Odor Control

[BlueCamasRabbitry]

Not sure if this goes here... but oh well! I'd like to see what other breeders use..

Anyway, I was wondering if there was anything I could put on my rabbits shavings/in their litterboxes that would help control odor? Isn't it something like baking powder or soda that I can put on the shavings to control the smell?

Emily

 

[elrohwen]

I'm not a breeder, but have you tried wood stove pellets? They're extremely cheap and do very well on odor control. They also swell up when wet, so you only need a thin layer in the box to do the job.

 

[pintoluver112104]

Pelleted horse bedding works really well and cuts down on the smell. It's pretty much the same thing as the stove pellets but it's only pine. There's also some sprays that you can buy to spray the cage bottoms with before putting new bedding down that's supposed to help. I found it at walmart but I don't remember what it's called

 

[elrohwen]

pintoluver112104 wrote:

Pelleted horse bedding works really well and cuts down on the smell. It's pretty much the same thing as the stove pellets but it's only pine. There's also some sprays that you can buy to spray the cage bottoms with before putting new bedding down that's supposed to help. I found it at walmart but I don't remember what it's called

There are wood pellets that are only pine as well. I believe the horse bedding and wood stove pellets are actually made by the same manufacturer.So it reallycomes down to whatever is cheap / more available in your area because they're both great options.

 

[pintoluver112104]

Ok I wasn't sure about that because getting the horse bedding is easier than the stove pellets because people start going crazy as soon as the weather gets chilly and they buy out all the stove pellets

 

[elrohwen]

pintoluver112104 wrote:

Ok I wasn't sure about that because getting the horse bedding is easier than the stove pellets because people start going crazy as soon as the weather gets chilly and they buy out all the stove pellets

That's definitely understandable! Wood stove pellets are usually only available in the winter, so if you can't buy a year's supply (if you have a lot of rabbits, for instance) you could get horse bedding.

 

[BlueCamasRabbitry]

I'm not looking into using wood stove pellets at the moment. I'd have to buy so many bags that it would end up costing me more than a bag of shavings (which I can get for $7. The bags of wood pellets are $4 a piece and only last about 1 cleaning.)

So, besides wood pellets, what is the type of powder thatI canput on the shavings to help control odor?

Can anyone tell me if it is baking powder or soda?

Emily

 

[aurora369]

Baking soda is an odour absorber.

That would probably work if you sprinkled some on the shavings in the drop pan.

-Dawn

 

[introoder]

I don't have a clue about baking powder/soda (I would assume it's the one that's used for deoderizing fridges and such... I says which one on the box, I believe.), but I've had lots of luck with using timothy as bedding. Since you're close to Yelm, I'd assume they have plenty of feed stores with cheap hay. You gotta change it every couple of days, compared to the week my rabbits could go without making their shavings smelly, but I've found it's rediculously cheaper in the long run. A compressed timothy bale (58 lbs) is $10, and can feed/litter my rabbits for a good two months or so.

 

[BlueCamasRabbitry]

Dawn, thank you that's what I was looking for.

La Aiko, I have drop pans so whatever they don't eat of their hay usually goes down into the shavings, etc.. That probably helps cut back with the odor a bit... But if I had timothy hay as their bedding all the time, my barn would get pretty messy! lol.

Emily

 

[introoder]

Yuuup. That's what I have too. 'Cept, my main hutch I don't usually put anything in. My indoor/kindling/nursing cages, I do. But yeaaaah, I understand the mess part. I got yelled at a ton last night for my setup looking like a 'barn'. LOL.

Lots of work. Dx

 

[BlueCamasRabbitry]

Haha. I never understand why my mom yells at me and says the rabbitry smells, or that it's messy... uhm... isn't it obvious?

So hence why I'm hoping the baking soda will help with the odor. On nice days I usually open the door and window to let it air out, but then comes rainy weeks and months, and so I'd like the rabbitry to be smelling fresh all the time. lol.

Emily

 

[TCRabbitry]

This is what I use. I spray it in the pans before I put the shavings in. You can walk in the barn... you can't smell the bunz at all... just their hay....

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Fresh-Res...-Cleaning-Deodorizing-Spray-16-fl-oz/10318430

It costs a little under $4 for a 16 oz bottle. I have 9 rabbits and it has lasted me over a month.

 

[BlueCamasRabbitry]

That looks great, Melinda!

I will have to see if my Wal-Mart carries it. I hope they do.

 

[TCRabbitry]

It's awesome stuff... Even my fiance who says that the rabbits stink no matter what I do, says that he can't smell them at all anymore...

 

[pintoluver112104]

I have the same stuff and it works great!!!!! One of my rabbits lives in my room, and I can't even smell her.

 

[BlueCamasRabbitry]

Awesome.

I think I've used it in the past. The brand and cover on the bottle looks insanely familiar.

Emily

 

[bengal77]

If the rabbit can't get to the litter and eat it(like if you use a cookie cooling rack or fluorescent lighting grid on top) I would recommend using activated charcoal over baking soda. Activated carbon works much better. It would take a lot less and it would work faster and longer at controlling the smell.