Litter Box Training

[mercurydust]

I was just wondering if anyone has any tips on litter training rats-getting them to 'go' in a litter pan. The younger girls have been pooping and pottying all over the shelves in their cage and it gets kinda stinky even though I pick up the pooh pellets and wipe them every day(the shelves not the pooh pellets :lol: ). :giggle: I recently made them some fabric shelf covers and got some corner litter pans. Now I know rats are smart but I am not expecting them to use the littler pans right away. They tend to do their business on certain areas of each shelf so that is where I placed the pans. Some words of wisdom are quite welcome.

 

[jorats]

That's what you do, place the pans in the areas you see the rats go most. Don't use the same litter in the pans as in the rest of the cage. And pick up all the loose poops whenever you can and place them in the litter pan. It can take some time but the girls should pick up on the habit. Although... some rats are way too stubborn to do it. Lets hope your girls will get it.

 

[mercurydust]

That's kinda what I figured-my husband thought it was so gross when I was picking up the pooh and putting it into the litter pan. :giggle:

 

[jorats]

lol!

 

[NezumiNeko]

I hate litter box training. I gave up. Lazy, lazy me.

 

[mercurydust]

I think I may have some genious rats here-only twon days and their isn't any pooh pellets on the shelves! I can't believe it! They picked up on the litter pan usage right away....I think I will make them some carrot cupcakes as a reward! :bunnydance:

 

[jorats]

That is great! Keep up the poop picking if it does happen again, sometimes they need reminders.

 

[Casey]

I think my boys are catching on already and they are only 1 month old! :joy:
I have been picking up the little poops everyday and putting them in the litter box.
Last night Miles ran from the top shelf down to the liter pan in the bottom and pooped and peeed.

The only place I am still finding stray poops is under the wheel in the morning,
but that seems to be decreasing in amount each day.

 

[Debbie]

They really are smart and generally pick up on it right away. I do see the girls generally catch on first, and the young boys can take a little while longer. Eventually, everyone catches on. :wink2:

 

[mercurydust]

This morning I woke the girls by giving them some scratches behind the ears and after a wide mouthed toofey rat yawn and a drawn out stretch little Lucy ran all the way to the bottom of the cage and into the litter pan and raised her little wormy tail and did her business. It was so funny! And cute! It was the first time I actually saw one of them make the trip to the litter pan just to pee rather than hiding in their to covet and nibble on a treat. :giggle:

 

[smilez_n_hugs]

my boys are just weird....for the life of me i cannot get them to do their business in a littler pan but the odd thing is that once they dump the litter all over the floor then they will go in :wallbang: its like they just dont wanna be told where to go lol oh well i guess keeping it contained to one area is better than nothing

 

[jorats]

mercurydust... that is just great! Some can be so smart.
I've noticed the girls pick up on it faster than boys. Also, if they are very young, they don't pick up on it at all. lol

 

[mercurydust]

Cordelia kinda picked up on it-but I catch her often doing her business on shelf liners that I just washed a few minutes before....grrrr! But little Lucy is my prodigy! :joy: I caught her doing it again this morning when I woke them up-running down the latters and into the litter box and raising that little tail-I will have to start having the camera ready! I am sure she will love me for that, she is already annoyed that I watch her pee so imagine how she will feel when mom starts to docment the progress with pictures! :lol:

 

[cotton+lycra]

I'm at the moment having difficulty litter training my Cotton. Underneath the fleece liner, the flooring is wire. Cotton has her toilet corner, but she doesnt go on the liner, she pulls it up all neatly pushes that corner out of the cage so that it doesnt flap back down, then "goes" through the wire floor into the pan. Its the only place she goes. So i put a litter pan there. With litter in.

Next morning i look in, she has unhooked the litter pan and moved it out of the way! and the liner is all tucked up again! It carried on like this for 3 days. I put all the droppings in the pan. So last night i "super secured" the litterpan so she REALLY couldn't move it. I wake up today and in all the other corners she has done the liner tucking thing!!

i done have enough litter pans to put everywhere! Do i need to get some more? How can i improve? She really can out-smart me! wow, i have to go now and tell my friends i have been outsmarted by my pet rat!

 

[Callie<3]

my question is whats the best type of litter to put in a litter pan from experience?

 

[lilangel]

Yesterdays news is what most people use or something very much like it. It works and stays in the litter most times :giggle:

 

[Casey]

I like yesterday's news. You can buy the unscented kind in the cat litter section in larger, cheaper bags than the small animal kind (and it is really the same thing).