Food Related Odor?

[galinfla]

I got these rabbits a little under a week ago. The first morning after they moved in, I could hardly stay in the room with them. We've cleaned their cage daily, but it seems that it only takes about three or four hours for them to smell like some unholy beast just crawled out of a sewage line.

Tons of people have these cute animals in their homes. Surely, they wouldn't be so popular if this smell was normal. I asked the manager of a pet store if he had any tips, because their cages always smell nice. He suggested it might be the food the rabbits were fed before I got them (The previous owner said, "They eat everything!"), and said it could take up to a couple of weeks for it to totally leave their system. Does that sound right?

Also, if eating certain foods made them smell bad, is there something I could give them to help them smell decent? They're very cute, and my daughter is hooked... but neither of these factors are worth the risk that I might go into my office with this stink clinging to me.

As for what they're eating now, it's just the regular stuff I've been told to give them. Unlimited timothy hay and fresh water, a little bowl of pellets, and a few leftover veggies from our dinner.

 

[Bunny parents]

What kind of veggies do you give them ? " leftover ??" Forgive me for asking this, but it's not rotten or cooked,right ? They eat only fresh greens.
How about their poops ? Are they round and hard ? If it's soft and looks like grape, that type of poop is smelly but it's a good poop, they suppose to eat it. In case they have too much veggies or treats, they can have lots of soft poops.

As for veggies, on Ro there's a list of safe veggies that you can feed your buns.

Hope this helps.

 

[galinfla]

I actually mean leftover from our dinner that evening, so certainly nothing rotten! As for cooking the veggies- I'm far too lazy to do that for pets. Their poos look pretty normal, for what I've ever seen of rabbit stool: Little brown raisin-ish balls.

My concern really isn't what I'm feeding them. Trust that I thoroughly research everything I give them. I'm just wondering if their smell really might be due to what they were eating a week ago with their previous owners... and if there's anything I can give them to help get that out of their systems!

 

[hillrise]

What kind of cage are you keeping them in? Does it have a solid bottom with some sort of litter in it or is it a wire-bottom cage with a tray underneath?

There are a few types of litters out there than help reduce odor, and they can be used in trays, too. With trays, you could also use a deodorizing spray or powder in the tray (only need to apply every 3-7 days), or some people use vinegar (apple cider smells the best).

 

[mmfh]

Both my rescue dogs smelled like sewers for about 2 months. But it generally diminished over that time (nothing that would get in my clothes). It was related to a poor diet but i'm not sure the same process can happen with rabbits, you'll have to wait till a more knowlegable person responds. In the meantime check the bedding and litter u r using. You might have to try a few different brands. For exampleman ty ppl use yesterdays news, I can't because I think it smells like decay when it gets wet.

 

[tamsin]

What are you using for litter? It can take rabbits awhile to settle and use a litter tray reliably but once they do a layer of paper based cat litter topped with hay (they like to munch as they poop) works well.

Anything they ate a week ago should have already passed through.

Unneutered rabbits can be a little smellier but it shouldn't be overpowering.

The other thing to check would be the scent glands near the base of the tail. Occasionally they can get clogged up and stinky.

 

[galinfla]

The rabbits are in a cage with a solid bottom. I'd read that the wire bottoms aren't good for their feet?

I'd heard a lot of debate about bedding, so ultimately decided against using any for now. I might put in old towels later.

They don't seem to have a clue what the litter box is for. They originally thought it was a bed and would poo everywhere but inside of it. Now, each morning, I put on a glove and put all of their poo into the litter box with the hope that they'll catch on. Originally, I was using the paper litter stuff my rats use. After a ton of reading online, I drove an hour away to buy horse bedding pellets.

My daughter washes the cage with the vinegar and water every afternoon, when she gets home from school. We've started adding baking soda or washing soda (depending on which box she grabs on her way to the porch).

I need to get somebody to come into the house and sniff it for me, because I think it's getting better- but it might just be that I'm growing accustomed to the smell! I really hope it's the former.

 

[hillrise]

You'll want to put some sort of bedding in the bottom of the cage. It's actually worse for them to be in their own standing waste (can cause urine burn, among other things). Shredded newspaper works if you need something until you can go buy some. Aspen bedding smells pretty nice and won't irritate the buns. There are also a number of other types of bedding, some of which have special odor control properties. Just make sure you don't get pine or cedar because those will irritate the bunnies.

Wire bottoms can be a problem for some rabbits' feet, but usually they're fine as long as there's a board for them to sit/lie on that's not wire.

When I mentioned trays before, I was talking about the trays that go under wire-floored cages (no training necessary).

 

[tamsin]

It might be you are cleaning too thoroughly. Rabbits mark more (poop everywhere) when they are settling in and then tend to pick a corner for most of their toileting. However if you make everything absolutely spotless and wipe away all their scent, that can make them mark more as it never smells like their home to them. By smells, I don't mean stinks, its a level of scent that human noses couldn't detect but bunnies can. Sort of like you notice if you change your washing powder brand and your clothes don't smell quite like yours.

I'd suggest add an extra tray so that they have one to sleep and one to poop in. Then clean the cage as you are but leave the pooping tray slightly less often, and when you do clean it return some poops/dirty litter so it keeps the smell (to them) of the toilet corner.

Neutering also helps reduce marking.

 

[galinfla]

The smell gradually faded over the past week, and I had to go out of town yesterday morning. I just returned home, and there was no bad smell when I walked in! My daughter just picked one of them up and is sniffing him- no smell! Huzzah!

 

[Nancy McClelland]

I was wondering if the bunnies are neutered, as males will spray to mark territory and it will carry a smell. We have 8 rabbits in our home and no one knows they are there til we show them. We change the litter pan daily and the main pan under their hutch once a month and a little spot clean as needed. Sometimes the cecals get stuck to their fur and start smelling too.

 

[Bunny parents]

:thumbup
Problem solved!! Congrat!!

 

[galinfla]

Thanks all. I'm still curious if food affects odors. Somebody suggested parsley could help with smell, and we've fed the bunnies parsley as their veggie for the past few days. Anybody else have similar results?