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Good evening everyone, and happy Saturday! This week we are going to talk about a topic near and dear to all bun owners....and since the title gives it away, I guess you know what we will be discussing... right!, litter box training! This is a very difficult topic to master, so I hope my blog will help ease your potty training session! Ok, so, to start off I'm sure everyone is wondering "what is the right age to start training your bunny"? I have done much research, and everyone seems to have a different age in mind, but in an article posted in Yahoo Voice and written by Cassandra James, she claims that "most vets reccomend around 6 months of age". I have also found much research that disagrees, and I happen to agree with the latter. They (and I) say there is not an age "too young" to start training. At first I was worried that if I start too young, the bunny would just get used to the litter box being in his/her cage, and never know its purpose. However, after going through it all, I believe it is more about the type of litter box you get. THAT my friends is the key. I feel like I let a huge secret out, and can solve the world from all the un-potty trained bunnies out there!! Ok, all joking aside, the type of litter box you get makes all the difference in the world. If you have too small of a litter box for your bun to comfortably fit in with a little room on both sides, he/she will just not go in it. The problem is, if they don't go in it, they will never learn to use it! Just remember in selecting litter boxes to teach with, bigger is better when the bun is new to learning "where" to "go"... When my bunny was learning, I tried training him with a couple "cute" or "convenient corner styled" litter boxes only to get fed up with him not making any progress. I finally had enough, and did more research ....I eventually decided to buy a cat litter box. It ended up costing far less than the "convenient style bunny training boxes" AND took up nearly half his cage. I felt like a bad bun mom because he lost a lot of room in his cage, but I did promise him as soon as he learned how to be "potty trained" then I would get him a HUGE cage (and from a previous post, you know I followed through :) )...by buying a big litter box, it is almost as you are nicely forcing them to have to use it. Anyways, I will post pictures below of all the types of litter boxes I used/tried, and what worked best (and almost immediately- once I finally found it) for me and what NOT to buy. The second most important part to litter box training is what type of litter to use for the box. TO AVOID: clumping litters (when injested, could cause major intestinal obstruction- and death), pine and cedar shavings (fumes are linked to respiratory and liver damage), CatWorks litter (linked to Zinc poisoning), corn cob litter (also causes a lethal blockage), and clay litters (dusty and can cause respiratory problems, as well as contain deodorant crystals that are toxic). What TO USE: Paper/Pulp or Newspaper products (including my FAVORITE- Carefresh bedding), pelleted plant fiber pellets (Cat Country), Aspen, and even food pellets can be used. My favorite is the Carefresh bedding- it comes in a variety of cool colors, but I buy the natural color because it is the cheapest. Buy in bulk, so It lasts a while- and is the most for your money. So now that we have the basics here are the steps to putting it all together....
1. Choose your litter box (I recommend the Large Plastic Cat Pan)
2. Choose your litter (I recommend CareFresh)
3. Line the litter box with news paper (I put at least 3 layers in)
4. Put an inch of litter in the pan
5. Cover half of the pan with hay (Timothy is best- but if you want to spoil your baby, add some Orchard grass as well!)
6. Put in cage (start in the cage, it confines the bunny to a smaller area to learn from at first)
7. Save some old poo's and- if you have a paper towel soaked with buns urine (thats a GREAT starting place) .... place this in the bathroom side of litter box (the end with no hay)
8. wait... and watch the bun learn!
* Tip when putting buns litter box in the cage, also place all food in the kitchen side of litter box... this should keep all bathroom in litter box. :)
Please keep in mind, bunnies do still make mistakes. So please be patient. Good luck!! I really hope this helps everyone trying to train their bunnies!!!!
1. Choose your litter box (I recommend the Large Plastic Cat Pan)
2. Choose your litter (I recommend CareFresh)
3. Line the litter box with news paper (I put at least 3 layers in)
4. Put an inch of litter in the pan
5. Cover half of the pan with hay (Timothy is best- but if you want to spoil your baby, add some Orchard grass as well!)
6. Put in cage (start in the cage, it confines the bunny to a smaller area to learn from at first)
7. Save some old poo's and- if you have a paper towel soaked with buns urine (thats a GREAT starting place) .... place this in the bathroom side of litter box (the end with no hay)
8. wait... and watch the bun learn!
* Tip when putting buns litter box in the cage, also place all food in the kitchen side of litter box... this should keep all bathroom in litter box. :)
Please keep in mind, bunnies do still make mistakes. So please be patient. Good luck!! I really hope this helps everyone trying to train their bunnies!!!!