How can I house - train my rabbit?
Ideally, a house rabbit should start toilet training as young as 8 weeks old, but it is not impossible to toilet train them when they are older.
When you introduce your rabbit into your home, confine it in a small area for 48 hours. This can be a small room but it is better to use one of the indoor cages available from good pet shops. Provide food, water and toys and cover the floor with bedding such as newspaper, wood flakes or straw. Your rabbit will gain security while coming into contact with new stimuli. It also gives an opportunity to choose a particular corner for defecation and urination.
Once your rabbit feels secure, a tray can be filled with non-clumping cat litter and placed in the area your rabbit has decided to use as a toilet. To speed up the association of litter tray with house - training, place some of the original soiled bedding in the tray. Leave your rabbit confined for a further 24 hours before allowing supervised access to the rest of your house.
The natural action of eating while going to the toilet should be considered as a way of encouraging the use of the tray. Place a hay rack or food bowl at the end of the tray and offer a food reward, such as a piece of a carrot, each time your rabbit jumps into the tray as well as each time it uses it..
The litter tray should be cleaned out regularly but not so often that the scent of faeces and urine cannot remain long enough to allow an association to develop. A thorough clean-out once every 36 hours is advisable - any longer and a small sized litter tray could encourage the rabbit to seek another place to use.
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