There are a number of types of litter boxes to choose from. In this guide we look at the good and bad points of each sort to help you decide which type is the best for you and your bunny. Find out which ones are easy to clean and how well they contain the mess.
1 Litter box with hay feeder
If you only give your bunny the best then they should not be without a Litter box with hay feeder. Combining a hay feeder and a litter box so your bunny can enjoy two of its favorite things at the same time! It's a great way of making sure you bunny gets lots of hay and makes it easy to keep the hay feeder topped up. You may need to search the internet for one but there is usually someone running a craft business that will be selling them.
Don't be surprised if this also turns into a giant wooden chew toy as your bunny may also enjoy munching the soft wooden edges.
Our verdict
The ultimate bunny litter box and hay feeder combo
Key features
- The hay bar will encourage your bunny to eat lots of hay.
- A great set-up to keep everything neatly in one place.
2 High sided litter pan
High sided litter boxes like the High sided litter pan are a great adaptations that can help stop the litter being kicked out and spread around your home. It will also help can catch hay falling from a feeder placed above it, saving a lot of waste. They would work best place next to a wall or edge of an enclosure to stop them being knocked over. They don't cost much more than a regular litter box so are ideal for messy bunnies or for larger bunnies that can often pee over the side of a lower tray.
We find high sided litter boxes are great for stopping the mess that can build up behind them if they are placed in the corner of an enclosure. They are also heavier which can help keep them in place.
Our verdict
Great for containing the mess and for larger bunnies
Key features
- Can help contain peeing accidents over the sides of the pan.
- Stops mess being licked out and walked around your home.
- It will help can catch hay dropping from a feeder placed above it saving a lot of waste.
3 Litter pan
A bunny will usually do fine with a regular litter pan like the Litter pan. It needs to be big enough for your bunny to turn around on and for it to be tucked under a hay feeder. Make sure it's quite sturdy as you bunny maybe spending some time there.
You can't beat a simple litter pan, they are easier to clean and are cheap enough so can be chucked out when they start looking tatty.
Our verdict
A bunny will usually do fine with a regular litter pan.
Key features
- They are cheap to replace when they start looking tatty
- Easy to clean out and keep clean
4 Hooded litter pan
Hooded litter pan are offer a solution if you are worried about the smell from the litter box or would like it out in an open area like a kitchen where you would prefer it covered over. It can also be helpful to contain any mass that may spread around your house. These types of litter boxes are often a bit of a compromise. More frequent cleaning and finding somewhere less on show to put the litter box is often a better solution. This type of enclosed box also means you miss the opportunity to put hay the litter box which can encourage better litter habits. You may also find you will need to remove the door to make this work.
I think out bunny prefers his open litter pan with a hay feeder as he spends a lot of time there observing his surroundings. We use paper based litter and clean it out twice a day, we find this does not leave any odor.
Our verdict
Helpful if you want to hide away any smells and mess but a bit of a lazy solution.
Key features
- Stops the mess being spread around your house.
- Traps the smells inside to stop odors building up.
5 Corner litter pan
Corner litter boxes are a great space saver inside a pen or enclosure as they don't take up much room, they can however be a bit on the small side so you may not find one big enough for bunny to be comfortable in if they are a larger bread. Make sure you check the size and we recommend getting something simple like the Corner litter pan. They are best placed in the corner of a pen and the high sides will be useful in stopping mess being kicked out.
We used this when we were litter training our bunny as he started a habit of peeing over the edge of the regular litter pan. He soon grew out of it and we found it got tossed over quite a bit as its quite light.
Our verdict
Great for smaller bunnies with high sides to help stop the mess.
Key features
- High sides stop the mess being kick over the edge.
- They can take up less space in a smaller enclosure.
- They can be a bit small so are good for smaller bunnies.