Can I Litter Train My Small Pet? What Are The Pros And Cons?

When I was little, there wasn’t really many people using litter trays for their small pets, perhaps because back then, there was the misguided believe that small pets didn’t have the brain capability to be litter trained in the first place. But with welfare for small critters, more and more research and improving care in the industry for tiny VIP’S, litter trays are now often used for our small pets. So the short answer is yes- you can in fact litter train pretty much any small mammal species to use a litter tray. Small furies especially rabbits have complex brain systems and in some respects could be considered as complex if not more than dogs. This means they are more than smart enough to learn to go to the toilet in just one area of their home.

And in fact, we might consider training a small pet to use a litter tray very complex for them, but it is actually a wonderfully simple process.  The first principle to remember is that most small pets normally have a favorite place to go the toilet, some might actually be considered tidy and they do by nature, prefer to keep their loo space separate from their eating space and bedroom quarters.

So you can effectively attempt to litter train your pet regardless of their species however it’s important to note at this point that successful training may not happen with every animal. I am not including reptiles in this article, the reason why is because while I have known a few random cases where a client has managed to train their reptile supposedly, it is rare, they are totally different in every way  to small fury mammals and do not have a natural instinct to go the loo in the same spot.  We all know that cats and dogs can be litter trained no problem- But if we are talking about rabbits, guinea pigs, rats, hamsters and chinchilla’s- then yes, they can all be litter trained in theory.

 Now I hear you…..your saying to me right now that you tried with no luck, right?

Okay so let’s look at one species at a time from our common pet list. The success rates are very different for each species- rabbits have the highest percentage of success (they litter train really easily most of the time). To most people’s surprise, hamsters actually also litter train well. Rats are also really smart (I call them mini dogs with tails) so they litter train well too, sometimes even better then rabbits. Chinchilla’s on the other hand, don’t litter train so well, you may find you can train them to some degree, too at least wee in one area but you’re likely to still get poo’s all over the cage (if you do manage full poo training then you deserve a gold star). I left guinea pigs to the end because let’s face it…we all know that guinea pigs are pooing machines, as soon as you’ve cleaned a cage, you turn around and there is poo everywhere as if by magic! Guinea pigs as a species don’t actually litter train well and so I have only come across a handful of pigs that do all their business in a tray. Many will use the trays but you will still get poo elsewhere- sorry to disappoint piggy owners! Most piggy owners simply have a standard daily routine, sometimes just with a good old fashioned brush and others with a mini hover.  You might have some success with semi training them to just go in their favorite area but don’t get too disappointed if you can’t get them using it for every call of nature.

There are a few factors you need to know about when litter training- while the process is pretty much the same for all species and mostly common sense based, there are factors that may prevent it from working. The first being the personality of the pet, it’s just a fact, like with humans, some are tidier then others and some train more easily than others, some are smarter than others. Or you may just have a really rebellious little character by nature that refuses to use anything you provide them with.

         Second is health problems and behavioral problems (this is a big factor when it comes to litter training). If your pet has a health condition that causes them to urinate a lot or get an upset tummy then don’t expect them to train well with a litter box. You need to address those issues first before attempting to litter train them. Behavioral issues are also a big reason why litter training fails and can often relate to hormone changes. A perfect example is with rabbits, it’s very common indeed for unneutered rabbits to spray and urinate all over the place but once they have been neutered and their hormones settle, it’s far easier to litter train them.  Litter training can take time and patients but it’s well worth trying. All my rabbits have always been litter trained, my current bun is in fact so used to using her tray that if she needs the loo and the tray isn’t there, she will just hold it in until a tray is produced (so we have to make vet visits as fast as possible for her).

So what is the process for litter training? Well it is pretty much the same for all pets and is really dead easy- it just takes time and patience.

-Step one: learn where your small pet likes to go to the toilet.

-Step two- place the new litter tray filled with the appropriate litter into that place they like to go to the loo. If you are training rabbits or bravely attempting with guinea pigs then its best to cover the layer of litter with some hay or something they will want to snack on, to encourage them to sit on top of the litter.

-Step three: reward good behavior, if your pet uses the litter tray then make sure you give them a treat and lots of love, this teaches them that they did the correct thing.

-Step four- and for some reason loads of information pages always forget to mention this one but it is key. When your pet poo’s outside of the tray, collect that poo and put it into the tray. If you keep doing this then the tray will start to hold their scent very fast and they will learn by seeing and smelling their droppings inside the tray, that the tray is the place to use the loo. If they wee a lot outside of the tray, you can move a little bedding that has urine on into the tray, the smell again, will encourage them to wee inside the tray.    

-  Step five- stick with it! The time it takes to litter train can be totally different depending on the pet in question. I’ve had buns that I just give a tray and they are using it by the end of the day, others take up to a week and others may take a number of weeks to a month. Just keep sticking to it and hopefully it will pay off with time.  Also remember that the younger the pet, the quicker they will pick up on training, so start them young with good habits, it’s much harder to train an older pet that is very set in their ways.  

-lastly once they are using the tray, you can either continue to put a little hay on top or you can start reducing it down. Its personal preference really, I have friends that always have hay on top of their litter. Personally I’m not keen on that as the hay gets covered in wee etc so I train my buns to use a tray with just a thick layer of litter in and no bedding on top.

 Okay so why would you want to litter train in the first place? Pros and Cons

In a nut shell- the obvious good points for litter training is that you don’t have to clear up wee and poo all over their enclosure 247 which is especially helpful if they live in a very big enclosure. It’s also good hygiene and deters flies and other pests if all the smelly waste in one area that can easily be changed each day rather than all over the place. Also marking territory: Rabbits mark their territory with urine and feces, and litter boxes can help them do this in one place which again means a cleaner nicer environment for them to live in. And another really important reason which not many folk know is using a tray can help you to monitor the health of your pet more easily by looking at their droppings to see if their diet is too rich or not nutritious enough. You can also see if the urine stains the litter chalk white or red then this indicates a health problem. And lastly it also helps to save unnecessary wastage of expensive hay and bedding but reducing how much bedding gets covered in poo and wee.

There really in mind is only one down side to litter training which is having to buy litter on a regular basis which depending on the brand can be expensive.  

 What type of litter and litter tray should you get? You can get different types of litter tray so be sure to search the pet stores and pick what works for you and your pet, they may prefer one to another- the two most common are standard wide rectangular plastic tubs which I find the best or you can also get corner litter trays which are very popular as they have a high back side preventing anything from being kicked out. Some folk who don’t want to spend too much money on litter fill their trays instead with sore dust and a thin layer of newspaper underneath or newspaper and then hay on top which also works however I don’t recommend using sore dust where it is in direct contact with your pet as it can cause respiratory problems, skin irritation and liver issues. So if you really don’t want to buy litter then it’s better to just use newspaper (without any stables in-large papers) and then hay on top.

           Personally I use the shop bought litter made of recycled paper (therefore not bad for the environment) and you can get types that are dust free (dust free is better as it stops your pet from sneezing and having reactions to it). Back to nature is a very good brand and British made. There are lots of different types out there so make sure you pick the right type for your pet- please don’t use cat litter for bunnies, it’s very different and the litter that has soft wool fibers in that you often get for cats are not appropriate for rabbits or pigs as they may swallow it (causing it a gut blockage). How often you need to change the litter really depends on how well your pet uses it- but a thin layer per day normally is more than enough. Use it sparingly so that you do not have to pay a fortune all the time for more litter. Remember if you have more than one pet or a very large enclosure then you may need more than one litter tray and be sure to pick trays that are a suitable size for your pet (a tiny tray with a huge rabbit in doesn’t work and will put them off from using if it’s a tight squeeze).

If you are taking your pet to a small pet boarder then be prepared to take along your pets own litter trays (it is much better they have their own, first because it makes the process of moving them less stressful and they already have their scent on it but second for hygiene reasons. I always keep a few spare however with EC being such a risk with rabbits, the last thing I want to use over and over are litter trays as urine is the main carrier for EC and even if you deep clean the trays between uses, there is still a risk as EC is hard to kill and can live on surfaces for up to one year so any pet services who really know their stuff will encourage you to bring your pets own litter tray for this reason.

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