Waterless shampoo?

[Aushi]

So! My soon to be three month old buns do not follow the "bunnies are clean" rule :c It might be because they're young. But they pee eeeeverywhere in their cage and don't mind stepping on it and getting themselves dirty. I've even decided to put them on a smaller cage to limit their movements (they have enough space, but basically small enough that the litterbox fits and their food fits a bit away from the box and they still pee anywhere. In fact, they pee while they drink water, they pee while they eat pellets! I put hay on their box since they eat and pee/poo at the same time, but, still, no matter, it's everywhere!

I've come to the conclusion I need to clean them! They stink, badly. And the floor on their cage is a towel to absorb most of the urine, so thankfully they aren't as dirty at they can be. I tried cleaning them with just a bit of water and soft soap but they stink very badly x.x;

Is dog waterless shampoo ok to use on them? I have no found ANYTHING that says it's ok for rabbits :c I only have supermarkets near me, so no specialty pet stores. PetSmart is an hour away and I wont be able to go until two weekends down, and I dont want them to stink for that long! :c

 

[Ana_The_Dreamer]

I've never had that problem before, but I wouldn't use dog shampoo on them. Just because something is safe for dogs and cats doesn't mean its safe for rabbits. Rabbits are a lot more sensitive. Certain ingredients in the dog/cat waterless shampoo could be harmful to the rabbits. I found a waterless rabbit shampoo spray on Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000ENKS64/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20), but I have no idea if the ingredients are similar to other dog/cat shampoos. And as I've learned from experience, just because something is marketed for rabbits, it doesn't mean it's safe. I would think keeping their cage clean would minimize the smell factor. But if they're standing in urine all the time, that could cause the awful smell and possibly cause urine burns. I would try using some smell reducing sprays and disinfectants when you clean the cage. No matter how much you clean the bunnies, if they are standing in urine and feces; they're gonna stink. Oh and I don't think minimizing their cage size is going to help with the amount of urine.

 

[Aushi]

I've never had that problem before, but I wouldn't use dog shampoo on them. Just because something is safe for dogs and cats doesn't mean its safe for rabbits. Rabbits are a lot more sensitive. Certain ingredients in the dog/cat waterless shampoo could be harmful to the rabbits. I found a waterless rabbit shampoo spray on Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000ENKS64/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20), but I have no idea if the ingredients are similar to other dog/cat shampoos. And as I've learned from experience, just because something is marketed for rabbits, it doesn't mean it's safe. I would think keeping their cage clean would minimize the smell factor. But if they're standing in urine all the time, that could cause the awful smell and possibly cause urine burns. I would try using some smell reducing sprays and disinfectants when you clean the cage. No matter how much you clean the bunnies, if they are standing in urine and feces; they're gonna stink. Oh and I don't think minimizing their cage size is going to help with the amount of urine.

Well I clean their cage every day, the floor is towels so I wash the towels everyday and the walls are NIC panels, so they don't grab the smell at all. The cage itself doesn't stink and if you're far away you don't smell anything at all, it's when you grab the bunnies that you smell it because they stink. They themselves are dirty.

And what I meant with reducing the size is to see if they litter train, if they only peed in the box it wouldn't be a problem because the box has a tray on top that lets the pee fall, plus the hay would keep them dry, but they don't "pick a corner" like I've read. Everywhere I read it says they'll pick a spot and that's where you should place the litterbox, but they just pee where they stand. I figured it was because they're so young, so I wanted a way to avoid them getting dirty. I don't think they'll suffer from urine burn either, because like I said, the towels absorb the urine, they just move around fast enough to get it on them before the towel absorbs it all. They have a second floor where they don't pee at all, it's like they're "chilling" place and they hang out there a lot.

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

Cornstarch can be good for a waterless bath. You just rub it into the fur, let it sit for a few minutes, and brush out. It should help clean them.
If you do find that it is their feet getting bad, you can just wash the feet. A full body bath isn't recommended, but a foot or butt bath can be ok.

 

[Ana_The_Dreamer]

Well I clean their cage every day, the floor is towels so I wash the towels everyday and the walls are NIC panels, so they don't grab the smell at all. The cage itself doesn't stink and if you're far away you don't smell anything at all, it's when you grab the bunnies that you smell it because they stink. They themselves are dirty.

And what I meant with reducing the size is to see if they litter train, if they only peed in the box it wouldn't be a problem because the box has a tray on top that lets the pee fall, plus the hay would keep them dry, but they don't "pick a corner" like I've read. Everywhere I read it says they'll pick a spot and that's where you should place the litterbox, but they just pee where they stand. I figured it was because they're so young, so I wanted a way to avoid them getting dirty. I don't think they'll suffer from urine burn either, because like I said, the towels absorb the urine, they just move around fast enough to get it on them before the towel absorbs it all. They have a second floor where they don't pee at all, it's like they're "chilling" place and they hang out there a lot.

Ah. I understand. My Nessa had the same problem with the whole litter box thing. Would pee everywhere but in the litter box. I've read that rabbits like to pee on soft things like towels, blankets, etc. I know that my rabbit wouldn't pee at all while exploring on my back patio but when I moved her into my living room (that has carpet) she would start peeing all over.
Are your rabbits females or males? Un-neutered males apparently have a very musky smell.
I completely forgot to mention cornstarch like Korr_Sophie did. I remember when I first brought Nessa home she smelled horrible. So I took a baby wipe to her feet and bum. It helped a bit.

 

[Aushi]

Cornstarch can be good for a waterless bath. You just rub it into the fur, let it sit for a few minutes, and brush out. It should help clean them.
If you do find that it is their feet getting bad, you can just wash the feet. A full body bath isn't recommended, but a foot or butt bath can be ok.

Well I tried to wash their feet and nada, but Ill try the corn starch I have some! Should I be worried if they try to groom themselves while the cornstarch is on them?

 

[Aushi]

Ah. I understand. My Nessa had the same problem with the whole litter box thing. Would pee everywhere but in the litter box. I've read that rabbits like to pee on soft things like towels, blankets, etc. I know that my rabbit wouldn't pee at all while exploring on my back patio but when I moved her into my living room (that has carpet) she would start peeing all over.
Are your rabbits females or males? Un-neutered males apparently have a very musky smell.
I completely forgot to mention cornstarch like Korr_Sophie did. I remember when I first brought Nessa home she smelled horrible. So I took a baby wipe to her feet and bum. It helped a bit.

Mine are female, and I dont think its that the urine smells bad, its that them peeing and then getting it on the fur and then sticking to the fur for days is a bad combo. Cuz I get near their fresh pee and it really doesnt smell, its THEM that smells xD

BABY WIPES... I... didnt think about those *facepalm*

 

[Pumpkin-spice]

Yes waterless shampoo is perfectly fine for rabbits . For rabbit shows we use waterless shampoo on their white spots and their feet!!

 

[Aushi]

Thanks for the info! But I found wipes to be peeeeeerfect! :3