Litter Training Guide

[Jaguar]

So you've heard about litter training your ratties, but not sure how to do it?  Here's a guide to getting started ratty potty training.

There are many pros to litter training your rats, such as...

- Cage stays more clean and sanitary
- Odor is minimized
- Saves money on full cage changes
- Less work when cleaning cage

There are really no cons to litter training, unless you prefer to do full litter changes.

Litter training can be a long process, and requires some patience.  Some rats will just never get into the habit.  Some rats will be fully poop trained, but never pee.  This is especially true for males. Some rats catch on quicker than others; for example, it might be harder to train an adult that has been un-trained all their life as opposed to a baby.

But in the end it's worth it, and I would recommend it to any rat owner.  Every poop in the pan is one less you have to pick up later on.   It also comes as a big surprise to many people when you tell them that your ratties are litter box trained!  It is also really easy to put out a litter pan when your rats are out of the cage or free range, so you don't end up with a poop pile under your bed or in the corner.

Specially designed litter pans can be purchased from any pet store.  They come in many shapes and sizes, from square, to corner, to housed.  I personally prefer large corner pans with high backs, but the choice is yours.  Some come with hooks to attach to cage bars, others you will have to tie or weigh down yourself.  You can also use low, flat tupperware containers, or anything else you see fit.

It is very important that your ratties can distinguish between the living area and the toilet area.  Having two different types of bedding for each is very helpful.  For example, you could use fleece in the main area, and Yesterday's News in the litter pan.  Do a full cage clean before starting litter training, and place some of the old soiled bedding in the litter pan, so they get the idea that the pan is where to go to the bathroom.  You might have to try a couple different litters.  I had great success with newspaper pellets.  If your rats find great joy in kicking all the litter out of the box, you can try a heavier, dense paper or hardwood pellet, but be careful that they don't contain cedar, pine, or other softwoods.

Most of the time, rats will have a preferred corner to do their business in, which you can use to your advantage when training them.  Place the pan in the corner that they normally do their business in.  If they don't have a preferred corner or you can't tell which it is, just place it anywhere, and move it if they seem to prefer elsewhere in the cage.  If you have a large, multi level cage, it might be necessary to place a few litter boxes throughout the cage.  Placing a clean rock in the pan may help, as some rats prefer to pee on rocks.  It also helps weigh the pan down to stop from being tipped over, and keeps their nails filed down too.

You will have to be on the ball with spot cleaning and picking up any stray poop that wind up out of the box, likely a couple times a day.  Be sure to reward with treats and love if you catch your ratties using the box.  Replace the litter once every couple of days, but be sure to always mix in a little bit of soiled litter, until they are fully used to using the box.  Within no time, your ratties should be using their box and cleaning time will be much easier on you.  The biggest key is to be patient and persistent.  Good luck!