Black feet and bum ... from newspapers

[Sox]

Sorry:- Should be FEET not feed, on subject heading ....

Hi All

Little Sox is white but has all black feet and bum due to the newspaper that lines the floor of his hutch and also his play pen in the lounge. I am thinking of changing this to either butchers paper or brown paper in the hope that it will stop his feed getting black.

But first, how do I get rid of the black on his feed as rabbits are not to have a shower?

Yes I could line the hutch floor with hay/straw like they do in the pet shops. I did try this the first few days and found that Sox would poo all over the place. I believe he has been brought up to poo in the hay/straws. So now the only place that has hay/straw is in the litter tray where he does his wees and poos. He does occasionally have a few accidents on the floor. Apparently from what I have read it is normal for rabbits to chew on straws whilst they are toiletting.

The question is how to I get rid of the black off their fur?

Any advice would be appreciated.

Cheers, Carol

 

[TinysMom]

I changed the subject heading for you....I'm not sure on a good answer for you - but I'm sure someone else has experienced this and can let you know.

 

[Spring]

Hi Carol!

I used to use newspaper for a brief period, but had the same problem. There are lots of different alternatives, so no worries! Is the hutch indoor or outdoor? If it's indoor (or even outdoor - though don't have experience using fleece outdoors) you could possibly look into other options such as fleece for the cage flooring. Even if he isn't completely litter trained, it's easy to wash fleece and it's a lot easier to clean up than dealing with newspaper. A possibility to consider for improving litter habits is also neutering, which usually helps a ton with having less accidents.

Once you replace the inky newspaper (which is safe, most companies use soy based inks) the stains will start to fade. You can help them along by mixing a 50/50 water and vinegar solution and gently spraying some on his feet and bum and then wiping it off. They should for the most part fade away once you replace the newspaper though.

With hay outside the litterbox, I have the same issue. They pee where the hay is, so only in the litterboxover here! That's why I use fleece outside of the litterbox and hay/wood pellets in the litter box.

*Edit - check the bottoms of his feet to make sure there are no sores/redness. Vinegar may irritate any sensitive areas like sore hocks, so best to give him a check and wipe the vinegar off afterwards. But in time, they should fade on their own.

 

[Sox]

Thanks for the idea of fleece. I will have to find out where to get this stuff from and it sounds good as it's washable!!!! Instead of having a bedding made of hay/straw I bought him a piece of nice sheep skin cover, very soft and cushionable and even I want to sleep on it - it's black. Somehow Sox is terribled of this thing and will not go near it. Even with a carrot dangling over it, he will hop on for one second and then run off and would rather not have the carrot. So now I have a towel wrapping around the sheep skin and he just loves the comfort of it. I don't know if it's the Black or the sheep skin smell, looks or whatever.

Anyway, sorry about my rant, just trying to say that thanks sound like excellent idea just hope Sox is not terrified of it. Sox was upset with me for 2 days and would even come to nibble my finger and I'm still upset over that! :rollseyes:cry1:

 

[hartleybun]

i use fleece for my rexes - they are prone to sore hocks and it helps. do you have a fabric shop anywhere you? or else on line!... you can buy it from the roll in the one i use. the last time i used newspaper was to line the hutch after hartleybun's neuter. black ink all over the bun:rollseyes it did wear off with natural shedding and grooming

 

[irishbunny]

I think the only way to deal with it is to get rid of the newspaper

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

If you are worried about him peeing/pooping out of the litter box, you can put down a plastic sheet. I have used table cloths or shower curtains form the dollar store. You can put blankets or something soft on top. It will protect the floor but not cause black feet.
I only use newspaper in the litter box under the litter and have a grate over top so the buns aren't on top of the newspaper.
Once you get rid of the newspaper, the stains should fade. Penelope used to have a phone book that she would dig at and her paws got stained, once she stopped digging at it all the time, the stains went away.

 

[missyscove]

Why are you lining the cage with newspaper to start with? My buns are just on their plastic bottom of their cage.

At the animal hospital where I work, we have a rule - no white animals on newspaper. They just get a towel (instead of newspaper with a towel on top) and, murphy's law, if you forget they will tip their water dish and get covered in black ink.

You can try a little vinegar or a damp washcloth, but it should go away on its own after a while.