How To Litter Train A Rabbit? The Story Of Mr. Fluffington

We all have literally been there. By “we all. I mean, all the bunny keepers. Any bunny owner has already started to regret their decision within the first three days of bringing home a bunny.  

This is exactly what happened when I brought Mr. Fluffington home. It was a cute Holland Lop rabbit. I had no idea that the rabbit was not really great for beginners. 

I used to live in a rented apartment. However, I always used to remain very scared about receiving back my security deposits, as the urine stains always freaked me out. 

However, when I adopted Mr. Fluffington, he was not really a very young bunny. He was fairly old and kept in a miserable state, so he learned very little about literary training. 

The rescued bunny remained very anxious about his surroundings and literally never trusted me. It took me a long time to win Mr. Fluffington’s trust.  

Here is a complete guide for first-time bunny owners to help them bond with their bunnies in the best way possible. 

Learn How You Can Litter Train Your Rabbit Within Just 5 Days

People often think that rabbits are messy rodents. However, this is absolutely wrong, first of all. The rabbits are not rodents. They are lagomorphs. 

Secondly, when you observe the nature of the rabbits, you can find that they are nothing but patients of OCD, who keep grooming themselves throughout the entire day. 

Thus, people should understand the true psychology of rabbits to gain a proper understanding of the legomorphs’ psychology.  

Moreover, you will have to follow the nuanced procedure of the five-day training. I only learned about these rules much later. 

However, I had already suffered a lot from Mr. Fluffington by the time I learned about the processes and rules.  

Thus, considering all of this, I decided to share the knowledge I have gained so that you do not have to go through the mess I have been through. 

What Is The Golden Rule Of Rabbit Potty Training? 

The golden rule of rabbit potty training generally follows certain procedural nuances. Here are impotent things to keep in mind to get the best results. 

1. Hay Refers To The Toilet Paper Of The Rabbits 

The rabbits do not just use the hay for bedding. Moreover, hay is used for rubbing. Moreover, this might sound a bit nasty to the rabbits, as they generally eat when they poop.  

Thus, the owners should always keep hay in the spot where the rabbit litters. Hence, only food can lure them to the right place to litter.  

Thus, the answer to how to litter a rabbit is simple. Try to put hay in the litter box of the rabbit. Thus, this will make the rabbit more accustomed to the litter training. 

2. Why Is It Important To Spay Or Neuter A Rabbit? 

The owners should have their rabbits spayed or neutered on time. Moreover, this saves the rabbits from terrible conditions like uterine cancer and others. 

However, this also affects the behavioral pattern of the lagomorphs. Here are some things to consider when spaying your rabbits.  

The hormones of a rabbit often make them behave in a certain way. Thus, an un-neutered rabbit can not be trained completely. Fewer hormonal imbalances result in better training for the rabbits. 

The Setup: How Should A Perfect Litterbox Setup Look For A Rabbit?

The answer to the question of how to litter train a rabbit mostly lies in the type of litterbox setup. A perfect litterbox setup shall allow a rabbit to poop well.  

On the other hand, a floppy litterbox setup can cause several problems for the rabbits. Here is everything that you need to learn about a perfect litter box setup. 

1. The Box  

The rabbits generally do not like the corner pans. Mostly, they refuse to litter in the corner litter pans. On the other hand, the rabbits generally prefer a medium or comparatively larger litter pan.  

Ideally, the cat later pans perfectly suit the rabbits’ purpose. The rabbit should be given a proper pan to the litter on. 

Moreover, Mr Fluffington always rejected the smaller pans. But the story remained very different with the larger pans. 

2. The Litter  

You should mostly add safe items to the rabbit’s litter area. Moreover, these things include paper pellets made from old newspaper.  

Additionally, people can also use wood stove pellets. Pine also serves its purpose well when kiln-dried. Furthermore, other materials, such as Aspen shavings, also work really well. 

All these things together make the litter area comfortable for the rabbits.  

Avoid adding toxic materials like Cader shavings. Moreover, these can damage the rabbits’ livers.  

3. How to Arrange The Litter Space Of The Rabbit? 

You should arrange the litter space like a cake. Moreover, add absorbent pellets to the first layer, then proceed to the second layer. 

The second layer should incorporate things like Timothy hay on particular sides of the bedding.  

Hence, this will allow the rabbit to explore layer by layer while enjoying the perfect potty experience of its life. 

What Is The Five Day Training Plan For The Rabbits?

The rabbits generally have to follow a proper five-day potty training plan to get accustomed to proper litter training.  

Hence, here is the five-day training guide for the rabbits that will allow you to learn how to litter train a rabbit. 

1. Day 1-3, Shrink Their World  

While people ask how to litter-train a rabbit, they often get scared off by some of the most necessary and strict steps. Hence, here is a strict rule you must follow right at the beginning. 

Confine the rabbits’ space while preventing them from roaming freely. Thus, the rabbit should be confined within a 4×4 space. 

The owner should restrict the rabbit’s roaming. Moreover, the confinement should keep the rabbit near the litter box.  

Thus, this forces the rabbits to defecate only in the litter box. The owner should follow the same routine for their rabbits until day 3. 

2. Day 4. The First Test To See The Success Of Litter Training  

Expanding the space to the entire room to check on the progress of the rabbit. Moreover, this allows the owner to get a clear picture of the training’s future trajectory.  

Mr. Fluffington was really stubborn, so it took a while for him to get used to it. Moreover, I observed him from a distance like a hawk to understand his behavioral patterns. 

I noticed that Mr. Fluffington was very eager to roam around. However, when the time came to defecate, he rushed to an allocated littering space. 

3. Day 5. The Time For Some Liberty  

Moreover, this is the time when you should open the entire house to your rabbit. Thus, now you should open the entire house to your rabbit and see where it goes for littering. 

If the rabbits are not littering all over the place, it means the rabbits are absolutely fine. Now you can relax and allow your rabbit to roam around freely. 

Fixing The Stubborn Rabbits: How To Litter Train A Rabbit?

All rabbits are not the same. As I told you, Mr. Fluffington was kept in terrible conditions during most of his childhood. Thus, he became really aggressive. 

He would start thumping whenever people were around. Thus, I found it very difficult to train Mr. Fluffington in the initial days. 

The rescued bunny remained very skeptical of the people around him. However, here are some of the tricks that I had figured out with Mr Fluffington while dealing with some of the most brattiest behaviors of Mr. Fluffington. 

1. Why Is My Rabbit Peeing On My Bed? 

People often ask how to litter train a rabbit, as their rabbit literally pees on their bed. The rabbits tend to provide some of the most reliable options to deal with online.  

The rabbits often do it to exert dominance over you. Thus, the rabbit tries to show that it is much bigger than you. 

The rabbits target the bed because they can smell your scent on it, the pillows, and other places. Thus, they try to spread their own cent to exert dominance.  

To resolve this issue, clean the scent immediately. Change the sheets and transfer the defecations into the litter box immediately. 

2. Peeing On The Side 

People often ask how to litter train a rabbit when it is peeing on the side. The rabbits often lift their rear legs too high.  

Hence, they pee over the edge. Thus, the rabbit should be provided with a high-sided storage tub. 

The high-sided storage tubs can contain the rabbits’ pee within the tub. Thus, this prevents peeing outside the tub. 

What Are The Major Breed-Specific Litter Habits Of A Rabbit?

Different breeds tend to have very different litter habits. Thus, the owners should always apply breed-specific training to ensure proper training for the rabbits. 

Breed-Specific Litter Habits & Product Needs 

Breed Category	The Challenge	he Fix / Product Need
Dwarfs (Netherland/Lionhead)	Tiny bladders = frequent urgency. They can’t “hold it” to run across the house.	Need: Multiple smaller litter boxes in every corner of the room.
Giants (Flemish/Continental)	They produce flood levels of urine. Standard pads soak through in hours.	Need: “Cement Mixing Tub” from Home Depot (cheap, huge) + Wood Stove Pellets (super absorbent).
Lops (Holland/Mini Lop)	Prone to “lazy peeing” (sleeping in wet litter), leading to urine scald.	Need: A “Litter Screen” or grate insert to keep their bum dry.
Rex (Mini/Standard)	Very clean, but their feet are sensitive (no fur pads).	Need: Softer paper bedding (Carefresh) on top of pellets to prevent sore hocks.

Cleaning Hacks For Accidental Litters By The Rabbits 

People often ask how to litter train a rabbit. However, training does not happen overnight. Thus, the rabbit keepers should also learn about a quick hack to clean the mess of a rabbit. 

The rabbits often accidentally litter around in several places. Thus, it is important for rabbit owners to identify the best hacks to make their job easier.  

Hence, this cleaning hack will answer queries about cleaning hacks for rabbits. 

Vinegar Vs Bleach 

People often suffer from a dichotomy while deciding between Vinegar and Bleach. However, people often do not understand that bleach makes it worse.  

Thus, the 50/50 White Vinegar solution can help as much as possible. This does not make things worse when mixing with the ammonia smell while cleaning pee stains. 

What Does The Experts From Vet Rescue Suggest?: How To Litter Train A Rabbit

The experts from the House Rabbit Society suggest that when the rabbit pees outside the litter box, you should wipe the pee from the rabbit and put it in the litter box. This will transfer the scent of the pee to the litter box. 

On the other hand, Lennon the Bunny’s YouTube channel suggests that bunny parents use a hanging hay feeder above the litterbox to prevent hay from getting contaminated with poop. 

Furthermore, Dr Molly Verga suggests that sudden changes in the litter habits can be a sign of UTI or urinary tract infection. 

Things To Keep In Mind While Providing Litter Training To Your Bunny

While people ask how to litter train a rabbit, the answer remains that every bunny is different. Thus, no single way can fix your bunny’s littering problems. 

The rabbits are lagomorphs; thus, their litter habits and litter training differ mostly from those of other animals, such as canines and felines. 

Hence, the rabbits have to be trained in different ways. The method of training the rabbits mostly involves transferring scent and keeping it concentrated around the litter box. 

Often, bunnies litter when they suffer from some kind of bladder-related illness. As a result, you should immediately rush to the exotic vet in such situations.  

Rabbit parents should always keep a rabbit first-aid kit ready for situations like these.  

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Here are some of the most related questions that people generally search for, along with how to litter train a rabbit.