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Litter training your rabbit

Rabbits can be easily litter trained. By nature, rabbits choose one or a few places to deposit their wastes. Presenting them with a litter box in their chosen spot, usually a corner, is sometimes all it takes to litter train.

We suggest a large cat litter box lined with a few sheets of newspaper and topped with a layer of hay. Rabbits spend a lot of time in their litter box grazing on the hay. Each day, top off the litter box with fresh hay, and every few days empty the litter box and replace the newspaper and hay. You can clean the litter box with a paper towel and a spray of plain white vinegar, which neutralizes the ammonia in rabbit urine and helps dissolve any calcium residue in the litter box.

There are also commercial litters, but only paper-based products (Carefresh, Yesterday’s News) or hardwood shavings (aspen wood) should be used. Extruded, pelleted plant-fiber litter (Feline Pine, Aspen Fresh) or chemical-free woodstove pellets are alternatives.

Note: Some cat litters (clumping and clay) and pine and cedar shavings can cause major health issues in rabbits.

However most of us prefer to use newspaper because it recycles, it’s free, and it’s safe. Good news for gardeners: Most rabbit-safe litters are biodegradable and rabbit fecal pellets make wonderful fertilizer. The contents of the litter box can be thrown into a compost pile, used as mulch, or put directly into the garden.