Rabbits are very smart and smart animals. They can be trained almost as well as cats and dogs. Therefore, it will be completely uncomplicated to accustom the animal to a tray purchased at a pet store or from a breeder. However, to make some efforts and spend a little time, of course, still have to. We can talk about how to teach a rabbit to a tray, as well as how to do it right.
How to choose a toilet
When buying this important device, you must pay attention to several important points:
The tray should be spacious enough for the rabbit to feel comfortable in it. To teach the animal to go to the toilet in the event that it is too crowded does not work.
The tray should not have any sharp edges. Rabbits - animals are active and can get injured while jumping very easily. In addition, these animals have very weak noses. If the rabbit touches this part of the body over the sharp edge, it may even die.
It is best to purchase a plastic cat toilet for the animal . Such devices are stable and large enough, and therefore, it is easier to train a dwarf rabbit. A tray of this kind does not require any modifications. The only thing is that the lattice from the cat's toilet should be removed before installing it in the cage. The rods can put unpleasant pressure on the legs of the animal. As a result, the rabbit refuses to go to the toilet bought for him.
Sometimes, the usual metal rectangular basins are used as trays for these animals. This is also a very good rabbit toilet option. But only when the room where the animal is kept is warm enough. The cold metal of the animal from the toilet simply scares.
How to teach a rabbit to go to the tray: the choice of filler
It is best to pour large sawdust into the purchased cat toilet. Moreover, only material from hardwood should be used. Such sawdust absorbs smell well, does not injure the animal’s paws and cannot cause any harm to its health. Never place cat litter in the rabbit tray. The fact is that these animals really like to taste everything. And therefore, granules, impregnated with various kinds of odor-killing chemicals, an eared animal can simply be poisoned.
If the sawdust cannot be found, it is allowed to replace them with torn paper into small pieces with paper, hay or straw. Use the newspaper as a filler is not worth it. The reason in this case is still the same. The rabbit will surely taste it. Lead, however, will certainly not be useful for his body.
How to teach a rabbit to a tray: choosing a place
These cute animals in the wild can never cope with their own burrows, and therefore are considered very clean. In cages and aviaries, rabbits always go to the toilet in the same place. Therefore, all that the owners of the animal need to do to facilitate the task of accustoming to the toilet is to notice it and install a tray here. Perhaps at first the rabbit will not go to such a toilet. Animals are shy and suspicious. And therefore, in order to get used to a new, unfamiliar object in the cage, the animal may need a little time. In any case, the owners will probably have to have patience.
Tray in the apartment
Ornamental rabbits are usually not kept in cages constantly. From time to time, such animals are released to walk around the rooms. Therefore, many lovers of these fluffy cute animals are interested in including how to teach a rabbit to a tray in an apartment. In this case, it is worth using several toilets for a pet at once, placing them in different places of the apartment. Of course, do not place trays in plain sight. Usually they are installed in the corners of the premises. But it’s better to follow the rabbit itself. In the apartment, he, most likely, as well as in the cage, will choose several specific places for bowel movement.
Training Procedure
So, the pot is selected and installed in the right place. Now let's see how to train a rabbit in a tray quickly and without problems. To make it clear to the animal where to go for bowel movements, you should first decide on a few code words. It can be, for example, a “toilet”, “here”, etc. Then a tray should be put in the chosen place. This is best done in full view of the pet. In this case, it is worth repeating the code word several times.
After the tray is installed, you need to start carefully watching the rabbit. Determining what the animal wants to use is quite difficult. But if you take a closer look, most likely, you can still catch the right moment. As soon as the rabbit sits down in order to urinate or defecate, it must be picked up (carefully, trying not to scare) and transplanted into the tray, repeating the code words.
If it is still not possible to catch the necessary moment, the rabbit pellets left in the wrong place should be collected with a cloth and transferred to the tray. Then you need to take the rabbit itself, put it in the toilet and let them smell it. The same goes for urine. You need to wipe it with a rag, also place the latter in the tray and let the animal smell it. The place where the rabbit has urinated should be washed thoroughly with vinegar. The smell should be completely removed. If he remains, the rabbit will continue to go to the toilet not in the tray, but in this place.
What you should know about
All the recommendations of specialists regarding how to teach a decorative rabbit to a tray come down to the fact that the owners should be as patient as possible during the training process. In no case should you shout at the animal. Rabbits are very emotional animals. Therefore, screams can only scare them and make them confused. Instead of punishment, it is much more effective to use encouragement when training a rabbit in the toilet. As soon as the animal understands what is required of it and does its job in the tray, it must be praised. You can also give your pet something tasty.
Of course, in no case should you beat a naughty rabbit. The health of these animals, unfortunately, is not very good. And even not too strong a blow can cause irreparable harm to their body. And therefore, when teaching a rabbit to a pot, the owners should be as patient and loyal as possible.
At what age can you start to teach a rabbit to a potty
Unfortunately, to teach an adult to go to the toilet is almost impossible. You will not be able to teach a very small rabbit to the tray. It is best to start training immediately after the pet turns 1-1.5 months old. At this age, rabbits are already quite independent.
Some useful tips
So, we found out how to teach a rabbit to a tray and at what age it is worth starting this procedure. The training of the animal will be more successful if the owners follow several recommendations of specialists presented below.
The rabbit’s cage should be placed in the same place as the breeder’s. Also, when buying an animal, you must definitely ask the seller for some filler from the pot that the animal used to go to. The resulting substance should be brought home and put in a new rabbit toilet. A familiar smell will surely attract the attention of the animal, and it will be much easier to accustom it to the tray.
Of course, you need to clean the rabbit pot as often as possible. It is advisable to do this once every two days or at least once a week. If the tray is full, the rabbit will definitely not go into it. You can leave the old filler in the toilet longer only directly while the animal is being trained to it. Sawdust or pieces of paper should be exclusively in the pot itself. If they are scattered nearby, the rabbit will surely take them for the continuation of the toilet.
Even rabbits accustomed to the pot occasionally leave spools in different places in the cage. Especially a lot of them are near the feeder. The fact is that rabbits really like to defecate with food. All spools in the wrong place must be collected and thrown daily or transferred to the tray.
Sometimes even trained rabbits defiantly start going to the toilet in another corner of the room. Most likely, pets in this way simply show their character. In any case, it’s not worth scolding an out-of-control animal. In this situation, the pot just needs to be rearranged to that new corner that the pet has chosen.
Tray and puberty
Thus, the answer to the question of how to teach a rabbit to a tray in a cage or in an apartment is not particularly difficult. With a little patience, you can pretty quickly train an animal. If the rabbit is accustomed to the tray at a young age, up to 5 months, there will most likely not be any special problems with keeping it clean in the cage and in the apartment. However, during puberty, the animal can easily forget all the skills it acquired. The fact is that at this time, rabbits begin to mark the territory. Moreover, this is done not only by males, but also by females.
In this case, looking for an answer to the question of how to teach a dwarf rabbit to the toilet (or any other) is practically useless. Weaning a beast to mark territory is actually very difficult. The only sure way to do this is castration. However, this method may certainly not be suitable for some owners. In this case, you need to try to make it clear to the animal that no one is encroaching on its territory. The cage should be removed only after first having planted the animal from it. If possible, the rabbit should be given maximum freedom. That is, do not interfere with his exit from the cage if desired, do not frighten the animal with sharp sounds and movements, etc.
Overexposure
Very often they forget that they were once accustomed to the tray, and pregnant rabbits. In this case, the owners also should not be angry and upset. You just need to read the instructions on how to teach the rabbit to the tray, presented above, and repeat the whole procedure.