Rabbit Stink

[Mandyyy]

 My bunnes stink something aweful. They are unaltered (which is probably part of the problem), but does anyone have any advice on how to help the stinck? One bunny is litter trained, which helps her case a lot. Is there any methods I can take about keeping the smell down?

I know when I litter trained my rats the smell almost disapeared in days (I don’t clean my rats for two weeks, and usually they still don’t stink on clean up days). But my bunnies I clean round the clock and they still have a strong oder. I still live at home so I have to hear my mom complaining about it all the time. 

(And one of the biggest resons they aren’t fixed is because I got them when I was a kid and they were also about a year or two, so my parents put in the money to them as i cared for them. My mom had a bunny before and never fixed her so she figured not to with mine. They luckly didn’t attract any ovariean cancers or utries cancers, and are older bunnes now. Just clearing that up becase I have been yelled at before for not getting them fixed. Not saying you guys will, but it has happened to me before)

Thank you for yor help.

[Beka27]

Are you going to fix them? That’s going to be the most important thing to reducing the smell.

[Sam and Lady's Human]

Why aren’t they both litter trained? Getting them altered will help immensely. Changing their boxes and pens often will help too, as rabbits really shouldn’t stink.

[Rabbit lover]

I used cinnamon to get rid of my rabbits smells. c=

[Sarita]

What type of litter are you using?

[Monkeybun]

litter train both of them, and get them both altered. Those 2 things will be the best at cutting down smells. And clean their litter at the least every few days (not 2 weeks )

[Sam and Lady's Human]

Just something to think about, a rabbit has 100 million olfactory receptors (scent catchers). Humans have about 6-7 million. So if it stinks to you, those poor bunnies are likely feeling far worse about the situation.

[Mandyyy]

 I was told it was too late to fix them (they are about 7 and 8) . :/ 

How do you use the cinimon, do you sprinkle it in the litter pan?
For litter I use shreded paper litter/hay.

One bunny is litter trained while the other one never seemd to get it.

[Sarita]

I would not use cinnamon in litter.

I think you should try some pelleted litters like wood stove pellets which will absorb the odor better.

[Pandorachik]

How is fixing rabbits going to stop stink?! I don’t get this?

[RabbitPam]

Some vets don’t feel comfortable speutering older rabbits, so you might not be able to have it done, though it would help to have one or both if you could.

If that’s still not an option, you need to use a much better litter than paper and hay, which doesn’t absorb odor at all. I find the very best odor absorber is Aspen Pellets, followed by Aspen shavings. (Aspen Supreme is sold in pet stores often in the bird supplies section.) They soak up deeply for days. Shavings are not as absorbant as the Aspen pellets.
The next best odor absorber is Feline Pine, or untreated wood stove pellets. But NEVER use Pine shavings. Not the same as Aspen and hazardous to health. The pine in wood stove pellets or in Feline Pine (or Equine Pine by the same company) is sold in pet stores and grocery stores, and cheaper. After that, I’d try Yesterdays News or Carefresh. All of these, in that order, will absorb order much more than what you currently use.

I’d also try 2 litter pans, to see if the one who isn’t trained might use their own box if it’s available. Are they girls or boys? Regardless, they may object to sharing, plus 2 litter pans will absorb twice as much of the odor. A cheap litter pan is a plastic cat box for about $5. It would be worth a try.

If you have a shelf in the room that is safe from the bunnies and safe from being knocked over, put an open box of baking soda on it. They are great for absorbing odors even in rooms, not just refrigerators. Just don’t let the bunnies get into the baking soda – it’s not toxic but it is an antacid for humans.

[RabbitPam]

Bethany, fixing a rabbit stops the smell of a bunny marking its territory (including you) with a pungent urine that is especially smelly as a signal to other animals that it is their turf. When you see a dog outside peeing on a tree, it’s actually marking with a strong smell that tells other dogs “this is my tree”. It is stinkier than regular urine.
A neutered animal has their hormones stop producing which is the chemical in the urine that triggers the stink. Hormones make a bunny mark things and people more, because they are signaling they are full adults and ready for action, mating, and/or claiming their turf. When you remove the hormonal production, they calm down and don’t feel as strong a need to mark anything.

[Pandorachik]

Thnx for da info

[Mandyyy]

And the thing about marking dogs too, even when it looks like they aren’t peeing but just lifting their legs; they are still scent marking. Fun facts.

Anyways, I have one box for them now. I’m fostering 4 boy rats, so they stole their second box at the moment in a week or two when the foster ratties go home, I’ll have that box for their cage too. I’m also planing on getting them a big enough litter box where I can place their food dish and a hay rack over.

I knew about the pine/ceder because of being a rat mom as well as a bunny, mouse, and once a hamster mom. I know it’s not recommend for most (if any) animals. I talked to my mom about hard wood shavings and such and she seemed very keen on the idea. I also talked to her about bunny fixings. She’s still not up to the idea, but if it comes down to at least one bunny being fixed it will most likely be Domino. She’s not as social, or clean as Nava and she’s the one who refuses to use the box. Our normal vet also takes in exotics so Ill talk to him about bunny fixing prices too. I know check ups are pretty cheap (Their due for a check up too, so maybe then I’ll ask).

Oh, and they are both females btw. I don’t know if I said that earlier, but yeah their both girls.

I’m also making my mom buy baking soda for my room too. I already asked her about it before coming here because I heard it works well for room stinks.

Thank you guys.

[lashkay]

I don’t know if this has been mentioned, but their anal glands might be cleaned. just swab them gently with a warm-water-moistened q-tip. It will stink something awful while you do this, but when that waxy dark substance is gone, the smell may be improved too. If your bunnies fidget too much to accomplish cleaning their scent glands, your vet can do this also.

[Mandyyy]

Alright, thank you Lashkay.

[lashkay]

Surely, glad to be of help. Anything to help make for a stinkless (not thankless) little bunny!

[Tipsy Bunny]

I have heard feeding them sweet smelling veggies like parsley can make the ammonia smell sweeter, but I think thats an old wives tale…

But something to help while you are in the midst of trying to stop the smell, is to make it smell better with herbs… I asked a similar question a while back and I have been using basil leaves and rosemary every so often. I break up the leaves so that the strong herbs overcome the ammonia smell, also, ventilation and air movement will help.

[lashkay]

When I had my bunny Lash, she would from time to time (usually between cleanings of her anal glands) give off a pungent terrible sharp odor. I’d lift her front paws until she was sitting on her haunches, and sure enough I’d see that her anal glands were plugged (lined with a waxy dark substance which told that there was more inside the glands. I’d hold her up on her haunches and swab away, gently, sometimes I would use just my fingers, and sort of pull the waxy hard substance away – it often comes off in one piece or two. Swab the slit open gently (there are two horizontal slits on either side of the sex organ) and swab all the crud away – with a clothespin on your nose! lol Once it’s gone, blessed relief! Maybe it’s a relief for the bunny as well. She was pretty patient while I cleaned her glands. She trusted me. Vets know how to do this too.

[Tipsy Bunny]

oh its definite relief for animals! Whenever you see a dog rub its butt on the carpet, you know what that means!!

[Mandyyy]

I think my tummy turned a bit during your explaining… but I think I can do it. Lol. I treated a rat with a gaping hole in his back (That was severely infected). Doesnt sound too bad… unless you smelt it or saw it…or saw the things I had to do to make sure it was clean… It wasn’t fun to deal with. Haha.

Thanks again for the advice.

[Lazee]

I’ve only been into bunnies since June but when I got the first 2 I was cleaning the pan out 3 and 4 times a day, but I was trying to be conservative and use up all the news paper we accumulate with straw. I’m surprised you have lasted so long I gave up in less than a week and got the commercial litter, trying all brands I found critter care worked the best but I also like the cell sorb. I have 5 rabbits now and only change litter every few days. I have 3 pans, BB likes to lounge in the pan eating hay and won’t let anyone else in so I had to add a second one to their space. It’s the urine that stinks things up so badly. None of my girls are fixed, yet.

[Pandorachik]

Thanks 4 the help every1!!!

[Rabbit lover]

I put it some were out of my bunnies reach c=

[Rabbit lover]

I keep the cinnamon in my rabbit space but out of reach of my bunnies

[Mandyyy]

@Rabbit Lover. Ohh, okay. That makes sense. Haha. Thanks.

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