Rabbits have their needs and that means their owners need to take care of those needs. When it comes to managing the daily care schedule the owners should not only concentrate on the food and water drinking process. The cleaning of the cage and making them poop at a regular time and in a particular place is also the part of grooming business of the pet rabbits.
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How do you prepare the litter box for your rabbit?
There are certain things that one should and should not put inside the litter box of the pet rabbit. There should be a layer of litter that will absorb the wetness of the urine and feces. This litter should be chosen wisely. It needs to be something that is dry and lightweight. The clay-like substance should not be put as litter. That thing will become messy after getting wet and that will make the rabbit uncomfortable.
Why do you need to put anything in the rabbit litter box?
If you do not put anything to cover the floor of the litter box, it will soon become wet. The boxes are usually cleared once every alternate day. But the wetness of the floor will affect the bunnies and they may get cold allergies.
Also, the floor under the litter box can become messy and that will be rather nasty a thing for the living room if you keep your pet rabbits inside the house. So using some material to cover the floor of the litter box will be a wise idea.
How often should you clean the rabbit litter box?
It is said that you can clean the box every two days, or even four days if you are keeping a single rabbit as a pet. But it depends upon the individual habits of the pets. Some rabbits poop more than the rest, so you need to keep the litter box clean and that is why the cleaning schedule should be decided by you only.
It also depends upon the type of bedding used in the cage. When you use something light like a paper towel or old recycled newspaper then it will get wet very soon and thus, it will be soiled fast. But when you use something like a layer of hay or grass then it will take longer to get fully dirty. Thus you can easily use the litter for more days.
Do rabbits sleep in their litter box?
Rabbits sleep sometimes in their litter box. They love to sleep in their burrow but when they are in the house living as a pet, they may find the litter box more comfortable than their cage or any open area. This is not abnormal behavior and it will be easy for the pet to sleep inside the litter box. Just make sure that the litter box does not stay dirty when the rabbit will attempt to lie there.
Why do you need to put hay in the rabbit litter box?
Eating is a constant factor in the rabbit’s daily schedule. It has been often reported by the rabbit owners that their pet munches on the hay while defecating. Thus if you provide hay in their litter box it will make them comfortable and also they can eat while pooping.
However, some litter separately should be put on the bottom of the litter box and it should be covered with the hay. Only providing hay is not ideal as hay is unable to absorb moisture. Do not worry about the rabbit eating the dirty hay on which it had pooped, as they do not eat the dirty hay and only choose the clean and fresh hay while eating.
Do bunnies need bedding in their litter box?
It is not that rabbits need beddings in their litter box mandatorily. When the rabbits are kept only indoors, they can sleep in any part of the house. This is why bedding will be unnecessary in their cage. But it is not the same with the litter box. The litter box requires some layering on the floor which will absorb the moisture from the feces and urine.
It has also been seen that rabbits prefer to sleep in their litter box, which can be made easy if you give them some hay in their litter box. They will feel comfortable and also relaxed when sleeping in the litter box.
How much hay should you put in the litter box?
The bedding that you provide in a medium-sized litter box should be of 1-inch depth. Next, you will provide a handful of hay which will just be spread on the top of the litter. It need not be of a huge amount as the hay will only make the rabbit comfortable and let it eat something when it will need it.
Can you put pellets instead of hay in the litter box?
Rabbit prefers to eat grass hay the most. Hay provides them with lots of nutrients that are not available in any commercial and synthetic food. You can give your pet rabbit pellet usually but giving them hay in the litter box is the best idea as that will make them more comfortable.
As they have the habit of chewing hay while pooping, it should not be replaced by the pellet. This is their natural habit and has been there when they used to live in the wilderness. This habit should not be changed as that will not be normal for the rabbits.
What are the options for making the litter bowl at home?
You can get a colander and a bowl set for this purpose. This is available in various pet stores. Or you can get it from any stationary store, where it will be much cheaper. The two sets of bowls are necessary as the strainer on the top will help the poop to stay and the urine will be strained through and drip to the lower container.
The bowl should be covered with a plastic bag so there would be no mess on the floor below. The liner will be an easy way to dispose of the feces and you do not have to touch it in some way.
There are various kinds of litter available, so choose the one you think is right and put it in the bowl. Some choose wood shavings for the bedding but we would not recommend that. The sharp edgy wood shavings can hurt the rabbits. Sometimes the pest inside the wood infests the coat of the rabbit too. So it would not be an ideal choice for bedding.
This bowl or litter box can be placed inside the rabbit’s cage or somewhere else, where the rabbit would be comfortable using it. Some owners use to keep the litter box or bowl in the cage thinking this will keep the rest of the house neat.
Is it okay to keep the litter box inside the rabbit cage?
When the rabbit owner lives in an apartment, he or she prefers to keep the litter box on the cage of the rabbit. It saves place and also makes the rabbit habituated in pooping at a particular place.
But when you keep the litter box inside the cage, you need to keep an eye so it does not gather much dirt. When the poops will be accumulated inside the litter box, it may attract parasites like rats or bacteria, and other microbes. These will harm the rabbit eventually. So checking the litter box often and cleaning it every alternate day is necessary if you plan to keep the litter box inside the cage.
Otherwise, you can keep the litter box in the backyard where the rabbit will go for a particular purpose. As the litter box will be in the open air, it will not attract microbes and thus, you can clean it after two or three days intervals.
Using the rabbit poop as manure will also be easy as you can just pick the litter from the litter box and dump it on the garden flowerbed.
What can you put at the side of the litter box to make it ready for the rabbit?
The side of the litter box must be wrapped with newspaper or some plastic sheet so the rabbits do not feel uncomfortable while sitting on it. If you have one single rabbit as a pet then a moderate-sized litter box will be perfect. But for a couple of rabbits, you need a larger-sized litter box. The box should hold more poops than the single one.
If the side of the litter box is higher then choose a lower-sided one or just cut the side of a cat litter box to recycle it for the pet rabbits.
How can you train the rabbit to use the litter box?
As the litter box will be filled with hay, it will often be visited by the rabbits. If you keep the pet rabbit inside the cage, it will go for pooping or urinating once you would not let it come out of the cage for a long day. Once it gets habituated to the process of defecating, you can let it come out of the cage.
