supermanlives6666
New Member
Which is better for a unneutered rabbit that is not litter box trained yet and lives inside a cage: wood pellets or Carefresh bedding? Which one eliminates the odor better?
Bunnies are EXCELLENT about using their litter box, but they do mark their territory; usually with their Cocoa Cocoa Puffs (that's what I call their doo doo balls as that's exactly what they look like), however they do pee as well and it's the thickest urine I've ever seen. We have bunny crates for both of ours and let them out at least every morning and evening so they can be supervised while having free reign. We have another litter box in their main area and keep towels around it to protect our carpet and make it much easier to clean up their Cocoa Cocoa Puffs after they go back into their houses. I also have a FurBaby Urine Prevention Spray but a bunny's going to do what they do!!!!! So YES, when they mark territory outside of their litter boxes and not on the towels, I use Clorox Scentiva Pink Grapefruit Cleansing Wipes to remove what the paper towels don't get up!!!!! I recommend checking for their marking activity regularly since their urine is so thick and a whitish yellowish color; it hardens once dry making it even harder to fully clean and remove.I dont have a rabbit yet, but I am planning on using a 2ft x 8ft dog play pen with a litter box as the home for a future rabbit. If my future rabbit pees outside the litter box and on the hardwood floor, what is the best way to clean the urine? Would I use paper towels to pick up a majority of the urine and then wipe it with clorox wipes?
I didn't even register the slick flooring!!!!! All of our bunnies HATE any flooring that's not carpeted because it's slick and they cannot get traction. They seriously will not go onto any laminated flooring at all!!!!! Our tiny Honey Bee seriously bulltrucks the cats on a whim so they're skittish of her and retreat to any laminated covered area since she won't cross the threshold; it's their Safe Space, lol!!!!!I wipe up the wet urine, then wipe with 50/50 vinegar/water, then wipe with hydrogen peroxide and let dry. The vinegar neutralizes the calcium in rabbit urine and removes residue. The hydrogen peroxide breaks down proteins and bacteria. Though do make sure the combo is safe for your floor first, if you decide to try this.
Clorox wipes can be used, but you'll need to then thoroughly clean off any remaining residue with vinegar/water (making sure it won't damage your floor finish), as any surface in a rabbits area will either transfer residue to your buns paws and get ingested when it grooms, or ingested directly if your bun likes to lick things, and clorox wipes do leave a chemical residue.
If you want to protect your floor from rabbit pee accidents completely, a waterproof barrier like exercise floor mat or a cut of textured vinyl flooring can be used. Or if you find your bun doesn't pee outside the litter box or on soft surfaces, a washable waterproof pet pee pad/blanket, soft low pile or natural fiber rug, or fleece blanket could be put down. Rugs can be vacuumed, and washed if the washable type. Pee pads and blankets will usually need shaking out and washing occasionally.
https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Housing
https://rabbitsindoors.weebly.com/housing-options.html
You may find your bun needs one of these options anyways, as it's better for them to have a surface they can get traction on, preferably one that's soft on bunny feet to prevent sore hocks from developing. Plus some buns aren't comfortable hopping on slippery floors. My current rabbit won't even put one paw on my wood floors, then I've had others that don't mind hard floors at all.
With rabbits it's a bit of trial and error to find what works best for each individual bun. I've tried multiple litter boxes, flooring surfaces, and pen set ups, to find what works best for each rabbit. Here's a few set up ideas other RO members have done.
https://www.rabbitsonline.net/threads/2023-indoor-cages-spaces-add-your-photo.105421/
Bunnies are EXCELLENT about using their litter box, but they do mark their territory; usually with their Cocoa Cocoa Puffs (that's what I call their doo doo balls as that's exactly what they look like), however they do pee as well and it's the thickest urine I've ever seen. We have bunny crates for both of ours and let them out at least every morning and evening so they can be supervised while having free reign. We have another litter box in their main area and keep towels around it to protect our carpet and make it much easier to clean up their Cocoa Cocoa Puffs after they go back into their houses. I also have a FurBaby Urine Prevention Spray but a bunny's going to do what they do!!!!! So YES, when they mark territory outside of their litter boxes and not on the towels, I use Clorox Scentiva Pink Grapefruit Cleansing Wipes to remove what the paper towels don't get up!!!!! I recommend checking for their marking activity regularly since their urine is so thick and a whitish yellowish color; it hardens once dry making it even harder to fully clean and remove.
Also, if you're new to Bunny Parenting there are tons of fabulous articles online that are easily located via Google; and they've got fabulous info that'll make adopting your new baby much easier on you both!!!!! Also, they're CHEWERS big time so you'll wanna make sure they don't have access to chew things that can hurt them or cost you financially!!!!! That's why we only let them have full freedom whenever we're home and can supervise them. We learned this the hard way when our very first bunny ever got under our $3000 Sectional and chewed completely through the wiring to my hubby's preferred "captain's chair" rendering it unable to function and therfore couldn't recline since it didn't have power. Thankfully my hubby can fix anything but he's still been very unhappy every time he's had to lift & Wedge under it to repair
Best of wishes on your new FurBaby and I hope to see a photo of him/ her soon!!!!!
BTW, I attached some photos of some of ours
Beautiful bunnies.
As a first time rabbit owners I'm so relieved to hear your description of their urine
Enter your email address to join: