Rabbit Litter Training Tips and Guide
Litter training is important for pet rabbits since a clean environment is required for the rabbits to stay healthy and sanctity can be maintained at home. Rabbits urine have strong odor. And they are all the more complicated if they stain the carpets. Even the feces are manageable to clean up without stain in case of accidental defecation by the rabbit when roaming around. Litter training a rabbit is unfortunately not as easy as in the case of dogs. However, with the aid of right techniques and materials, it is not impossible though. For most of the rabbit breeds the litter box can be the size of a normal cat litter box. But for bigger breeds a larger bin may be required. However the litter box should be kept to appropriate size since, they tend to lay in the litter box if they are oversized. Larger litter boxes should be avoided for this purpose. Though a cat litter compound can be used in case of unavailability, it is best to buy one specifically designed for the rabbits. The right material is required to make a rabbit litter box. So it is not recommended to make a litter box on your own using cedar chips and clay. Paper based pellets can be opted since the rabbits usually do not show much inclination to chew them. However they may occasionally test them by chewing. The rabbits are very clean animals and prefer to stay far away from the litter box. It must be kept in mind while designing a cage, so that the cage size is large enough to accommodate distance from the litter box. The ideal cage size apart from the area for litter box should be 6 times the size of the rabbit. The litter pan must be made of heavy material so that it does not tip off when the rabbit gets in and out of it. Plastic containers with the right weight will be fine. The natural instincts of dogs are different from the rabbits and hence litter training them is also different. It usually takes longer to litter train the rabbits comparing the time required to train the dogs. Dogs tend to defecate in the same spot every time, but quickly move away once defecation is done. However in the case of rabbits, they even re-ingest a type of nutritious feces called cecotropes that it produces. It must be observed to ensure that the rabbits are let out of the cage after they urinate and defecate in the litter box. If they are let free to roam around all the time in the house, the habit of using the litter box is tough to be introduced later. If the rabbits are used to eliminate in a constant spot in the house, the litter box should be moved to that area. It is possible with little observation that they exhibit some movements when they are about to eliminate. They show up a little dance and often lift up their tail slightly and move backwards. Instantly the litter box must be placed in order to get them to associate with the act and the place of defecation. Comparing to puppies rabbits are timid creatures which gets them stressed out if they are whisked away in case of accidental elimination. You must be prepared to stain the house a little while training them and it is important to be as gentle as possible towards them. With gentle and secure approach and with little perseverance it is not very difficult to litter train your pet rabbit. And once successfully trained the benefits lasts a life time. More Rabbit Selection Articles: | 