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.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Spray Bottles
• Brooms
• White Vinegar
• 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.