A grey and white rabbit sitting in a plastic litter box filled with hay, inside a low wire pen on a wooden floor, with a water bowl beside it

October 4, 2026 Jessica Northrup

Can You Potty Train a Rabbit? How to Litter Train a Bunny

Yes, rabbits can be litter trained. The RSPCA says “Rabbits can be trained to use litter trays,” and the Rabbit Welfare Association and Fund (RWAF) says rabbits “are generally quite easy to litter train, although occasional accidents may occur.” The House Rabbit Society (HRS) says good habits “may take several weeks or months to achieve, depending on maturity.” This page covers the box, the litter, the steps, and what to do when a trained rabbit stops using it.

Pet rabbits are cute and fluffy companions, and one that lives in your home needs a toilet it can find. Our guide for anyone planning on getting a bunny covers the rest of rabbit care, and our guide to the best rabbit hutches covers housing.

Can you potty train a rabbit or a bunny?

Yes. A bunny is a pet rabbit, so everything here applies to both. HRS says rabbits “instinctively choose specific spots (usually a corner) for urine and most of their poop.” The RSPCA says they “naturally choose a specific area to leave their droppings, away from where they sleep.”

HRS gives two jobs that follow from this. For urine, “place a litter box where they prefer.” For droppings, provide “a designated, private area.”

Scattered droppings are one way rabbits mark territories. HRS says “Rabbits will never have 100% perfect litter habits” and that a rabbit may “drop a poop pellet here and there around their cage if they feel like it is their safe zone.” It adds: “Poop should not be a big deal since proper poop pellets are dry and hard, easy to sweep or pick up, and do not leave a scent.”

Can you house train a rabbit?

Yes. House training is litter training with a bigger home. For a rabbit that will have the run of the house, RWAF says to “start with a limited area where they will have their toilet and carry out their litter-training.” It says to make sure they “feel secure and comfortable there (and are toilet trained in the smaller area) before opening up other areas of the house.”

HRS names too much space too soon as a cause of mess: one reason a rabbit may have messy litter habits is that “you are giving him too much freedom at once.”

Age and hormones change the timeline. HRS says, “Don’t expect a perfectly housetrained bunny at six weeks old.” Young rabbits with good habits “may lose them when they reach adolescence and become hormone-driven.”

Can you litter train a rabbit or a pair of rabbits?

A pair can share a box. The RSPCA says “Rabbits need constant access to a suitable toilet area, separate from their sleeping areas.” The PDSA says to start “by introducing the litter tray to their favourite toileting area.”

HRS shows two rabbits sharing one box in a photo captioned “Two buns one litter box.” For larger breeds or bonded pairs, it suggests an under-bed storage box “with low sides for easy access.”

Two rabbits lying close together on straw, nose to nose

The box matters as much as the litter. HRS says to “Choose a box large enough for your rabbit to comfortably turn around and stretch out.” It calls plastic “ideal” and says to “Avoid metal or wire bottoms, which can hurt your rabbit’s feet or cause sore hocks.” It adds that “Some rabbits like a box with one low entry side and three higher sides for privacy and to contain hay and stray pellets.”

A white rabbit sitting in a pink plastic litter box with bedding in the bottom, beside a beige plastic tub holding hay and a small jar

Hay goes with the box. HRS says to “Place a hay rack or pile of fresh hay at one end of the box or just outside it.” The RSPCA says a hay rack over the tray lets the rabbit “eat whilst they use the litter tray.” The PDSA gives the reason in a phrase: “Rabbits like to ‘chew and poo’.” Rabbit House has a page on hay for rabbits, and our guide to what rabbits can eat covers hay as food.

What to put in a rabbit litter box

The RSPCA says: “If you provide litter trays, use newspaper, hay or straw, shredded paper and/or paper-based, non-clumping, non-expanding cat litter.” HRS says you need only “a thin layer in the bottom of the box.” The table shows what each source says about the common choices.

What the House Rabbit Society, RWAF, and the PDSA say about common litter materials.
Material	What the source says	Source
Paper-based pellets or shredded paper	“soft, absorbent, and safe if a few bits are accidentally eaten.” RWAF adds: “Paper pellets are highly absorbent and great for litter areas.”	HRS litter training FAQ, RWAF
Wood-based pellets	HRS lists compressed paper or wood pulp pellets (it names Feline Pine) as “excellent odor control and low dust.” RWAF says “do not use anything clay based, or made from pine.” The PDSA says to make sure wood pellets “are dust free and don’t contain silicone.”	HRS litter training FAQ, RWAF, PDSA
Newspaper, hay, or straw	The RSPCA lists all three. RWAF says newspaper “is covered with ink so once again, be careful of your rabbits eating it.”	RSPCA, RWAF
Pine or cedar shavings	“contain aromatic oils that can irritate a rabbit’s respiratory system and liver.”	HRS litter training FAQ
Sawdust	“The RWAF advises against the use of sawdust and clumping cat litter.”	RWAF
Clay or clumping cat litter	“dangerous if ingested and can cause intestinal blockages.” RWAF says clay-based clumping litter “will ‘clump’ in the gut and cause serious problems.”	HRS litter training FAQ, RWAF
Corn cob or walnut shell litter	“may mold easily and isn’t absorbent enough.”	HRS litter training FAQ

HRS lists pine or cedar shavings under materials to avoid, and RWAF says not to use anything made from pine. HRS lists compressed wood pulp pellets under recommended litters.

HRS gives three ways to fill the box. The figure shows each one.

Diagram of three litter box fills: newspaper under hay, litter under hay, and litter or shredded paper alone with a treat or toy in a corner

HRS says paper-lined boxes without absorbent litter “will need to be changed daily; the litter-lined boxes can go two days or more.”

How to litter train a rabbit step by step

Start in a small area. RWAF says the quickest way to house-train rabbits “is to start off with a litter tray in a smaller area.”
Put the box where the rabbit already goes. RWAF says to place the tray “where they have chosen to ‘go’,” or to put some of their droppings and urine in the tray “so that it smells right and encourages them to go in there.”
Put hay next to the box, because “rabbits like to poo and chew at the same time,” as RWAF puts it.
Keep the rabbit in that area, and widen it slowly. RWAF says to “gradually increase the time and space they are allowed to access only once they are reliably using their tray.”
Reward the habit. HRS says to “reward the rabbit whenever they voluntarily hop in the litter box to urinate or poop.”

For a rabbit that picks a couch or bed, HRS suggests watching closely “to shoo them off and into a litter box when it looks like they are about to pee.” Litter box training for rabbits is also covered step by step in the pet library at anticruelty.org.

Does spaying or neutering help with litter training?

Yes, and the sources say so plainly. HRS says: “Neutering and spaying improve litter box habits. Unneutered male rabbits spray. Males and females are much easier to litter box train, and much more reliably trained after they are altered.”

The HRS litter FAQ puts the change at puberty, “anywhere from 3-6 months.” Unfixed rabbits after that age “can get very territorial and spray urine and poop everywhere.” RWAF says to neuter “as early as possible, ideally by 6 months of age.”

HRS says to have the surgery done “by an experienced rabbit veterinarian,” and to never allow a vet with little or no rabbit experience to operate.

How to clean a rabbit litter box

The RSPCA says “Clean toilet areas every day,” and the PDSA says the same: clean the tray out daily. RWAF says to keep the tray clean and to leave hay in it, with one warning: “do not bleach it clean or you will remove the smell and they will be less keen to use it.”

For a spot outside the box, HRS says to clean it with “a mixture of white vinegar and water or a pet-safe enzymatic cleanser.” It says “Soap and water alone is not sufficient to remove all chemical traces of the urine even though it may look clean.”

What to do when a trained rabbit stops using the box

HRS says that when a consistently good rabbit suddenly changes, “environmental changes, stress, and medical problems can also cause poor litter habits.” A new pet in the home “can easily cause your rabbit to feel territorial and pee and poop everywhere.”

If no stressful or environmental cause can be found, HRS says the rabbit “may have a urinary tract infection (UTI) or another condition that is causing a weak bladder, especially if you see small dribbling spots as they hop.” Its advice: “please take your rabbit to your rabbit-savvy veterinarian to be properly diagnosed and medicated if necessary.”

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Rabbit litter training FAQs

Can a rabbit be too old to be litter trained?

HRS says “Older rabbits are actually easier to train than younger rabbits, especially babies.” In its litterbox article, Marinell Harriman writes: “Older rabbits have often disproved the notion that a rabbit must be young to be trainable.”

Can a rabbit share a litter box with a cat?

HRS says “If your cat requires a clumping litter, it is definitely not safe for your rabbit to share your cat’s litter box.” It also says it is “better that your rabbit does not share a litter box with your cat for health reasons.”

How many litter boxes does a rabbit need?

For a one-story home with around three to four rooms, HRS says “one litter box in your rabbit’s enclosure should usually be enough.” For more rooms and floors, it says to consider a second box in some of the other rooms. It adds: “Your rabbit will let you know if one is not sufficient.”

What if my rabbit pees on the couch or bed?

HRS suggests keeping the rabbit off the furniture “by fencing it off or covering it with a bunny-proof waterproof covering like a shower curtain.” It also says to cover problem furniture with “a blanket that already has their scent on it to reduce the urge for additional territorial marking.” For a rabbit that already has good habits, HRS also mentions “adding another litter box in the problematic area.”

Can a rabbit with stiff joints still use a litter box?

HRS suggests that a stiff-jointed elderly rabbit may do better with “a large haytub with a cutaway door that has a one-inch threshold,” and says impaired rabbits cannot turn around inside a small box. It also says to “cut a lower entry side” on a box for an older or disabled rabbit.

Sources

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