Four Helpful Tips for Rabbit Urine Odor Control

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  1. When you change the litter, be sure to rinse the box thoroughly with water. Occasionally giving it a white vinegar rinse will help keep calcium residues down and control the odor. Be sure to wash the bottom of the box as well.
  2. Be sure there is no urine under the box or around the boxes in areas not wiped up. These get to smelling foul very quickly. If you do have a spot where the urine tends to seep in, remove the box, scrub the area thoroughly with white vinegar and rinse well with water. You might even want to bleach it, but be sure to rinse away all the bleach before you let bunny near the area.
  3. Line the boxes with newspaper and a rabbit-safe litter, such as CareFresh, Yesterday’s News (now available for rabbits), or Feline Pine. (Do not use clay-based or clumping cat litter which can be dangerous for bunny if consumed). Top off the litter box with a large handful or more of hay. Bunnies like to munch on hay and use their litterbox at the same time.
  4. CHANGE THE LITTER BOX EVERY DAY. If you line the box with newspaper, its easy to dump the waste into a trashbag for disposal or use for composting.

Note that unneutered/unspayed rabbits usually have stronger-smelling urine than their neutered/spayed counterparts. Spay/neuter is highly recommended for this reason and to prevent cancers of the reproductive systems, especially in female bunnies.

©Copyright Dana Krempels. All Rights Reserved. Republished with the permission of the author.

Four Helpful Tips for Rabbit Urine Odor Control was originally published in San Diego Rabbits Online Newsletter

  • Dana Krempels

    Dana is an evolutionary biologist and Senior Lecturer at the University of Miami. She teaches Comparative Physiology, Genetics, Ecology, Evolution and several other courses that come in handy when dealing with rabbit health. I'm not a DVM, but have decades of experience with veterinary issues gained from rescuing and rehabilitating domestic rabbits, as well as wild cottontails and jackrabbits.

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