Yes, you absolutely need a litter tray in a rabbit hutch (or cage) because it helps contain waste, makes cleaning much easier, and supports their natural instinct to toilet in one spot, keeping their living area hygienic. Place a tray in the corner where your rabbit naturally goes, fill it with hay, and ensure it's easy for them to access, with one tray per rabbit plus an extra for multiple rabbits to avoid fights.
Did you know you can house train rabbits? These clever house pets will happily use a litter tray, so long as it is well set up and they have been shown how to use it. You can start litter training your rabbits as early as you like but you can litter train a rabbit at any age.
The 3-3-3 rule for rabbits (and other pets) is a guideline for adjusting to a new home: 3 Days for the rabbit to feel overwhelmed and hide, 3 Weeks to start settling in and showing personality, and 3 Months to feel truly at home and build a strong bond. It helps adopters manage expectations, understand that fear and skittishness are normal, and encourages patience as the bunny decompresses in its new environment, emphasizing providing a safe space and routine.
A cat's litter box should not be placed in a high traffic area, and it shouldn't be placed next to anything that could scare the cat (like a washing machine or furnace). Other than that, really anywhere is good, as long as the cat likes it. The best places are socially significant.
Old sheets, towels, blankets, and soft fleece make good ground. My bun also loves large hoody sweatshirts. He will crawl into them to sleep.
Pine and cedar shavings are toxic to rabbits because they contain phenols that cause liver damage/failure. Aspen shavings and paper bedding are safe to use. Compressed pine pellets (for a wood-burning stove) are safe because they are baked and do not contain phenols. Newspaper is also safe.
Bunnies prefer to go to the toilet always in the same spot and to keep this area separate from where they sleep. By providing a litter tray in a corner of their cage or free-roaming area, you'll be able to keep all poop in one place!
The golden rules for litter boxes are: provide one box per cat plus one extra (N+1), place them in quiet, accessible spots on each floor, scoop daily, offer unscented litter, ensure 2-3 inches of depth for digging, keep them away from food/water, and avoid covered boxes if cats dislike them. Cleanliness, placement, and adequate quantity prevent stress and accidents, promoting good feline hygiene and behavior.
Best Places to Put a Cat Litter Box
Clumping litters only need a full clean and complete change of litter every two to four weeks, unless you have several cats choosing to use the same litter box. Non-clumping litters are good at absorbing cat urine, but require the litter box to be fully emptied and cleaned more frequently (usually once a week).
Rabbits are prey animals; that is, they are the ones preyed on by the carnivorous animals (raccoons, dogs, wolves, cats). Raccoons have been known to scare a rabbit to death just by crawling over his cage, never making contact. Your rabbit depends on you to keep him safe.
Rabbits need unlimited access to grass and hay, so they shouldn't ever be left without food. However, if it's an emergency and there's no other choice, then they can go up to 12 hours without eating.
Put one litter tray in your bunny's cage or near his bed and a second in a corner of the room or between a piece of furniture and the wall. Leave a few droppings and a piece of urine-soaked paper inside the trays so your rabbit gets the idea. If your bunny hops into the tray, give him lots of praise and maybe a treat.
Use Lots of Litter boxes!
Many rabbits want to be in control of where they potty, and therefore may protest when you first put a litter box where they usually do the deed. You may put a litter box in one place, and then they suddenly go use the potty in another corner. It's perfectly normal for rabbits to do this.
To cage or not to cage
Whichever you choose, here are some basic guidelines to help. Rabbits should have plenty of room in their pen for a litter box, food bowl, water source (bowl or bottle), and toys. Some rabbits also like to have blankets or towels to bunch up and lay on.
Signs of a stressed rabbit include body language like ears pinned back, a tense hunched posture, wide eyes, and stillness, combined with behavioral changes such as hiding excessively, aggression (biting, lunging), destructive bar biting, changes in eating/toileting, restlessness, rapid breathing, or unusual vocalizations like grunting. These signals, often a prey animal's reaction to feeling threatened or unhappy, need prompt attention as chronic stress can cause serious health issues.
Litter boxes should not be located in high traffic areas where the cat may be disturbed by children or ambushed by other pets. If your home has multiple levels, at least one litter box should be placed on each level of the house.
Ideally, the litter box should be placed in an area away from the cat's food and water dishes, as well as away from busy areas like the kitchen or foyer.
Baking soda is a safe additive to use in your cat's litter for neutralizing acid and its odors. It doesn't pose any significant risks if used this way. However, you should use only a few tablespoons at most. We also suggest storing the container out of reach of kittens and small children.
Vets often discourage closed litter boxes because they trap odors, creating a stressful and unpleasant environment for cats with sensitive noses, and they make cats feel vulnerable by limiting their escape and ability to see potential threats, which can lead to anxiety or litter box avoidance and inappropriate urination/defecation, even though some studies show no universal preference if kept spotless.
New Cat? Set Realistic Expectations! You can expect that it will take your cat some time to get used to the new routines and environment. The 'Rule of Three' means that you can gauge the time it might take for your cat to fully acclimate to his home in threes: three days, three weeks, and three months.
Ideally, you should spot-clean your cat's litter tray every day and replace the litter at least once a week. If the tray is left to become dirty, your cat may prefer to use the floor instead!
As a rule, a rabbit should be able to take at least three hops in a row from one end to the other. It can be difficult to buy purpose-built accommodation measuring these dimensions but there's no reason why you can't build your own! Rabbits are a prey species and need to be able to hide from things that scare them.
It's easy to take care of them, but you should keep in mind the things these little guys do NOT like the most.
Frequency of Cleaning
To save yourself from hours of scrubbing and save your buns from a dirty home, we'd recommend spot-cleaning your rabbit's cage daily, and performing a more thorough clean at least once a week.