Whenever our bunnies run around the house, and we have people over, they are always surprised to learn that bunnies can be potty trained. Who doesn’t want a fluffy, cuddly bunny following them around? It’s a dream, I’ll say that.
When we got both our bunnies, they were not potty trained, but we soon found out that potty training a bunny is EASY. You can usually potty train them in less than a week—that’s easier than training a dog, a toddler, or a cat!
We have only ever potty-trained Holland Lops, but other bunnies will be the same. This is because most rabbits want to go to the same spot. I’m talking pee here, not poop. With our bunnies, most of their poop goes in the litter, but some stragglers like to hang out outside the litter box.
When you get your new bunny, whatever you are keeping it in, place a litter box in one of the corners. We use these and these. The second litter box is new to us. We specifically use the litter boxes with the high sides for our soon-to-be mama Hollands. When a bunny is pregnant, it is naturally inclined to dig, and its litter gets everywhere. The high sides prevent that. They are super easy to clean.
We used the litter boxes with the wire but found them hard to clean, and you must dump them more. We like being able to dump the bedding when needed or add new bedding to extend the time we dump the litter box. So, we went with the simple kitty litter box. It works well. Make sure to give your bunny ample room in its new box. If your box is too small, you might find pee outside the box and some inside.
You might be lucky, and your bunny will go in the box from the start! Most likely, they will go to an opposite corner or use both.
So here’s what you do:
- Place the litter box in the enclosure.
- Keep a close eye on your bunny. If it pees elsewhere, clean up the pee with a paper towel, then place that pee-soaked paper towel in the litter box. I place the paper towel under the litter just a bit. This will let the bunny know to use the litter box.
- Once you have cleaned up the pee, take your bunny and have someone hold it so you can bleach the spot where it peed. Rabbit pee SMELLS, and you don’t want a smelly house.
- If the bunny isn’t using the litter box where you put it and continues going elsewhere, place it where they choose to pee.
- Once cleaned and the smell is gone, put your bunny back in and try again.
- Repeat until they have learned to go in the litter box.
I put their water and food over the litter box so that when they are eating, they can use the bathroom as well. This helps with the poop pebbles not being everywhere.
What I use for the litter boxes has changed. I used to put pine shavings in the litter box and call it good. But this was messy, the pine shavings would stick to their fur and then the shavings ended up outside the litter box. We now use pine pellets. You can get these at your local farm store. These are amazing at keeping the smell at a minimum or no scent. I also put PDZ at the bottom of their litter box. The PDZ takes away the ammonia smell. I have done litter boxes with the PDZ and without. I noticed that the PDZ keeps the litter box fresher longer.
Another accessory I ordered when we chose to potty train that has been a game changer is a little broom and dustpan to sweep the poopies up. It’s quick and easy and helps teach the bunny to do all their business in the litter box.
Potty training your bunny is a fun endeavor. With some work and persistence, your bunny will run around your house in no time.
Thanks for learning about how to potty train your bunny. Now, it’s time to start potty training! Good Luck! If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask! Please read my “How to Successfully Prepare for a New Bunny” post for more tips and tricks!
Get more LoDown in these posts:
Why Bunnies Make the Perfect Pet
A Perfect Birthing Suite for a Bunny
How to Care for Your New Baby Bunnies
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