2torial #0931:
Learn2 Care for a Pet Rabbit (continued)

Deal with toilet issues

Happily for humans, rabbits are easily litter box trained. Being fastidious animals, they like to choose a single "toilet" area that's separate from where they eat, sleep, and play. You can help your rabbit "choose" the litter box you've prepared for it.

Start in the cage. Place the box in a corner of the cage away from the food and water containers. Watch the rabbit for the first few days. If it consistently uses the box where you've placed it, great; if it picks another spot, move the box there if at all possible. If you see the rabbit urinating elsewhere in the cage, pick it up and put it in the litter box, along with any newspaper or hay it may have just peed on.

Move it out. When you start letting your rabbit out into the bunnyproofed part of the house, keep its litter box accessible. Supervise the bunny closely. If it defecates or urinates anywhere, pick up the feces or wipe up the liquid, pick up the rabbit, and put it in its litter box with the feces or the paper or cloth you used to absorb the urine. Pet the rabbit once it's in the box, and speak to it approvingly in a soothing voice. (Don't ever punish, yell at, or hit a rabbit--it won't get the point and you'll only scare it.) Keep doing this until you're confident the rabbit is fully trained to its litter box.

Accidents will happen. Rabbit feces are small, round, dry, and odorless--very easy to dispose of in case of an accident. Rabbit urine, on the other hand, is strong stuff. Wipe it up as soon as you can, then clean the affected spot with mild detergent or white vinegar and rinse with water. Cover the spot with something heavy and solid to discourage the rabbit from returning and making it the new toilet.