How to Clean Your Rabbit's Cage or Play Area

Rabbits are very clean animals, but their urine can acquire a strong, ammonialike smell in a matter of hours. This odor can damage your rabbit's respiratory system and cause pneumonia, which can be fatal. Be sure to clean your rabbit's cage, play area and litter box every one to two days.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Spray Bottles
• Brooms
• White Vinegar
• White Vinegar
• Paper Towels
• Paper Towels
• Paper towels

1. Mix equal portions of white vinegar and water in a spray bottle; label the bottle.

2. Rinse and scrub your rabbit's play area thoroughly with this vinegar and water solution to keep calcium residues down and help control odors.

3. Rinse thoroughly with water to eliminate the white vinegar smell. Many rabbits don't like the smell of vinegar, so they won't urinate in an area where they smell it. Use paper towels to scrub and dry the area.

4. Make sure no urine has seeped under your rabbit's litter box. Clean this area as well as the litter box (see "How to Clean Your Rabbit's Litter Box," under Related eHows).

5. Clean any areas where the urine has seeped using the white vinegar and warm water solution, then rinse thoroughly to remove the vinegar smell.

6. Use the same solution to blot any urine stains on your carpet, upholstery or clothing, or use straight white vinegar.

7. Use a broom or a vacuum cleaner to clean up any droppings or fur that your rabbit leaves as he hops about the room. Rabbits tend to be territorial and often deposit droppings as they hop about in an effort to declare the area their territory.

Tips & Warnings

• Place a few handfuls of timothy hay in your rabbit's litter box. Rabbits like to munch on hay and use the litter box at the same time. This will encourage your rabbit to use his litter box more often.
• Praise your rabbit for using the litter box, but don't use treats as a bribe to get him to use it. Praise him lavishly to let him know that you're pleased with his actions.

[para1958]

on 11/10/2009 When I try to let bunny out to play, she chews on electric cords and potty's everywhere. She pottys only in one place in her cage. I knew she needs to have play time out side of her cage but I can't let her burn the house down either. Suggestions?

[wellitry]

on 10/16/2009 A little trick that I have learned. Use an old/ripped up bedsheet or something of that sort as a bottom of the cage... It is easy to shake out, easy to clean, very sanitary and very cheap (vs. bedding or wood shavings as the "ground")
Having the litter bin/box as a totally different substance will help potty training as well. (Just potty trained a new bunny in about a day, doesnt poop anywhere else, unless she is trying to mark some of her territory (from the other bunnies). I think it works for me, might work for you...

[fidd]

on 6/10/2009 Wood shavings are not safe for small animals. Cedar is the worst, but pine and maple shavings are also frowned upon. Clay litter can cause impacted bowels. We use recycled newsprint and change the box every couple of days.I hope those who keep rabbits in cages allow for lots of out of the cage playtime. Rabbits are far too intelligent to be locked in a cage for their entire lives; it is tantamount to torture. I would no more cage a rabbit than I would a cat or dog.Thanks for the vinegar tip re: getting rabbit urine stains out; will try it.

[bgfeldm]

on 1/12/2008 Here is an good site about pros/con of different litter types:
http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/litter.html

[bgfeldm]

on 1/12/2008 Dust is bad for the respiratory system of your rabbit. Litter needs to be Dust and chemical free (no dye, artificial colors or artificial fragrance). DO NOT use baking soda, talc or anything dusty. DO NOT use Wood shavings. regular ceramic kitty litter is unhealthy if eaten and sometimes dusty. Vinegar is safe for cleaning if you don't like the smell you can add some essential oils and/or some lemon juice to the vinegar water mix; it will also enhance the cleaning power a bit.