Small Animal Litter Box Training
Making Life With Rescued Rabbits Easy
Nope we don’t want to talk about this but yes, rabbits poop! Do you like to poop all over the house? Well, I sure used to think I did. My human placed a box filled with newspaper in the living room and kept placing me in it after I well…you know. Once I pooped there, and she was very happy so I pooped there again; but the paper got gross quick and she was not happy when I kicked out the paper?
Then she came home with a box that was larger and put it in the middle of the room for a few days…boy did I feel on display!
Finally she came home with a box which was a triangle shape and fit nicely in the corner. It also had a deep enough bottom to place hay, and a slotted removable top so the poopies fell inside. I was not able to kick what she calls my “little cannon balls” out of the box or dig up the hay to throw around which bothered me at first because I love to decorate. However, she put a hay feeder above so the hay fell inside and just like she enjoyed reading magazines when she used her box I had my hay to munch while I was there.
A few times I sprayed but it did not hit the walls of the living room. Instead it hit the walls of the triangle which were just the right height. I wasn’t sure how I felt about this, but I soon forgot because… hay.
For a while she picked up any cannon balls and placed them in the box and that reminded me that I could be eating hay while I poop. She is a nice human.
Once I had a few of these throughout the house I pretty much preferred pooping in the triangles. Would I poop there again? Yes, I just do that now.
Another technique she used that worked super well for me and required no training. She simply put down a mat where I chose to poop in the house. It’s a super cute little cloth woven mat she picked up at what she calls a tree of dollars maybe store? IDK, anyhoo… I liked it enough and just kept leaving those cannon balls there… but on the mat! Once a week she takes it out and shakes it and then washes it down the stairs in the washing place where things go down dirty but come up smelling fresh. She could have replaced it with any box type with the mat in it and I would be fine. I’m glad she knows better than to use actual litter like the cat box…that made me sick to my stomach because I do enjoy eating my poops as all rabbits do and need to do as my gut biome needs that so it’s super normal to eat poop, but only if your a rabbit, maybe an article on that later!
When a shelter-rescued rabbit is adjusting to living in a house, having a designated place to poop can make a big difference in their comfort and behavior.
Rabbits are naturally clean animals, and in the wild, they designate specific areas for their droppings. This behavior, known as “litter training,” can be seen even in pet rabbits. Providing them with a litter box not only helps keep their living space clean but also gives them a sense of security and control over their environment.
For a shelter-rescued rabbit, having a consistent place to poop can help reduce stress and anxiety as they adapt to their new surroundings. It gives them a sense of routine and helps them feel more at home.
Additionally, rabbit poop plays a crucial role in their digestion. Rabbits produce two types of droppings: hard, dry pellets and soft, mucus-covered pellets known as cecotropes. Cecotropes are rich in nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, and beneficial bacteria, which are essential for their digestive health.
Rabbits practice coprophagy, which is the consumption of their cecotropes directly from their anus. This may seem unappealing to us, but it’s a natural and important part of their digestive process. By eating their cecotropes, rabbits re-ingest these nutrients, allowing their digestive system to extract maximum nutrition from their food.
In summary, providing a shelter-rescued rabbit with a designated place to poop not only helps them feel more secure and comfortable but also supports their digestive health. It’s a simple yet crucial aspect of caring for these wonderful animals.