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By Edison T. Rabbit
November 1999
We rabbits can be house
trained believe it our not, just like our feline friends! We like to
do our "business" usually in the same spot all the time.
An idea may be to leave the litter box in the cage about at the spot
where we figured out we like to uh.. well.. do our
"business". This will make it a bit easier for your new
rabbit friend to figure out what they are supposed to do with the
litter box!
It takes just a bit of patience to train us but its well worth the
effort. You don't need a really large box either, mine is only 14
inches long by 10 inches wide.
I took to the litter box right away. Well...ok I lied, there was one little
problem. When I first arrived at my new home, I saw this box in my
cage, filled with this stuff that reminded me of small pebbles. I
just hopped into it, stretched out, and went to sleep! So call me a
dumb
bunny, I thought it was a small bed at first but hey, I was only 8
weeks old at the time! All my pet human had to do was place a few of
my well... uh... droppings in the box and that was my signal. I sort
of figured it out by myself that I was supposed to respond to
"natures call" there.
Some bunnies take a little time to get this right, as I had
mentioned before. So take some time to teach your bunny what do to!
Place a small amount of hay in the corner of the box to entice your
friend into his or her litter box. When your rabbit friend figures
out what the box is for, give your bunny
encouragement just like you would with a child. Don't punish your friend if he or she
messes up (from time to time, even I have the occasional "accident"!)
that does nothing for positive re-enforcement. It will just
frustrate you and your rabbit companion.
So what kind of litter to use? My pet humans use a new litter called
"Yesterday's News" made from recycled newspaper of all things! They
saw in an article in the House Rabbit Society's "House Rabbit Journal" that the litter they
were using before, corn cob litter, could cause liver disorders
in a rabbit. The article recommended the use of this brand. Its a
lot healthier for us and my pet humans say its a lot easier to use
than corn cob litter.
Why not just use cat litter, so you ask? Well the dust that it
creates when we dig and kick the stuff up, can cause upper
respiratory problems in us rabbits. And cedar shavings are not a
good idea either. It could also cause liver and kidney problems for
us.
The
House Rabbit Society has some good information on litter
training! Click
here to go to their web page on the topic!
The
San Diego House Rabbit Society also has a good article on their
web site about the various litters out there that are rabbit
friendly and which or not. Click
here to get to their information!
So when litter training us rabbits, be patient with us. Some
rabbits, like me, understand it in a snap. Others need some
time, encouragement, and above all understanding!
Warm Regards,
Edison T. Rabbit
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