Toilet Training Bunnies!

Beginner's Guide: How to Toilet Train Your Rabbit

C’s Oreo & Pudding! So cute!

Just got a new bunny? Freedom later, toilet train first. Toilet training your rabbit not only keeps their space clean but also makes life easier for both of you. Rabbits are naturally clean animals, and with patience, they can learn to use a litter box just like cats and dogs. Whether your bunny lives in a cage or roams in a large playpen, here’s how to help them build good potty habits.

Supplies You’ll Need

Before starting, gather these essential items:

• Litter box (small commercially sold ones for cages, larger for playpens, toyogo tubs or even cage bases work)

• Rabbit-safe litter or bedding material

• Hay rack + Food Bowl + Water (Rabbits tend to munch while they poop!)

• Cleaning spray (white vinegar and water mix 50:50 is fine)

• Paper towels or cleaning cloths

• Playpen (for free-roam or semi-free-roam setups) Confining your rabbit before it is fully trained can help bunny figure out where to go for potty, faster.. also prevents messy clean ups all over the house

H’s little boy

Toilet Training

If your rabbit stays in a cage or hutch, here’s how to train them to use a small potty area:

• Choose the Right Litter Box

  1. Use a low box that fits in one or more corner of the enclosure. Please it where your rabbit already tends to go.

  2. Gauge the size of your bunny, make sure the whole butt can fit into the potty size that you use. Also if the potty is too shallow, the pee might fill up too quickly within the day, and may flood with pee, before you have time to change. And it may dirty the rabbit

  3. Wire or plastic mesh doesnt matter. As long as it is thin, and pee/ poo can go through easily, not stay at the top. If your mesh is not ideal, just remove it. The rabbit can still use the toilet with bedding, without the mesh

• Add Bedding and Hay + Food + Water **

  Line the box with rabbit-safe bedding. And the fastest way we have train rabbits, is to confine all eating and drinking to within the potty only, which means the rabbit should hop up potty and comfortably stay inside everytime it needs to eat and drink. You may add abit fresh hay on top of the potty or for hygiene reasons, o hang a hay rack above it, and put the water bottle at the end of the bottle, along with the food bowl. Personally i will use a 2 in 1 hay rack n food bowl to reduce the number of things at the potty. This encourages your bunny to use the litter box very often to do its daily activities, it gets bunny used to climbing up n down the potty easily. They will poo n pee often after eating n drinking. When the smell collates at the potty, naturally they will return there to potty.

• Observe and Reinforce (optional)

  Watch your rabbit's behavior. If they use the litter box, give them a treat and praise. If they go elsewhere, clean it up quickly and place the droppings into the box to show them where it belongs.

• Clean Regularly

  Spot clean daily and change bedding every 2–3 days to maintain hygiene and prevent odor. BUT! Do not rigourously scrub down the potty, because we need some scent in there still.

BE CONSISTENT!

E’s Nacho, Othello & Toto

Additional notes for Toilet Training in a Playpen

Training in a playpen gives your rabbit more space, which means a larger litter box might be needed.

• Use a Bigger Potty

Choose a cat-size litter box or even a low plastic storage bin. Rabbits like space to move around while they potty.

• Multiple Boxes (Optional)

If your rabbit is young or new to litter training, place 2–3 boxes in the playpen corners. Gradually reduce to 1 once they choose a preferred spot.

• Set Up Comfortably

Place the box near their hay feeding station. Some rabbits like privacy, so you may partially cover the box area with a small hide. But not necessary

• Consistency is Key

Keep the setup the same daily. If they have accidents, clean up thoroughly and don’t scold—just redirect.

🧻 Recommended Bedding Materials

Choose bedding that is safe and absorbent:

• Paper-based pelleted litter (e.g., Nature's Eco, Breeder's Celect, Green Kat)

• Compressed wood pellets (aspen or hardwood—not pine/cedar)

Avoid:

• ❌ Pine or cedar shavings (harmful to rabbit livers, can cause respiratory problems)

• ❌ Clumping cat litter (can be ingested and cause blockages)

⚠️ Tips to Prevent Accidents

• ✅ Spay/neuter your rabbit — this reduces territorial marking.

• ✅ Don’t change litter brands too often — stick to a familiar scent.

• ✅ Clean with vinegar — removes the urine scent and discourages re-marking.

• ✅ Block off areas where accidents happen repeatedly. They can smell and remember!

If you can figure my doodle and scribblings, here’s smth i sent to a customer some years back, pardon the bad english 🤭