Keeping Your Rabbit's Cage Clean

A rabbits enviroment should be kept clean, especially if the rabbit is kept in a cage. If the rabbit is kept in a cage, droppings can get strung on the wire by hair pieces (especially when they have a hairball). That should be cleaned off when there starts to be alot. Sometimes the droppings might pile up in the cage, especially if the rabbit goes in the same area every time.

When cleaning the cage the rabbit should be taken out. The cage can be cleaned out using a wire brush to clean the wire. 10 % Bleach solution can be sprayed in the cage or disinfectant spray can be used. We use Vanodine. Vanodine is safe for rabbits, it does not hurt them if they lick some of it.

if your rabbit's cage has a tray under it the tray should be cleaned so that it does not build up. The tray can start stinking really bad and it is best not to have your rabbit in a cage that has a really strong smell of droppings/urine. Strong ammonia smell can damage a rabbit's respiratory system and cause health problems.

One way to keep the rabbits tray smelling clean is to put wood shavings in it. Wood shavings make a big difference. Wood Pellets (pelleted horse bedding or wood stove pellets) work much better than shavings to reduce ammonia smell. Only a small amount of wood pellets are needed in the tray.

Another way to keep the smell down is to put 1 Tablespoon vanilla (artificial or real) into 1 gallon of water. Give this to your rabbit to drink in it's water bottle. We have heard this works really well. This way takes a little bit of time until you can notice a difference. Vanilla in drinking water also helps to keep flys away from your rabbits (this helps to prevent fly strike).

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