We know how important it is to take good care of your furry pets, so you need the best rabbit litter box for your bunny. To aid you throughout the buying process, here is a helpful guide with some common questions and considerations.
What is a rabbit litter box?
A litter box is simply a private, contained place for your bunny to do its business. Just like you need a bathroom with a toilet and a sink, your bunny also needs a box to pee and poop; nothing fancy, just a litter box. Without a litter box, you would have to deal with cleaning up waste everywhere around your house or cage. By keeping messes contained, you have a cleaner, healthier home for both you and your rabbit.
How do you use a rabbit litter box?
Litter is what makes a rabbit litter box more than just a box. It helps absorb your rabbit’s waste and keeps the awful smell at bay. The litter itself could be many things — it could be wood shavings, paper (shredded or whole) or newspaper, wood pellets, or clay litter. And if you have a cat or some cat litter lying around for some reason, you can also use cat litter. Litter also makes it easier for you to clean out the box. Every now and then you have to empty the litter tray to keep it clean and to prevent a mess from piling up.
Does your rabbit need a litter box?
Having a litter box for your rabbit and training them to use it will keep their hutch looking fresh and smelling clean for much longer. It’s essentially potty training but for rabbits. A litter box is a more hygienic approach instead of letting them poop wherever they want. They do it all in one place, which means much less mess for you to clean.
You can place a litter box inside your rabbit’s cage. Many are designed with locking mechanisms or hooks that secure the litter box to the cage. This way, your rabbit has one designated place to go that they have access to at all times.
What are the types of rabbit litter boxes?
If you’re serious about making your rabbit feel at home and comfortable, you should consider the different types of litter boxes out there. Depending on the size of your rabbit, one litter box may work better than another. Here, we discuss the different types below.
Corner litter box
A corner litter box is compact and fits nicely into corners to save space. Their shape makes them a good option if you’re trying to maximize the space in your rabbit’s cage, as placing them in the corners keeps them out of the way. Corner litter boxes often come with high backs, which is good for bunnies that like to push back into a corner with their bottoms while peeing because it helps keep all the mess in the litter box. The downside of corner boxes is their petite size that can only fit one rabbit at a time. Sometimes, corner litter boxes are too small for fully-grown adult rabbits.
Litter pans
Adult rabbits generally find litter pans more comfortable due to their bigger size. There is more room for your bunny to do their business in this type of litter box than they’d have in a corner box, but because of its flat, pan-like shape, they may flick off litter as they gingerly hop off. Litte pans come in various shapes and colors too, so there’s more room for finding out what works best for your cute rabbit.
Wire floor litter box
This type of rabbit litter box gives you much less of a headache than the above two options because it is much easier to clean. Your bunny simply sits calmly and releases droppings onto the wire floor of the litter box. The urine and droppings fall freely into the tray without direct contact between your bunny and the tray. Unfortunately, the headache you are saved from cleaning the mess comes around in treating injuries that may arise from the wire floor hurting your pet’s paws.
Plastic grating litter box
A litter box with a plastic grating is much like that with a wire floor. It is designed with a plastic grate, through which poop and pee fall into a tray, making it easier to clean. A plastic grate is better than a wire floor because it doesn’t irritate your bunny’s feet — plastic is less likely to hurt rabbits and cause injuries and allows for a wider area for your bunny to stand on than the narrow wire.
What do you need to look out for when buying a rabbit litter box?
As a pet owner, you must keep your pets safe, healthy, and comfortable. You need to get the best fit, the best size, and the most stability when buying a litter box for that to happen. Below, we have outlined briefly the major factors to consider when purchasing a litter box for your favorite pet.
Size
If you buy a litter box that is too small, your bunny won’t fit in, so it will be useless for them — and you. If it's too small, your pet’s waste may not even make it into the litter box, therefore defeating the purpose of the purchase. If it’s too big, it will take unnecessary space and require much more litter than needed. That is why size is such an important consideration when shopping for a litter box for your rabbit. Also, if you are one of the few people who have more than one rabbit, get a litter box that all your rabbits can use at once.
Depth
You want your rabbit’s litter box to hold a good amount of litter so that there is enough room for your bunny to enter and leave the box without spilling out droppings. A litter box that is deep enough can do this. If you get a litter box with a wire floor or plastic grate, the tray underneath should be deep enough to collect all of the pet’s waste.
Durability
Unquestionably, durability is a factor to consider when buying any product you intend on having for a long time. Why buy a rabbit litter box if it will break easily? And we know you may be thinking that “break” may be going too far, but trust us, your little bunny is much stronger than they look. You get what you pay for with rabbit litter boxes, so a cheaper box may break more easily when used very often.
Rabbit Litter Box FAQ
Q: Are rabbit litter boxes stable?
A: Litter boxes are generally stable if you buy a reliable product. For extra stability, some products have screws or hooks you can use to attach the litter box to cage walls for support. If you have a particularly hyperactive or curious bunny, you might want to secure the litter box in place just to make sure they can’t move it around or flick the droppings out of the box.
Q: Is a rabbit litter box easy to clean?
A: Bunnies can get very messy, and it is the job of a rabbit litter box to save you the extra time you would otherwise spend cleaning and washing their hutch every week. Rabbit litter boxes are very easy to clean, and they make disposing of your rabbit’s waste and dropping much simpler. All you need to do is take out the dirty litter, dispose of the waste, wash with a disinfectant, and refill the empty box with some fresh litter.
Q: What is the best rabbit litter box?
A: The best litter boxes are made with durable, safe materials, are easy to clean, and are the right size for your particular pet. Not every bunny is the same, so each pet may have different needs. Based on your rabbit’s habits, you should be able to select the best one for them, whether they need higher litter box walls, a deeper litter tray, or stronger materials for support. However, we do recommend the Ware Manufacturing Rabbit Litter Box and the HoppScotch.bun BUMBOX, among others.