Rabbits are known to be clean animals, but they are also known to poop a lot.
Having a clean cage is important for you bunny health and also makes your experience of keeping a rabbit great.
In this article, we will cover the ways to clean rabbit poop and pee from the cage and how to keep it clean in general.
Cleaning Rabbit’s Poop and Pee from the Cage
Rabbits are inherently tidy creatures, but keeping their hutches clean will need some effort.
Even though rabbits only have a few designated bathroom sites in their cages, properly cleaning a rabbit cage in these areas is critical.
You should thoroughly clean your rabbit’s litter pans every day since a buildup of pee and poop smells terrible, but it may also attract flies and create health issues.
You should remove all traces of urine and poop, and the litter box should be cleaned with warm water, dried, and put new litter in its place.
Litter trays may be cleaned, washed, and dried with diluted white vinegar. It is common for rabbits to utilize a cage as a litter tray.
Thus cleaning this will be similar to cleaning a litter tray. Even if your rabbits haven’t eaten all of their hay for the day, you should always replace it.
It is common for rabbit pee to leave a white residue on plastic or metal because rabbit urine is alkaline and contains more calcium than the urine of most other animals.
Using a sponge, you can remove this. It won’t have time to accumulate if you do it daily. Rabbit droppings may be recycled to produce excellent fertilizer.
You should also check the water bottle you use for your rabbits to see if it operates correctly. You should remove your rabbits’ excretment every day, including urine and feces.
But you may only need to completely clean the remainder of their cage once or twice a week. However, keep in mind that the cleanliness of your rabbits will play a role in this.
The bedding and hay will need to be replenished every time you clean this space. Vacuuming or sweeping the surroundings is a good idea if you have house rabbits.
Rabbits living outside will also require a thorough sweep of the area. Take care of any damage or wear and tear that may occur, and inspect their toys to ensure they haven’t been chewed or destroyed.
Do away with the things that cause you anxiety.
Also read: 10 Tips to Keep a Rabbit Cage from Smelling
The Importance of Spot Cleaning of Rabbit Cage
It is preferable to clean just the places that become dirty often, such as once a day, to keep the rest of the house spotless.
This is especially crucial when it comes to cleaning your rabbit’s feces. Unlike a weekly deep clean, you don’t have to remove anything from the cage when you spot clean.
Keeping your rabbit’s toilet area clean is as simple as figuring out where the rabbit pees. Rabbits like to urinate in a single location, so you may be done in no time if you know where to look.
To make things even easier for you, you may train your rabbit to go to the bathroom in the litter box.
Additionally, you should remove any uneaten food from your rabbit’s cage to avoid the spread of fungus or germs.
Even though you don’t need to do it every day, you should remove any unconsumed veggies every two or three days. Ensure your rabbit has access to fresh water by cleaning its food and drinking dishes.
To keep your rabbit’s cage or hutch fresh and clean, you need to do a complete cleaning once or twice a week with spot cleaning.
Spot cleaning is preferable to regular cleaning since regular cleaning might be stressful for your rabbit.
Rabbits are creatures of habit, and removing all of their stuff from their cages to clean would interrupt their daily pattern.
Cleaning a Rabbit’s Cage Regularly Is a Good Idea
If your rabbit has been trained to use the litter box, you may only need to clean their cage deep once every two weeks.
There is a chance that if your rabbit is clean, you can go as long as a month between cleanings.
You should be able to keep your rabbit’s environment clean if you clean the litter box every day and complete other easy daily duties.
To make matters worse, if your rabbit has not yet been taught to use the litter box, you’re in for a long road ahead of you. Every day or every other day, you’ll need to wipe out their cage.
It would be best to keep your rabbit clean to prevent pee scald on their legs and underbelly. Consistent cleaning is required.
To help your rabbit learn improved toilet habits during litter training, it’s essential to keep the rabbit cage clean.
How to Clean Pee Stains from the Cage’s Floor and Walls
It is common knowledge that rabbits will urinate inside their cages, but the question is, how can we get rid of the unattractive yellow stains that result?
Using a paper towel or anything similar, such as a newspaper, is the safest method.
When cleaning hard-to-reach cage areas, try using a tiny sponge or a long brush and avoid using anything that contains harsh chemicals, such as bleach, because rabbits will lick such spots later on.
Before cleaning out the cage floor, put some baking soda on it to keep the stink of pee at bay for an extended time! After cleaning up, why not try using lemon juice to remove any remaining stains?
Squeeze some fresh lemon juice in a dish or a cup, and then add some water. You can use a cotton ball or paper towel to remove stains by dipping them in the mixture.
Using vinegar is a bad idea! Even though white distilled malt vinegar does not harm rabbits, you should avoid using it within their cage as much as possible due to how powerful it is.
Where to Place Your Rabbit While You Clean the Hutch?
In this case, it depends on your rabbits’ enclosure size. If possible, keep them safely segregated in one part of the enclosure while cleaning the other part of the enclosure.
After cleaning the other part of the enclosure, switch them out. Since the rabbits aren’t forced to leave their standard enclosure, this is usually less traumatic.
Instead, use incentives to entice them into their carrier and keep them there while you clean their cage. When cleaning, return the carrier to its original location and let them out when they’re ready.
If you can get your rabbits to enter their carrier willingly, you won’t have to pick them up and handle them for this reason.
If you leave food in the carrier, they will be more likely to investigate it and get used to it.
Cleaning Process of Your Pet Rabbit
Apart from cleaning the rabbit cage, it’s also a good idea to make sure your rabbit is clean too.
If you have an ungroomed dirty rabbit, a clean cage wouldn’t last long (and vice versa).
Bathing
Rabbits usually are pretty clean creatures, and they’re happy to do their own self-cleaning. When your rabbit is sick, unclean, or has soiled itself, you should only wash them if necessary.
While it may be necessary for you to step in and help your rabbit clean themselves as they get older, you should do it very gently.
Always follow the advice of your veterinarian if you plan on submerging your rabbit in water. Take your rabbit to the bath and add approximately an inch of water to the tub.
The rabbit will need something to hold onto if you put a towel at the bottom of the tub. It’s OK to wash your hair with water if you choose.
Try to keep your rabbit’s front half out of the water and protect the bottom of its spine with your hand. They won’t have to struggle as much if we do this.
Using your fingertips, gently massage the hind leg/tail region to get rid of any excrement or dirt that may be there. To rinse them:
Drain the water and refill it with fresh water.
Use a towel to dry them as much as possible gently.
If your rabbit tries to lick themselves dry, don’t be shocked if they pout for a while afterward!
As long as your bunny is still wet, don’t put them back in its cage. To avoid future health issues, make sure they are entirely dry when they return home.
You might try giving your bunny a dry wash if a wet bath is too stressful for them. To clean your rabbit’s bottom, sprinkle some baby cornstarch and wipe it down.
Additionally, the cornstarch aids with dirt and feces removal by absorbing excess moisture.
Brushing
Unless you have an Angora rabbit with thick hair that often becomes tangled or matted, brushing is unnecessary for most rabbits.
When rabbits aren’t shedding, they need to be brushed once or twice a month. Every year, rabbits shed, necessitating extra brushing.
While shedding season is an excellent time for rabbits with long or thick fur to groom themselves, they can consume too much fur if they’re not careful.
Woodblock, a severe and sometimes fatal disease in which fur is stuck in the intestines, can result. Brushing your rabbit’s coat can also help you check for mites and other parasites, such as fleas.
In addition to seeing your veterinarian, you can purchase remedies from pet supply stores or online.
Wrapping Up
One of the essential things you can do to keep your bunnies healthy and happy is extensive cleanings every week.
It might take as little as an hour to clean if you keep up with the weekly sessions.
Animal lovers won’t want their rabbits to spend all day sitting in their feces. With daily and weekly deep cleaning treatments, your rabbits may enjoy a long, healthy life in a clean and dry cabinet.
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