i have just got a bunny which i had recued a few weeks ago froma house hwre he has gone through a lot of trouble. his head was held in water as a punishment. he keeps littering all over the appartment. how can i teach him not to do so?
Dear Desmond,
Have you read the article on the House Rabbit Society\'s website on litter training?
How horrible that someone would mistreat any animal that way!!!! Take Suziel\'s advice and check out the national house rabbit society, they have lots of great advice. plus you can find connections to other sites with even more advice. Mostly they will tell you to start out by restricting your bunny\'s run space. Even to start with cage training until your bunny finds the spot she/he likes to go in the cage, then slowly let her have increased freedom. Keep her litter box clean, the cleaner it is the more she\'ll tend to use it. I have found that putting the litter box in one end of her cage, putting her feed dish so that she is in her box to eat, keeping a layer of fresh hay on top(add some every day) and using the front corner (next to feed holder)for even extra hay and her vegies and treats works really really well. She piddles and leaves her droppings towards the back of the litter box, eats in the front and really likes to lay snuggled in her hay. You will also find lots of advice that bunnies need to feel that their cage/litter space is \"home base\", meaning nobody messes with bunny in her own space. Never reach in and grab your bunny, especially while training. Let her go in and out on her own power, clean the cage while she\'s out of it. She might like to \'help out\', but that\'s different than felling like she\'s being invaded if you try to do it while she\'s inside her cage. If your bun has been abused she probably needs this feeling of security and ownership even more than most. Good luck. Let us know how it goes.