# How long did it take to litter train your rats?



## Shasta

Background: I have two young boys, between 2 and 3 months old, and an adult female about 7 months old (spayed). I've been working on litter training the boys for a couple weeks now and they don't really seem to be getting it... they're otherwise fast learners, they know their names and tricks and such, but I kinda feel like there's been no progress on litter training. I wake up and there's poop everywhere. I'm pretty diligent about moving the poops to the box, except when I'm sleeping obviously, but they just seem to go wherever they feel like. The girl is a newer addition who (I'm told) is litter trained, although because there's poop all over the place and I can't tell whose is whose I'm not 100% sure.

Here's what I have so far:

They live in a multilevel cage. When I got them I put litter on the whole bottom floor so they would learn not to poop on the upper floors (they have this down pretty good). Then I restricted the litter area to a box and lined the rest of the first floor with fleece, which is the material used in their hammocks. I assumed since they were used to sleeping on it they'd be less inclined to poop on it, but no, they use it all the same.

Like I said, I move their poop during the day, although it seems they might do most of the business while I'm sleeping.

They don't seem to want to poop when I'm watching them, but I do the whole treat & move them to the box thing when I see them poop outside the litter box. I'm not sure if they're getting this, either, 'cause when I move them they kind of perk up and forget about pooping and come to me looking for treats. Sigh..

Since I've convinced them not to use the upper floors for pooping, I'm assuming they're capable of restricting their pooping area a little bit further. But I'm pretty discouraged after 2 weeks and I'd like to hear how it's gone for you guys..

(I've never used the word "poop" so much in one post.)


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## BigBen

I'd like to know, as well. I've had my mischief for three weeks and while they seem to be getting the idea of what I want, I'm not sure they really care!  I've tried explaining what I want and believe it or not, the quantity of poop outside the litter box did go down, but then they go through these streaks when I find poop everywhere! And then when they see me picking it up and putting it in the litter box, they look at at each other with an amused look, as though to say, "Just let him alone; he's doing this crazy thing, but maybe he'll get over it."

I must say, they never poop in my bed, and the only times anyone has even urinated in it were a couple of times when I kept them out of the cage too long. I did notice that the quantity of poop outside the litter box is much less on the level where the box is, so maybe I should get a second litter box for upstairs?


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## weaverc12

i have had rats over 2 years now and poop is such a problem. whenever you go in to do the daily "poop duty" (im assuming you do) throw out most of the poop and with the fresher poop throw it into their litter box. if you have level cage then i suggest putting in a small litter box on each level or between levels depending on how many your cage has. and if you have a problem with them pooping when you take them out... there is a simple fix that should work: if you have a feeding schedule (im also assuming you do) than you either take them out before you feed them, or wait an hour or two to take them out after you feed them so that they poop out their previous meal. if they have a food dish that is constantly filled with food... i guess their pooping is unpredictable. this is what i prefer but i guess any advice is welcome i hope this helped a bit!!


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## BigBen

Thanks for the ideas. I do the poop duty, and have been putting it all in the litter box. I am going to get a litter box for the upper level and hope that helps.


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## Erica

I am trying to train my girl as well. she is 10 months old. I try moving her poops to her litter box that has care fresh bedding in it, the rest of her cage is lined with fleece. I was hoping that difference in textural would help her. But she prefers to sleep and eat in her litter box and do he business everywhere else. It is so hard to catch her in "the act" to try and reward her. when she rarely goes in her box. This is defiantly a challenge.


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## moonkissed

I feel pretty lucky my girls seemed to pick it up right away. I got them from a pet shop with no litterbox in their cage and aspen bedding. When I brought them home I set up a litterbox with aspen and the rest of their cage has fleece. Zero poops anywhere but the litterbox! 

I'd make sure to have a different type of litter in the box then in the rest of their cage. And having a litterbox on each level will probably help. I know with ferrets it is recommended so probably would help with the rats too. 

If she likes to sleep in the litterbox maybe give her a different box to sleep in and change to a different brand of litter for her litterbox? Idk if that would help lol
Goodluck!


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## RatMama13

Erica-my boys to the same thing! Hand them a treat and they head straight for the litter box..ugh! I was going to start a similar thread because I'm have the same problem. neither my girls or boys seem to get the idea...although it's getting better...some days....


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## Shadowfax

My boys seemed to train themselves. We have litter all over the bottom of their cage and they only go in one corner of the cage. They never poop outside their cage, with the exception of one time when Wesker got scared when we let them have a run around on the stairs. Other than that, the only place they will 'go' is in their cage  Girls seem to be doing the same, as their cage set up is pretty much the same


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## shinzo-chan

I had this problem when I got my boys, but it was quite extreme as they are rescues and were left to die in thier filthy little cage, so when I got them they were USED to living in their own poop (sleeping in it and everything, it was discusting!) It took almost a solid month before they even showed signs of improving. What I did was have a large litter tray on each level, and any poop outside of it was placed back inside, and all the smushed poop that couldnt really be put anywhere was scraped up and put in the bin (good fun -.-'). They got spot cleaned twise a day AT LEAST to make sure there was no poop outside a litter tray. It took them a long time to get it, but eventually they started improving. The advice I was given on this forum was to REINFORCE. Make sure you are putting the poop in the tray as soon as you notice it and are treating them for going in the tray. Now mine are fully litter trained in poop, and only tend to urinate in one corner ^^ Saying that, I've had them for over a year and a half now, so they've had a lot of time to practice. Since your lot came from a pet shop and not from ****, I'm sure they'll be much quicker at catching on, since mine had already developed seriously bad habbits.


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