Rats won't use litter box?

[Tesslalala]

I've had my 3 boys for about a month now and I started the process of litter box training on day one, with moving it into the spot they go most and rewarding them whenever theyre in it and placing them there when I see them going elsewhere. They were doing well and making progress but now they don't seem to care where they go. I know it's unlikely theyll ever be 100% trained but they were getting better about it and now I rarely see them using it and have to clean up droppings from most spots in the cage. Any tips on how to rectify this problem?

 

[ViciousCurse]

What kind of litter do you use? Mine really seem to like Exquisicat's recycled paper and it has no dust at all. The only issue I have with this litter is they like to throw it out of the litterbox. I usually have more than one litterbox in my cage, if there's the space. Also, try cleaning up the feces outside of the litterbox and placing it inside the litterbox. This can sometimes help them process that they should defecate in one or two spots. I've noticed improvements simply a week after starting this practice.

 

[Tesslalala]

Yeah I've been putting droppings in the litter box since the beginning and I thought it was working but now it doesn't seem to make a difference. I use the kaytee critter litter, the little round rock like pellets, but maybe I should try the equisicats and try placing an extra box elsewhere in the cage

 

[ViciousCurse]

I always pack corners of my cage with hides too, so they don't really have any free spots to poo too.

 

[Nadia Mazza]

I've had my 3 boys for about a month now and I started the process of litter box training on day one, with moving it into the spot they go most and rewarding them whenever theyre in it and placing them there when I see them going elsewhere. They were doing well and making progress but now they don't seem to care where they go. I know it's unlikely theyll ever be 100% trained but they were getting better about it and now I rarely see them using it and have to clean up droppings from most spots in the cage. Any tips on how to rectify this problem?

Hello I just got 2 newbies and in 3 days they are going in the littler . My trick is that every morning I wash the floors and clean the cage all around the litter . I take their poop and put it into the litter box . I eben traine a 1.5 year okd to go into thw litter .The secret is to remain clean all around. I once had a mama rat who would take the poop and simply push them out of the cage 1 by 1 to train her babies . It has to remain clean , no rip ,no covers and just food in one corner and litter in the other . Clumping litter but NO solar litter . Or I found that fleece somehow atracts rats to be on them. You can try a piece flattenwd in the litter or i the corner tk start . Try that

 

[ViciousCurse]

Hello I just got 2 newbies and in 3 days they are going in the littler . My trick is that every morning I wash the floors and clean the cage all around the litter . I take their poop and put it into the litter box . I eben traine a 1.5 year okd to go into thw litter .The secret is to remain clean all around. I once had a mama rat who would take the poop and simply push them out of the cage 1 by 1 to train her babies . It has to remain clean , no rip ,no covers and just food in one corner and litter in the other . Clumping litter but NO solar litter . Or I found that fleece somehow atracts rats to be on them. You can try a piece flattenwd in the litter or i the corner tk start . Try that

Just to clarify, please do not use cat clumping litter for yours rats' litter. Anything with perfume/dust/clumping agents is bad for your rat. A lot of people on here, including myself will recommend using paper bedding, whether it be Yesterday's News or Exquisicat's paper bedding. Both of these products have no scent, dust, and no clumping factor in them.
Otherwise, your training method sounds great. That's what I use for my rats, minus daily washings. I don't wash too frequently because I don't want to promote urination outside of the litterbox, unless it's for marking. I put large rocks in my litterboxes to promote peeing in the litterboxes and it's worked.