how can i keep my rabbits cage from stinking?

Advertise with us
Shop deals on ebay
Love your rabbit
shop deals on amazon
Rabbits Online Forum

Help Support Rabbits Online Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
P

phx_punk_girl

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 14, 2004
Messages
109
Reaction score
0
Location
Phoenix, Arizona, USA
well, once again i have a question, and im sure some if not most of you have experianced this and/or have a solution.

first of all, the basics- my bunny has an indoor cage. its a dropbottom cage. and i coat the pull out tray with newspaper to makecleaning easier. i clean the cage about 2 times a week. (never ever gomore then a week without cleaning it)

anyways, ive read about litter and the dangers of it. like a bunnystirring up too much dust and getting pneumonia. or eating the clumpinglitter and getting glogged up.

i was wondering if it would be safe to put some sort of odor absorbinglitter in the pan thats under the drop cage. thats the only thing i canthink of to help.

is there anything at all i can do to avoid the odor??? any suggestions at all?????

thanks again!:)
 
I have a flat bottom cage ( no wires) .... i havetried critter litter care fresh now that yesterday's news....i seem tofind that yesterday newsworkswell ( it is kindacostly) i think. I dont think you'll get your cage to be 100% odor freebut i see that has cut the urine smell alot. I also have a few airfresheners in my daughters room to help w/ the smell...nothing thats tostrong though...that helps also. I may try those wood pellets also iknow you can get em cheap like a 30 lb bag for 4.00. I just found aplace kinda by me that sells em. I'll keepyapostedon how they work :)One more thing thatcritter litter is safe if they where to digest it
 
I clean the paper on our tray everyday.By that, I mean I pull the tray out, and drop any refuse into thetrash, and then, if not heavily soiled, the newspaper goes back intothe tray. I am able to do that because most of the pee/poopis deposited in the corner litter box on the wire floor, so only theoccasional poop makes it to the newspaper.

The litter I use is WOODYPET PROFESSIONAL ANIMAL LITTER, a wood based,disintegrating granule composition. The litter that hasabsorbed moisture turns into a heavy kind of saw dust, which I removedaily, and then add new to compensate for any used portion.

It would seem that you are allowing your bun to poop and pee throughthe wire, onto the paper, and I doubt 2 days a week of cleaning thatwould suffice. If you are offended by the odor, chances arethe buns are really overcome with it, and they do not enjoy that, thefastidious animals that they are.

Some rabbit feeds have yucca extract as an ingredientto helpdeal with the ammonia in rabbit urine, so you might look into that asanother approach to the problem. I suspect a litter box,cleaned daily, and newspaper swept clean daily and changed when and ifnecessary, would go a long way to alleviating the condition.Litter box use might also reduce the amount of litter used on a dailybasis and promote a monetary savings, as well.

Adding a bit of vanilla extract to the drinking water might help reducethe strong odor a bit, as well as having other healthbenefits. No harm to the buns, at all.

Buck

 
Is you bun spayed. I have found some girls smellreal gross during heat almost as bad as a male spraying. I have a fewwire bottom cages that I use when I am litterbox training and Isprinkled a little baking soda in the pan before I put in papers. Myhusband said he thought it helped and he is real sensitive to smellswith his asthma. I like the Woodypet just bought on Bucksrecommendation and it is great because I can get it year round and nothave to buy out Lowes ever March and hope it lasts all summer sincethey stock wood stove pellets in winter only. I do wash out my cagesonce a week with vinegar and water and do littler boxes every other day
 
Thatit I've lostit I've lostit.

I just misread your post.

i did not read it as ....how can i keep my rabbits cage from stinking?

I read it as ...how can i keep my rabbits cage from strinking?

Note the Strinking.

yep




 
buck, ive heard you mentionthe vanilla extract before & im curious...what does it do forthem? also, how much/how often should it be added to their water?thanks :)
 
What I found -- this may sound alittle drastic--Are your bunnies for Breeding ? If not, getting them spayed or neutered decreases the scent oftheir urine. The only smell coming from our cage of2 bunnies is that of ammonia when I wait too long to change thelitterbox. --- Kim


 
I have found even changing them DAILY the heatreally intesifies the odour, and if they are feeling "frisky" then thesmell turns a little onionish (odd eh?) Back to the question in regardsto the odor absorbing litter, how about the powder that claims to be100% natural (maybe there is yucca extract in it) if baking soda is notreadily available?

Me (since my fancy username has been changed)
 
NOTE: NOT FOR THE VERY SENSITIVE OR SQUEAMISH

You know,Bunty, I wondered why my bunnies were staggering around the house and yard, arm and arm? Hehehehehe!

I recommend 1/2 - 1 tsp per gallon of drinking water, but I, myself, nolonger measure it. Like Grandma and her recipes of a,"pinchof this, a pinch of that, and a handful of this," I just "eyeball" itand add vanilla until it "looks" right to me. While it maycontain alcohol, I would seriously doubt the quantity involved over theperiod of time it is ingested presents a health problem. Youdo bring up a point I never considered over these many years, though,and, obviously worthy of merit. Illustrates perfectly howvaluable forums like thiscan be to everyone.

Batbunny, the practice of administering vanilla extract in the drinkingwater is to reduce the probability of the rabbits' contracting FlyStrike and/or Warbles. In the former, flies lay eggs in theexcrement that may exist on the nether parts of a bunny with a dirtybum, due to excess fur in the genital region, stoutness of the bunpreventing it from cleaning the area adequately, or a diarrheacondition leaving the area soiled. The eggs hatch intomaggots and eat, not only the excrement, but when that is gone, beginto eat the flesh of the rabbit! Frequently, it may gounnoticed, until too much damage is done, and the bun succumbs to ahorrible death.

Warbles are caused by a specific vector, called a BotFly. The Bot Fly lays a single egg somewhere near or ona rabbit, anywhere, but a dirty bum is a good a place asany. The single larvae(warble) burrows underneath the skin,usually starting in a natural orifice,in order to continueits metamorphosis into an adult by feeding on internal fluids of itshost. Its location is often indicated by a cyst-like noduleon the skin, with a tiny, dark colored "air hole" on thecyst. The major problem presented by the larvae is that itinadvertently produces toxins that may be fatal to the rabbit, beforethe larvae becomes and adult and leaves its host. I've readthat one can cover the air hole with some substance like a cream,thereby forcing the larvae to poke up its head looking or air,whereupon one can pluck it off with a tweezers. Vets,I assume, could lance it free. The Bot fly larvaeis about the size of your pinkie nail, if memory serves me correctly,and is not a major menace in all parts of the country or the world.

The vanilla in the drinking water apparently produces an odor in thefecal matter and urine of the rabbit that is repugnant to flies of anykind, thereby reducing the probability of developing Fly Strike orWarbles. Since incorporating its use into my rabbithusbandry, I've noticed a significant decrease in the number of fliesin and about our outside hutches.

Even if one chooses to not incorporate vanilla into the drinking water,both conditions noted above are more than enough reason tovisually and manually inspect your rabbit very closely on a regular andtimely basis. The addition of vanilla in the drinking watermay increase consumption, so watch the water levels of your buns'bottles afterwards.



WARNING!GRAPHIC DESCRIPTIONS AND PHOTOS TO FOLLOW

For further reading, linkto:http://www.rabbit.org/journal/2-12/fly-strike.htmlhttp://www.supervet.co.uk/rabbit/strike.htmlhttp://www.michigan.gov/dnr/1,1607,7-153-10370_12150_12220-26354--,00.html


Buck



 
Hi buck

That sound like a good idea putting the vanilla in their water I'll try that.

And don't think anyone at the BRC would know that,unfortunately I can't ask them at the momentthey ain't backon line yet.

Thanks

Lynn xx

 
It's worked for a lot of people, Lynn. It's safe and effective.

-Carolyn
 
Buck Jones wrote:
NOTE: NOT FOR THE VERY SENSITIVE OR SQUEAMISH

Fly Strike
Click to expand...
This is what happened to my first 2 bunnies, one in the summerof 2000 and his brother in 2001! I was sodestroyed! This is the first time I have read about thishappening to others! Thank you so much for the tips aboutusing Vanilla. Now I know how I can prevent my currentbunnies from suffering the same awful fate! Thank you thank you thankyou!!!
 
In either Petco or Petsmart, I'm really not surewhich, but they sell a rabbit cage cleaner next time I go upstairs I'lllook at the bottle and writethe name& whomakes it. It's non toxic and safe for bunnies ..comes in a small bottlewitha pump top it's supposed to have stuff in it to break down thestains from urine and eliminate odor as well. You spray it on, let itsit for about 5 mins and then wash it off. It does a pretty good joband it smells like peppermint toothpaste! lol Oreo's cage is mintyfresh :DIt's not an overbearing smell either, it fades& is hardly noticeable.

~pam
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Back
Top