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chaplinaus

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Phoenix, Arizona, USA
Ok all my buns are fixed and we have 2 upstairs and 2 downstairs. They have the run of the area where they live. They have a large area where we keep the litter boxes, food/water/hay. I try to change the litter every other day, but it seems that no matter how many times I change it there is a NASTY FUNK that just stays. I've tried febreeze when cleaning their area when they are in a different area. I've tried the spray that takes away animal smells, nothing works. The entire place smells NASTY!

I've seen some threads that mention the funk, but this is really gross. Like I said they are all fixed, they use shredded paper for litter and for the most part tinkle in the poo box. Of course there are stray poops around, but they are mostly in the box. I can't have people over right now, it reaks. We need major HELP!!! I'm so embarrased to even have animal lovers over!!
 
Ok, first of all, shredded paper does not absorb enough. I have tried it and would pull asthma attacks from the excess ammonia in the air. No good. I would try compacted recycling paper or compacted wood pellets. I prefer the paper pellets myself as the would breaks up when wet and dries up, making dust.

What do you put in the cage? Are there blankets, carpets, towels, etc? I used to put litter at the bottom of the entire cage. It is a tremendous waste of money, and terrible really... Now they are directly on tile or commercial type carpet.

If you don't do so already, fill a spray bottle with white vinegar and when you wash the litterboxes, just spray with that. Not only does it help with the smell, but it also disinfects. I now add some lemon or lime juice since I don't like the smell of vinegar so much. If you add a small drop of dishsoap, it also makes a good glass cleaner. Lol.

I've had as many as 6 in a small room so I learned to deal with it quickly. I do change my litterboxes every 2 days and clean the whole cage every week and a half in general. It literally takes me about 5-10 mins max to clean the litterboxes and feed, water, my 3 buns. It takes me another 5 to sweep properly after I am done.

Now for the air fresheners this is a controversial topic... Many people tend to stay away from them as they are notso great in general neither for you nor your buns.If you really feel you need one, the one I liked best is the one you plug in that has two scents... You can adjust the strenth as well. Due to my serious asthma and my desire to use more natural methods, I will try both boiling water with spices such as anis, cinnamon, etc (I absolutely love it in the autumn and winter) and maybe try making a plaque of baking soda with lemon juice and leave it over the cage.

I hope you find something useful :)
 
Are you only using shredded paper for litter? That could be the first problem - rabbit pee smells BAD - it's very strong, and shredded paper won't do anything to kill the smell.

Try using a wood pellet litter like Woody Pet, or a paper pellet litter like Yesterday's News. I also used Carefresh for a while which was ok. They are way better at containing the smell than paper alone will.

Next - is it the litter that smells, or the bunnies themselves (pick one up and smell the bum...) :) It might be a case of scent glands needing to be cleaned.

The scent glands are flaps on either side of the anus that are little pockets of funk. Some bunnies require them to be cleaned out and some don't. I have one bunny that I have to clean out every month of so because he gets major buildup.

Here's some info form the Ontario House Rabbit website:

Scent Glands:
You should regularly check the underside of your rabbit, making sure their bottom end is clean. Overweight and disabled rabbits will have a difficult time reaching their anus and may often have hardened cecals stuck to their fur. It is also a good idea to check their genital area, and scent glands, which are located on both sides of the genital mound. Occasionally the scent glands will need to be cleaned as well. If you take your thumb and index finger and gently press on the area beside the genital mound, the scent glands will open and become visible. A bit of a pungent odor and some dark waxy material are normal. If the waxy material is hardened, you can gently use a moistened q-tip or soft cloth to soften it and drag it away from the area. Do not dig or irritate this area.

I'll see if I can find some more info on the forum, there have been a couple good posts about this..



Nadia


 
chaplinaus wrote:
I can't have people over right now, it reaks. We need major HELP!!! I'm so embarrased to even have animal lovers over!!
Click to expand...


You can invite me! I'm 2 hours away. I won't notice the smell ;), but you will notice one bunny missing after I leave :p. We can call the bunny a "party favor" :D!.


hehehe :biggrin2:.
 
Sounds like scent glands to me, but I've never had the opportunity to inhale it so to speak:p. That's just what it sounds like. The glands are located on either side of the anus.

If you change litter that often, I can't see it being that...check the scent glands and see if that's it. Take a whiff at the butt, that should tell ya:shock:. From what I hear, if you check the glands themselves, they will have black, gooky build up in them:shock:. Open a window and clean the glands near one too, or you'll :faint:.
 
Yeah, is it a pee smell or is it a SKUNKY smell?

I agree on the shreadded paper - BAD STUFF. Woodypet, Feline pine, something along those lines are what you need.

I actually soak the bunnies' litterboxes about once every week or every other week for about 10 minutes in vinegar and it takes ALL the residue out of the litterboxes.

Are you sure there isn't someone peeing on carpet or something? I know Bo will pee on carpet IMMEDIATELY. Tony has done it also.

A clove orange is a great room smelly LOL!

and if it's scent glands it's probably poos being marked and scattered. Got that too but it's usually gone within a few hours.
 
Like everyone else said, change the litter. I use Yesterday's news and I don't smell a thing. Of course, Macey is outside, but when I open her door I don't smell anything so I reckon it works.

And I change her litterbox everyday. It got annoying at first, but I got in the habit of doing it right when I feed her.

And you should probably scrub you litterboxes 1-2 times a week to make sure they are nice and clean.

Annnd, have you tried carpet fresh that is blue and has a dog and a cat on the front? My mom uses it for my dogs and it works really really really good, so try that if you haven't.


Also, what kind of food do they eat? Doesn't the type of food make a difference in urine smell?

And I don't know much about scent glands so I can't say anything on that.

Goodluck!
 
Would like to add another possibility. We have a very special rabbit named Scoots. She has all sorts of problems. But she smelled really bad. We don't have smelly rabbits...we smell hay in our house. But some time ago, she got so smelly that we could smell her as soon as we opened the door in the far end of the house. She had intesinal parasites. In her case, it was hookworms and it was the first time we had seen those in a rabbit. But she was smelly. Coccidia is also quite "funky". The prope way to treat parasites is by doing a fecal float. But they are not always accurate. It is cheaper to treat for them rather than testing. Just a thought.

Randy
 
So I've informed my husband about the scent gland possibilityand he said there you go "bunny mommy" go check out the butts!!and pat me on the back! :stikpokeNice...

So I'll get some gloves and check out the butts today when I get home. They are NOT going to like that!!! :grumpy

Well wish me luck!!:bunnynurse:



:duel


 
chaplinaus wrote:
Undergunfire,

If this doesn't work I may have you over for some hay and a second opinion of the smell!! :bunnybutt:
Click to expand...

Haha, woooooo :biggrin2:! Bunny partyyyyy!


I am assuming it is the litter, though. You should get some wood pellet or paper pellet litter :p.
 
So everything is clean :bunnybutt:

Onto the litter!

I'm looking into Wood pellets, the only think that I have found so far are shavings and seeing that they have free reign of the place, that would be very messy! Thank you all so much, and I'll keep you posted after we change the litter.


We thought we were helping the environment with the paper shreddings, but looks like the smell changes everything!!
 
Holy crap!! No pun intended. :shock2:I went to the pet store today and got some recycled paper pellets that should help with the smell. It was $17.00!! That's the whole reason we decided to go the shredded paper route, it was cheaper and it helped the environment. Any suggestions on where I can find this stuff for cheaper? I do prefer recycled whichhappens toalways be more expensive!!
 
The compressed wood pellets are much cheaper, I buy 40 pounds for 5 or 6 dollars. I have checked out the Yesterdays News but I can't afford to pay that price, I like to change Lucy's litter box every other day at least I would be broke. I buy the wood pellets at Tractor Supply but I know you can get them many places. I think I read a post that said you can use the ones that I am seeing everywhere right now that are for pellet stoves. Somebody correct me if I am wrong please.

Joy
 
I am sure you have a feed store in PHX close to you. Go to www.dexonline.com and search for "feed store", then but in "Phoenix, AZ" in the area.

I agree, Yesterday's News is so rediculiously expensive. Even if I had one bunny and changing his litter box every 3 days, I still wouldn't think it was worth it. I find YN in the cat litter section at Petsmart or Petco, and it costs $15 - $18 for a 30-40 pound bag :shock:!
 
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