How to use the rabbit litter box

Almost unbelievable, but true: rabbits are extremely clean animals and can actually be trained to be clean, just like cats.

In principle, it is quite simple: Either a plastic toilet bowl from the pet store can serve as a toilet.

An alternative here would be the bottom of a normal inner cage, so to speak the plastic tub of it or a droppings tray. These are available in all conceivable sizes.

This should always be lined with litter and ideally it comes in the corner where the rabbits prefer to do their business. This can be figured out pretty quickly and then the tray is simply placed in that exact spot. For most rabbits, this works flawlessly! This keeps most of the enclosure clean and the toilet can be cleaned daily with little effort.

Litter – which material for the rabbit toilet?

This is also quite a legitimate question: which litter should it be when it comes to the toilet? It all depends – how sensitive the nose is, for example, and how much you want to spend on it.

• Sawdust and wood shavings are inexpensive, but often lead to matting of the rabbit’s fur. Sometimes, unfortunately, they are chemically treated. Also, the shavings are quite fine and if they have not been dusted beforehand, they are quite dusty. But this depends on the product and the manufacturer.
• Wood pellets, on the other hand, have exceptionally high absorbency and odor retention, are easy to use, and are both compostable and fully biodegradable.
• Cotton bedding is cuddly soft and dust-free, but does not absorb quite as much as some other products. Highly recommended for allergy sufferers, but tends to be in the higher price range when purchased.
• Cellulose bedding: Cellulose bedding is also an interesting alternative. It binds odors, absorbs a lot and is environmentally friendly and hygienic. However, the consumption is rather high and with some rabbits the litter remains stubbornly in the fur.
• Hemp litter, as an ecological product, has the advantage that it neither clumps nor creates dust. This material can be added to the compost heap without any problems, furthermore it is economical in consumption and pH-neutral. However, it is not quite as pleasantly soft as comparable products. Quite similar properties apply to linen bedding, although linen is even better at preventing the formation of ammonia odors, and linen is comparatively a little softer.
• Corn granules are almost unbeatable in terms of absorbency, they absorb a lot, do not clump and cleaning is also easy.
• Straw is rather unsuitable for the toilet, as it is not absorbent – at best, straw can be added on top of the absorbent material as padding. Straw pellets are better not used – rabbits will eat them, which could lead to serious stomach problems.
• Newspaper is not recommended at all because of the printer’s ink, and cat litter is considered rather hard and uncomfortable by rabbits. And for cleanliness education to work, it should understandably be nice and comfortable on the toilet too!

Adding a bit of hay also helps to bind the odors and provides a pleasantly soft surface for the rabbits while they are doing their business.

The fact is: not every pet store has every product in stock – some can only be ordered over the Internet. The only thing that helps here is to try it out until you find your favorite product. The somewhat higher price of some types of litter is recouped by the fact that the product in question may be highly absorbent, so that considerably less of it is needed than of another, cheaper product. Ultimately, however, everything is a matter of taste – what pleases one person may be less suitable for another. So the only thing that helps here is to try it out!

Cleaning the rabbit litter tray

Very important – and this is even more true in the warm summer months than in winter – is a sufficient hygiene in the rabbit toilet and thus a daily cleaning. Firstly, because otherwise the feces and urine begin to smell understandably and secondly, because flies and thus maggots find in it just pudelwohl. And these in turn can lead to various diseases in rabbits. In addition, as a human being, you are also glad to have a clean toilet.

The toilet should be emptied daily and if necessary wiped out with warm (vinegar) water and a little washing-up liquid.

Disposal of the litter

How exactly the litter can and should be disposed of depends on where you live. In some places, disposal in the organic waste garbage can is permitted, while in others the litter must be placed in the residual waste. The only thing that helps here is to ask the responsible office!

It also depends on whether the litter used is biodegradable or not. If you have a compost heap in your garden, you can ultimately decide for yourself whether you want to put the litter in the compost or not.