The last thing you should do is keep your bunny from going out and about for adventures in your house because you’re afraid they will poop everywhere. This is where potty training comes in. Once your bunny has been potty trained, you never have to worry about running around cleaning after them. So, how do you potty train a bunny?
To potty train your bunny, first choose the right litter box. Once you have a big enough litter box, fill it with hay, litter, and your bunny’s old poop. Use positive reinforcements and watch out for the signs they exhibit right before they are about to poop.
Potty training is important as it will help keep your place clean. Bunnies are smart and will catch on fairly quickly. There are a few ways you can potty train your bunny, but the method mentioned below is the easiest and fastest.
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How Can I Potty Train My Bunny?
Here’s how to successfully potty train your bunny.
Choose The Correct Litter Box
The first thing to take care of when potty training your bunny is the type of litter box you will use. To ensure that there is no way poop can find its way out of the litter box, use one that has a mesh. Suppose you have a bunny that has a tendency to dig. In that case, a mesh litter box will prevent that from happening, and you won’t have to deal with poop flung around.
You’ll also want to go for a litter box that is as big as you can get that will fit in your home. Ensure that it is big enough for your bunny to do a 360-degrees turn. This way, your bunny will still be able to fit comfortably as they grow bigger.
Set Up The Litter Box With Hay And Litter
Once the litter box is sorted, you want to set it up. To do this, place liner, litter, and hay. Rabbits enjoy munching on hay as they do their business, so this will go a long way in making them get comfortable pooping in their litter box. The hay also assists with their digestion.
Ensure that the litter you add is absorbent so your bunny’s pee will be absorbed. This will help prevent your home from being smelly. It is recommended to use recycled paper litter instead of kitty litter. You may have tried this already and haven’t gotten any lucrative results. The trick is adding some of your rabbit’s old poop into the litter box.
The reason why you should add your bunny’s old poop is that the smell of the litter, hay, and poop combined will attract your bunny and make them want to poop in that spot. In this case, that will be inside the litter box instead of a corner in your home.
Clean The Bunnies Cage Several Times A Day
When potty training your bunny, ensure you regularly clean their cage/pen. You’ll want to do this several times a day and place whatever you swept up into the litter box each time you do. This will further encourage your bunny to go poop in that spot.
Keep An Eye On Your Bunny’s Tail
Usually, the setup mentioned above would have your bunny potty trained within a day or two or a week. However, if your bunny still isn’t quite there yet, the next thing to do is to keep an eye on its tail. Whenever you notice your bunny’s tail is about to lift, it clearly indicates that they are just about ready to go.
Scoop your bunny up as quickly as possible and place it in its litter box. You’ll need to repeat this often until your rabbit understands that that is where they need to do their business. Rabbits are smart, so they will finally get it.
Interestingly, rabbits are excellent at communicating when they need to go potty. So, the chances of you missing the signs are slim if you pay attention.
Use Positive Reinforcement
To fully ensure that your bunny is potty trained, use positive reinforcements. These could be in the form of treats or encouragement like petting when they use their litter box to potty. The goal is to get them to associate the litter box with good things.
That way, they will be even more willing to do their business in the litter box as opposed to anywhere else in the house. Your rabbit should be successfully potty trained within two weeks.
What To Do If Your Rabbit Has A Potty Accident?
Mistakes happen, and even if your bunny had been successfully potty trained, they might slip up and either pee in a spot that isn’t their litter box. When this happens, simply clean and deodorize that area to ensure that your bunny does not return to that spot again, thinking it is a new spot where they can potty.
Place the towel you used to clean the mistake in their litter box. This will remind them that their litter box is where they need to do their business. Do the same with their droppings. Simply transfer them from one territory to the other, which is the litter box.
If you have a bunny that has been using their litter box but then suddenly has a mistake, it is generally a sign of them marking their territory, which is caused by their hormones acting up. These can flare up for various reasons, like your bunny aging.
This type of regression is fairly normal. The main thing to do is continue with the potty-training habits. One of the best ways to prevent hormone flaring is to spay and neuter your rabbit. Their desire to mark the territory with their droppings will be significantly diminished once they have been spayed and neutered.
Conclusion
Potty training a bunny isn’t impossible. In fact, it can be done within a couple of days. Take care of your bunny by spaying and neutering it, so it does not regress. Keep consistent with your potty-training method, and do not be disheartened if mistakes happen.
