All rabbits can be made more or less room clean, but keep in mind that it can take longer to train baby rabbits and older rabbits. Nor is it always the case that a rabbit becomes 100 percent room clean.
Start the training the first time your rabbit is allowed to stay in the room for best results and be patient.
Give your rabbit a toilet box
Start by buying a toilet box, or make your own from, for example, the bottom of a cage. Fill the box with litter of your choice. Place at least one toilet box in each room that the rabbit is allowed to stay in. If the room is large, it is good to have several toilets as rabbits have difficulty holding it in.
Try to increase the area gradually at first. Start with a small area of the room where the rabbit can be and expand to the whole room with more boxes. Clean the toilet boxes every day to keep them fresh. If the litter box is dirty, your rabbit will probably choose to relieve itself elsewhere.
How to toilet train your rabbit
Once your toilet boxes are in place, make sure you place your rabbit in one before they're released into the room. Always do this when you let your rabbit out so they learn where the box is.
Put some rabbit droppings and/or sprinkle urine in the box so that the rabbit associates the box with defecating in. Defecating in one and the same place is part of rabbits' natural behaviour, so take advantage of this. For example, you can put the toilet box in a place where the rabbit used to defecate, as the probability is high that the rabbit will continue to defecate in the same place.
Top tip: Rabbits often poop when they eat, place a hay hedge over the toilet box to facilitate toilet training.
You can start practicing room cleanliness in the rabbit's living space. Just set up a toilet box with litter and reward with praise or a treat. Then the rabbit will begin to understand that it should only relieve itself in these boxes.
Rabbit toilet training isn't always 100% effective
It's difficult to get a rabbit completely room clean, there will probably be an accident or two. Most of the time, it's rabbit poop that doesn't end up where it's supposed to. It is easier to teach a rabbit to pee in a box than to poop in it. Should an accident occur, clean properly to avoid the rabbit continuing to defecate there.
Difficulties with territorial males
Males (especially unneutered) can be trickier to get room clean, as they often have a territorial mindset. This territorial behaviour means that they often walk and splash a little everywhere.
Be consistent in your training and put them on the toilet box every time he has peed where he shouldn't. You can also place the toilet box where the male likes to mark territory. Neutered rabbits are easier to train.
Should you tell your rabbit off?
Scolding and shouting do not pay off when training your rabbit. Training with rewards often leads to your animal seeing the training as something positive and can strengthen your bond.
