24
Dec
She may not be liking the scent color or texture. Now you may think well this takes up all the room.
The following recommendations will help your rats learn what you want them to do.
Rat using litter box. The best way to entice my rats to continue using the litter box instead of going in their enclosure was to treat them whenever they used the litter tray properly. Its always good to treat rats when their training is going well and theyre doing what I want so I had a diverse array of treats handy at all times ready to reward them immediately after they used the litter box. When first starting out with litter box training your rats place a litter box in the corners of each level of their cage.
The following recommendations will help your rats learn what you want them to do. Initially you may find they defecate outside their boxes. A good technique to use is to pick your rats up while theyre sleeping and place them inside a litter box.
Rats usually need to urinate as soon as they awaken. Theyll learn to associate their litter boxes as the proper place to urinate if you repeat this exercise several times a day. The material you choose to use in your rats litter box can have a significant impact on your rats health.
Using wood shavings in the litter box can lead to future respiratory issues like micro-plasma which is a serious danger to your rat. Wood shavings also dont absorb urine as well as other litter materials and will go smellier faster and need to replaced very frequently. My rats are good about using the litter box but dont appear to be able to hold it or are too lazy to go far LOL so I make sure they have a bathroom on each floor.
6 Once your rats are completely litter box trained you can be confident that they will be much more reliable in using the litter box outside of the cage when you give them. The more rats you have the more litter boxes you will need because inevitably someone will pick a different corner than everyone else. We have Critter Nations with plastic shoe boxes in the back corners on every shelf.
So that basically means each level has three litter boxes. Now you may think well this takes up all the room. Using a different material in the litter box will help the rat differentiate between its floor and its toilet area.
Finding the corner or spot in the cage where your rats usually toilet and placing the litter box or boxes there can make for easier training. Rats can further be encouraged to use the litter box if you leave a bit of soiled litter and a few droppings with which to scent. My Rats are Litterbox trained and one little rascal I noticed eats alot of litter.
These are well fed happy rats but this one is a a fattie and lives for things to eat. I had been using a real pricey litter called Dust free fiber from healthy pet but he really liked those little paper pellets and ate alot and I was worried about intestinal. To litter train a rat set up the litter box in the part of the cage where your rat tends to eliminate.
Praise your rat when you see it using the litter box. Once the rat is trained. Rats are for the most part easily trained to use a litter box.
Some suggested litters are soft corncob litter crushed walnut shells Swheat Scoop and certain cat litter products. Bedding materials can also be used in litter boxes as long as it is. Some rats will wee in their beds but many will leave the nest and wee in an area very close by.
If you can identify your rats usual places for urination you can adapt the steps above and place a litter pan for your rats to use. Place a few litter boxes around the cage so that all beds have one close by. You dont need to wash the litter box each time that you empty it you can do that on a weekly basis as you want to preserve some scent on the box when possible.
Then fill the litter box with fresh litter and put it back again. Your rats will be very happy to be reunited with a nice smelling litter box. Use One Litter Box Per Level In The Cage.
Pet rat litter training outside their cage After theyre litter box trained inside their cage you can start using litter boxes outside their cage too. Wherever you take your rats strategically place folded up layers of paper towels in areas where theyd be most likely to urinate and defecate. Start using the bedding or litter youve been using in the cage just in the litter box and switch to a different kind of bedding for the rest of the cage.
Your rat is used to using the old bedding or litter to potty on so placing it only in the litter box and using a different type of litter in the box will get the idea across quicker. Show activity on this post. I currently use bathing sand in my rats litter box but Id like to change it to something I can just flush down the toilet it would be much more convenient.
I tried using tissues but they just take them out of the box to play with. So I thought about that biodegradable soya based or corn based cat litter but I don. Praise Your Rats For Using The Litter Box.
If you see your pet rats using the litter box remember to praise them by giving your ratties a treat. Just wait for them to be done before you do so of course. Pet rats learn better by getting praised for doing good things than by being scolded for doing bad things.
If your rat poops anywhere other than the litter box use something disposable to scoop it up and put it in the litter box. Rats have a habit of using the same spots to do their business so by placing their poop where you want them to go theyll start to catch on. Thus they might howl before using the litter box if it needs to be cleaned and if they yowl after pooping you must take it as an indication to clean the litter box at the earliest because she wants hygiene and probably hates the smell of dirty litter boxes.
Cat meowing in the litter box is a sign that she is upset about this change. She may not be liking the scent color or texture. Plus another reason that the cat meows in the litter box is that she might be allergic.
Either the litter is overloaded or if it is not sufficient the cat will meow to do the communication.