A common misconception is that rabbits are dirty animals. But rabbits make wonderful indoor companions in part because they can be litter box trained, just like cats! Follow these steps to litter train your rabbit. Provide a small cat litter box (or a few) with low sides and no top. You can also use a shallow storage tub. Cut a doorway in one of the sides if it’s too tall. Don’t bother with the corner litter boxes advertised for bunnies, as they are too small. For litter, use recycled paper litter such as Yesterday’s News. You can get the larger bags made for cats, but choose the unscented version. This litter will neutralize any unpleasant urine odors. Do not use clay-based or clumping litter as this is harmful to rabbits’ respiratory systems. Avoid wood shavings as well. Put a thin layer of litter at the bottom of the litter box- just enough to absorb wetness. There’s no need to fill it too high since rabbits don’t bury their droppings like cats. Plus, when you clean the litter box, you dump the entire contents out each time.
So you will unnecessarily go through a lot of litter if you deeply fill the box each time. Rabbits like to eat hay and poop at the same time. So to promote good litter box habits, place hay either directly in the box over the litter or place it in a hay box next to the litter box. If you use a hay box, position it so the rabbit must hop into the litter box in order to reach the hay. It’s easiest to develop good litter box habits in rabbits by limiting their space at first. Use a puppy pen to confine your rabbit to one area, even if you intend to give him/her free reign of your home eventually. This allows your bunny to get acclimated to the area in the beginning. Once your bunny consistently uses the litter box, you can gradually expand the area. If your rabbit starts “forgetting” to use the litter box, then limit the space again until good habits resume. Here are a few other tips for those stubborn, “outside-the-box” bunnies: If accidents occur, mop up urine with a paper towel and pick up stray poop and place both in the litter box.
This helps get the message across that the litter box is the place that they should do their business. Keep in mind that rabbits are generally not 100% perfect with their litter box. Sometimes they leave a few droppings next to the box, or they urinate over the edge of their box. This is normal, so placing a plastic mat under their litter box or putting the litter box on a tile floor makes it easier to clean up these little mistakes. Be patient and persistent. Litter training takes time, especially if your rabbit has learned bad habits. It takes a while to retrain them. If you can see they’re about to go outside their litter box (they may lift their tail or sometimes they sort of shimmy down in a seated position right before they go), try to pick them up and put them in the litter box or corral them in. This is oftentimes easier said than done of course. If your bunny is insistent on going in one corner of the room, sometimes it’s easier to give in to their stubbornness, and place a litter box in that corner.
Sometimes when rabbits consistently choose another place to go, they are trying to tell you that that’s where they want to go. If your rabbit is pooping/spraying pee everywhere, this is probably due to your rabbit marking his territory. It’s a good idea to get your rabbit spayed/neutered in order to ease territorial feelings. Sometimes rabbits deliberately pee on your couch or bed because they’re showing you who’s Top Bunny in the house. You should correct their misconception immediately. See our article, Rabbit Peeing on the Couch? What to Do and the House Rabbit Society’s article, “FAQ: Training” for more information. Litter training your pet rabbit takes patience and persistence. But in the end, you’ll have a wonderful companion to share your home with. Litter Training Supply List A shallow storage container works well. Buy on Amazon > Or you may opt for a medium-sized cat litter box (or a few). Opt for a recycled newspaper pellet litter such as Yesterday’s News (unscented).
Purchase hay by the bale from a local farmer (check local Craigslist ads) or order bulk hay online at Small Pet Select (use coupon code MYHOUSERABBIT for free shipping). Buy hay and pellets at Small Pet Select > Placing a hay feeder next to the litter box so the rabbit has to hop into the box in order to eat is helpful in establishing good litter box habits. Buy on Etsy > Puppy pens help limit your rabbit’s space so that he/she can get acclimated to the area and get used to going in the litter box. You may want to protect your floor in the bunny area. Make sure to get a hard plastic one to resist chewing. If your rabbit is peeing on the couch or bed, you can use these devices to keep him/her off the furniture. My wife's office has solid hickory hardwood floors, and I'd like to protect the floor from her rolling office chair. What can be done to protect the floor? Should I even be concerned about the chair damaging the floor? In two old homes now I've shredded the wood floor under my chair, monster splinters eventually emerging.
I work at home in semi-rural New Hampshire. I think they're very old pine floors, so softwood. I plan to try Shepherd Brand Urethane Casters after putty and repainting. From the manufacturer's site, "Nylon tread for carpeting, and urethane tread for hard floors." Much buzz on Amazon about these. Edit: After months with the new casters there are no new paint flakes or splinters. I haven't repainted the floor yet, but it appears these casters will do the trick. Replacing your chair's casters can help. Most chairs come with hard nylon casters, but softer rubber/polyurethane/neoprene casters are less likely to scratch or damage your floor. I live in a house full of wood floors (engineered hardwood). If the floors are kept clean and the wheels of the chair also are kept clean, every little damage will ever happen to your floors. If your floors are perfectly smooth and any imperfection will bother you, I do recommend either a low pile or woven rug under the desk and chair.
I say this, because if some sand or small rock gets between the chair caster and the floor it will mark it. You can always fill the small imperfection but a rug is a small insurance plan for that area of floor. I was initially worried about this, but I've had my office chair on hardwood for about 2 years without issue, with generally at least an hour to 4 hours use every day (and more when I occasionally work from home). It's a pretty typical chair with fairly hard plastic castors. I would either get some sort of "mat" or area rug. There are some plastic mats that are sold without the plastic spikes. There are also 'floating vinyls" or fiber floors that come in rolls (often at Home Depot) and they can just go on top of floor without adhesive. You can cut them to size. Usually, their weight holds them down. I would not use a plastic mat, as I did because a tiny piece of something got under it and I must have rolled over it a dozen times and it left a bunch of annoying marks in my beautiful hardwood floor.
I would use some sort of sacrificial mat, either a pre-made mat or a section of some laminate flooring material to cover the area that you will be using the chair. Of course I have bamboo floors so it blends in. The trouble is, no matter what you put down there, if it's a sunny room, your floor will age unevenly. I had one of those clear plastic mats down and when I removed it after a couple of years, a huge light spot was left behind. I have recently refinished the floor in this room and I'm reluctant to put anything down on the new floor--though maybe with the modern tools & chemicals it's fade-proof I don't know. But I think I have to expect some change of color over time. It's a very sunny room. Kept hoping I'd find something like casters with felt coated wheels. I had no luck. Maybe I should invent such a thing, Lol. Bet they'd sell well. My office chair is also terribly loud rolling across the floor. If you're really really into a solution here, you want a Flexible Glass Chair Mat.
