Believe it or not, rabbits can be trained to use a litter box, just like a cat!
Before you begin housetraining your rabbit:
Is your rabbit spayed or neutered? Rabbits who are fixed tend to have much less of an issue with spraying urine around the house than intact rabbits do. Intact rabbits are more difficult to housetrain.
If not, talk to a vet with rabbit experience about having your rabbit spayed or neutered.
What you’ll need to housetrain your rabbit:
- Litter pans (cat ones work well — but no lids!)
- Litter (such as recycled paper pellets)
- Unlimited hay (grass hays such as Timothy or orchard hay)
How to housetrain your rabbit:
- Fill the bottom of the litter box with a layer of litter about two to three inches deep.
- Add a thick layer of hay at one end of the litter box or in a hay feeder close enough that your rabbit can munch while still in the box. Rabbits will naturally want to eat the hay while going to the bathroom.
- Place the litter box in a corner of your rabbit’s housing area. Large enclosures with multiple levels will need more than one box. If your rabbit is already peeing in one corner of their enclosure, put the box there. If they start to pee in another corner, you might have to move the box there or put an additional box in that spot.
- Keep your rabbit in their housing area until they’re using their litter box reliably. They can have more space to roam once you’re satisfied that they’re using it consistently.
- When they’re ready, let your rabbit have time out of their housing area. Put a litter box out in their free-run space too. Use the same method with this space as you did with the enclosure: start small, only giving them more room once they’re going to the bathroom in their litter boxes reliably.
- Give your rabbit fresh hay in their litter boxes every day and even several times a day. Clean the boxes at least every other day using a bunny-safe cleaner such as a white vinegar and water mix.
A note about poop
Some rabbits will continue to poop outside their litter boxes — this can be a territorial behaviour. You can always pick up the poops and place them in the litter box, but the behaviour might never go away completely.
More resources:
- 12 things to know before adopting a rabbit
- Why spay/neuter is important for rabbits
- Check out our rabbit care guide
- Visit the House Rabbit Society for even more housetraining tips and tricks