do is to take some of the used cage bedding (litter) and place it in the box you want them to use. Then bring each rabbit to the box and put them in it, to show them what it is and what it's meant for. Rabbits aren't quite like cats (who WANT to use litter pans)....they don't have as many issues about just doing it....wherever. Finally, just have patience, and don't let the urine/feces sit. If they urinate, clean it up immediately, and move the box to where they're doing it....maybe they'll get the hint. Clean up the fecal matter as well, and place it in the box. One final note, please DO alter your rabbits; it is much better for their health to be "fixed" as the hormones do a lot of damage to their organs and shorten their lifespans considerably. Good luck. It CAN happen.

Actually there is a whole article on training your rabbit at the american house rabbit society's web site at

http://www.rabbit.org/

I couldn't get my own rabbit completely trained till I neutered him, because males mark their territory by leaving little fecal balls around while they hop about.

Good luck,

a DVM

put his poop into the litterbox, and keep reinforcing evertime he goes potty outside of it, bring him back, bunnies can be easier to train than cats because they naturally poop and pee in one place in their dens