Litter box training?

[Lionheadlover]

I got a my first rabbit over a year ago. For a good while (over 8 months) I have been trying to litter box train him. It's going well, I guess.He goes in his box, ehh, 7/10 times, maybe less. He has the large Puruvian Hedrix (sp?) cage, that is wire mesh on the bottom, but he has a box that he can sleep in and rest his feet on. He also has a small cat box for litter training. I can't figure out why he isn't going exculsivly in his litter box and why he seems content to poop in his sleeping box and not his litter box. When I take him out and play with him, he seems like he tries to hold it as best as he can which is good, and I give him plenty of breaks to go back in his litter pan and have a potty break. If he has to, he goes and comes back out.

My main question, why wont he just use his litter box and why does he feel content to just poop in his sleeping box? What can I do to send the message that the litter box is a better option?

 

[kirbyultra]

When litter training a bunny, it's best to help him understand where he is supposed to poop and where he is not by dividing up scents and tasks. He should eat and poop in the same place as that is what rabbits naturally tend to do. He should hang out where he hangs out and sleeps and not have anything to munch on in that place (at least until he understands where to go). Do you put hay in his litter box so that he can have something nice to chew on while he poops? Does the litter box have litter or bedding in it? The rest of the cage should not have any bedding on it so as to not confuse the little guy.

When he does poop elsewhere, sweep them back into his litter box. If he urinates elsewhere, wipe it up with paper towel and toss the paper towel into the litter box. His scent will tell him that that stuff belong in the box. The other thing is, make sure that the litter box is large enough for him to comfortably sit and turn about in it. If it is
too small, he will not be inclined to use it if he can get away with it.

If you have a pic of his cage, it might help us see what's going on.

Good luck!

 

[missyscove]

Is he peeing exclusively in the litter box? Personally, I consider a bun litter trained if it pees in the box and I think some poops outside are to be expected.

Placing a hay rack above the box, and possibly even the food dish, can definitely help because rabbits really do like to poop and eat at the same time.

 

[Lionheadlover]

Thanks for the replies! I will deffidently try some of these suggestions!