Rabbit Resource Center
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Litter-box Training Your BunStart your spayed or neutered rabbit in a fairly small area, up to 4' x 6'. Provide an assortment of litter-boxes. The most important box will be a large (at least 18" x 24") box with deep sides. The idea is to make the litter-box appealing to your rabbit so s/he will want to get in the box and follow his/her natural tendency to graze and eliminate simultaneously. Place 1"-2" of CareFRESH, or another absorbent, rabbit-safe litter in the large box. Cover the litter with high quality grass hay. Every 6 - 8 hours, add fresh hay, equal to double the size of your bun. Since your rabbit will either waste/discard about 25% of the hay, this will still allow him/her to eat six times his/her size each day. Every other day, remove hay, check litter underneath, removing any heavily soiled portions, and continue adding fresh hay. Once per week, empty entire box, rinse with water, and spray/pour white vinegar over inside and outside of box. Let sit for a couple of minutes, scrub if necessary, rinse and dry. Box should stay looking and smelling brand new for years. Once box is clean, start over, or to prevent accidents during cleaning, have two sets of litter boxes available for trading out. For many humans, the idea of the table and the toilet in the same location is very shocking, but your rabbit needs to graze. You do not have to worry- your rabbit will not eat soiled hay, as long as you provide fresh hay three to four times a day. Do not be discouraged if your bun does not take to the new routine instantly; experiment with larger litter-boxes, or different hay/litter. To make things easier for your bun, provide lots of litter-boxes, especially in corners, until s/he lets you know which locations are preferred. Also provide smaller boxes of plain bedding/litter if possible. As your rabbit's litter-box habits improve, s/he will earn more freedom and you can gradually increase his/her space. Eventually you will be able to remove any unused boxes from the area.
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BunnyLuv Rabbit Resource Center is
a non-profit (501c3) animal welfare and education group. All donations are
100% tax deductible.
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