Help! Smelly bunnies!

[Samah Al Maawali]

Hello guys,
So I have an issue I'm not quite sure how to fix.. I keep my bunnies' cage in my room , when I'm home I free them and they walk around until it's bedtime. But I've noticed that the smell of their urine and poop is spreading all over the house, is there any way I can fix that or at least avoid it?
I don't want to keep them outside because its too hot where I'm from therefore I'm scared they get a heat stroke or anything of that sort.

Any suggestions?

 

[Popsicles]

What kind of litter do they have to pee in? Maybe it is not very absorbant so when your bunnies sit in it they start to smell too? You might also find you need to scoop out wet bedding more often than you are already. Are they litter trained?

 

[Blue eyes]

^ yes, that. Are they litter trained?

I also live where it is very hot (Sonoran desert) -- too hot to house rabbits outdoors. But with the right set-up there is no reason that your rabbits or their cage should smell. It shouldn't require constant work either.

There's a page that explains in detail (with photos) how I keep rabbits indoors without any odor. My rabbits are kept in the main living area of our home. Guests come over and don't even realize we have rabbits until they actually see them (ie. they don't smell them). It is all about using a good litter and maintaining it. With two rabbits and a large enough litter box, full litter clean-ups should only be needed twice per week.

 

[Samah Al Maawali]

I'm currently litter training them , I'm using woodchips for their litterbox.. if it isn't the right type do you have any other suggestions I could buy ?

 

[Blue eyes]

Yes. Suggestions are on that page. Also, it would be best to confine them during the litter training process. There is a further link on that page that explains how to litter train -- and how/when to let them roam.

Wood chips (should not be pine unless kiln-dried, should not be cedar) aren't the best at odor control. Mostly, I don't like how messy they can be. Compressed wood pellets do a great job of odor control.

 

[Samah Al Maawali]

Okay , I'll go out to get some tomorrow!
I don't let them raom around much and when they do I'm watching

 

[Blue eyes]

Be sure to check out how to use them and how to maintain the box (at the link). It's not just the right litter but what it is in, how the rest of the cage is set up, and how the litter box is maintained each day.

 

[Popsicles]

What blue eyes said lol

 

[Samah Al Maawali]

The cage isn't as big as I hoped it would be which is why I let them out more often , in the cage I have their litter box and their plate of food and water, and the cage flooring is tiles ( just changed ), I am looking for a bigger cage though so maybe that will make a difference ?
I'll change the litter I use today and see how that will work out

 

[Popsicles]

The size of the cage shouldn’t affect the smell - do the bunnies themselves smell? Good luck with the new litter hope it helps

 

[Samah Al Maawali]

No the bunnies don't smell, its just their litter box that smells. Unfortunately couldn't find any other type of litter.

Also, I don't know how to entertain my bunnies, help?

 

[Hermelin]

For me paper based pellet litter work best, I had the same litter as you but it smelled quite bad really fast. Now I have no problem with the litter boxes.

You can make diy toys if your rabbits like playing with toys, my rabbit dosen’t play but love having a large area to run around in and get attention from people

 

[Blue eyes]

No the bunnies don't smell, its just their litter box that smells. Unfortunately couldn't find any other type of litter.

Also, I don't know how to entertain my bunnies, help?

The wood pellets (not shavings) are not to be found with litter. They are either wood stove pellets (used for wood pellet stoves) or horse bedding. You can see a photo of what they look like at the link I gave earlier.

The recycled paper pellets that Hermelin mentions look exactly like the wood pellets but are made of compressed recycled paper. Petco sells their own version of those. Petsmart sells them as Yesterday's News (only get unscented). Both do a good job. The paper pellets just cost more.

As for entertaining, not all rabbits play with small toys. Almost all like to explore cardboard boxes, tunnels, etc.

 

[Popsicles]

Yeah I use back2nature which is pretty expensive but good odour control

 

[stevep]

I tried several types of litter until I came across this on amazon. This really works well and NO smell what so ever except for a nice scent, sorry for the pun. It is expensive $33.00 for 34 pounds and comes in 4 packages but clumps very nicely and not much is used when scooping out. Prior to that I used yesterdays news and always an odor even though I clean litter box every day. Look at Amazon and you decide if it's right for you. Good luck.
Fresh Step Extreme with Febreze Freshness Clumping Cat Litter

 

[colebunbun]

I am not sure about the cat litter, rabbits have very sensitive respitory systems and stuff like that could make them sick. What I do is I put down some puppy training pads right on the cage floor, then I put some plastic cage things (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075L2RMP7/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20) then I layer the wood chips and FINALLY paper bedding, His cage stays free of odors and I clean and the plastic bottom of it, doesn't get scratched by his nails, so odor doesn't get into the plastic. I am able to simply take out the liners, roll them up, so clean up is a snap and then wipe out the bottom with a gentle foaming soap, and bam fixed!

 

[Blue eyes]

I tried several types of litter until I came across this on amazon. This really works well and NO smell what so ever except for a nice scent, sorry for the pun. It is expensive $33.00 for 34 pounds and comes in 4 packages but clumps very nicely and not much is used when scooping out. Prior to that I used yesterdays news and always an odor even though I clean litter box every day. Look at Amazon and you decide if it's right for you. Good luck.
Fresh Step Extreme with Febreze Freshness Clumping Cat Litter

No... Do not use any clumping cat litter. It is dangerous as it can cause a gut blockage in rabbits who may ingest it. Nor should any scented litter be used for rabbits.

 

[ravenmoore36]

I have house buns. They have a litter box with rabbit friendly sawdust. I clean out the wet stuff throughout the day. Do you have carpet? Clean regularly. I dont have a hutch, i have a wire pen on a ground sheet. Gives them more run room. Dont want chubby bunnies.[emoji195]

 

[Blue eyes]

ravenmoore, might I suggest you add your housing set-up to the 2018 cages thread:
https://www.rabbitsonline.net/threads/2018-cages.88690/

 

[JBun]

I tried several types of litter until I came across this on amazon. This really works well and NO smell what so ever except for a nice scent, sorry for the pun. It is expensive $33.00 for 34 pounds and comes in 4 packages but clumps very nicely and not much is used when scooping out. Prior to that I used yesterdays news and always an odor even though I clean litter box every day. Look at Amazon and you decide if it's right for you. Good luck.
Fresh Step Extreme with Febreze Freshness Clumping Cat Litter

I will also reiterate what Blue Eyes said. Using clumping litter with rabbits is extremely dangerous. There was an RO member that didn't know this and ended up losing his rabbit to a GI blockage from the rabbit ingesting the litter.