# How do I get rid of the smell!!?



## FLequestrian (Oct 2, 2018)

I just acquired two rabbits and their cage smalls so bad! They go in a litter box only. I cleaned the litter box last night and this morning my whole house smells like rabbit pee! In the litter box I have KayTee clean and cozy bedding and hay. Any suggestions??


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## Popsicles (Oct 2, 2018)

I don’t know if that is a particularly good bedding choice for odour, best is usually wood pellets (not shavings) or similar paper pellets (I personally use back2nature but it’s a bit pricey). You also need to make sure the litter tray is big enough that there is enough litter to soak up that amount of urine. A properly maintained litter tray should be odourless for at least a few days with two bunnies. I know @Blue eyes has a website with great info on how to set up a litter tray that might help! Sorry I don’t have the link off the top of my head


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## A_Ponderance (Oct 2, 2018)

Most farm stores like D&B or Tractor Supply have pellet bedding for horses that is highly odor absorbent. It works good with bunnies, but is a bit more expensive than standard shavings. Walmart (cringe) also has a nice scent-absorbing animal bedding.

You have to remember, you can't have too much bedding in a litter box, to agree with what Popsicles says. Might experiment with the different kinds of bedding, just make sure to stay bunny safe and if possible, all organic.


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## Nancy McClelland (Oct 2, 2018)

We use PetsPick kiln dried pine from Walmart--the pans get dumped daily and the hutch itself weekly. Non-neutered males smell more. Also scrubbing with a 10% vinegar to water solution helps.


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## Blue eyes (Oct 2, 2018)

If you have male rabbits that are still intact, their urine odor can be particularly pungent. Just another reason to consider neutering if they aren't already. 

That aside, there really is no reason to have to have a smelly cage. It is just a matter of having a set-up that works to your advantage. I'm not into daily cleaning of the litter box but I never want anyone to be able to smell my rabbits' cage either -- especially since it is in the main living area of our home. Thankfully I don't have to clean things out on a daily basis. I have tried numerous beddings and do believe that wood pellets (different from wood shavings) work best at odor control. These pellets can be found in hardware stores sold as fuel for wood pellet stoves OR in feed stores sold as horse bedding. 

As @Popsicles mentioned, my site explains in much more detail what the key factors are for maintaining a litter box to your advantage and keeping an odor free home. That can be found *here*.


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## Bennie_bunny_mom (Oct 3, 2018)

FLequestrian said:


> I just acquired two rabbits and their cage smalls so bad! They go in a litter box only. I cleaned the litter box last night and this morning my whole house smells like rabbit pee! In the litter box I have KayTee clean and cozy bedding and hay. Any suggestions??



Unfortunately maintenance is high in bunny cages. They require daily cleaning to avoid that very potent smell... when I clean litter pans I scrub with a cleaner called OdoBan. It helps a lot. It’s safe to use around pets. I then line their pans with newspaper and just top with hay. It has saved me cost on bedding that doesn’t work. I have tried every bedding possible and nothing has really kept the smell away.


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## Blue eyes (Oct 3, 2018)

Bennie_bunny_mom said:


> Unfortunately maintenance is high in bunny cages. They require daily cleaning to avoid that very potent smell... when I clean litter pans I scrub with a cleaner called OdoBan. It helps a lot. It’s safe to use around pets. I then line their pans with newspaper and just top with hay. It has saved me cost on bedding that doesn’t work. I have tried every bedding possible and nothing has really kept the smell away.



I'd encourage you to try those wood pellets (different than shavings). Hay and newspaper does nothing for odor control so it isn't surprising that daily cleanings are needed. With the pellets (and maintained per the site link) there is no smell whatsoever for at least 3 days (2 rabbits) and for a full week with 1 rabbit. Truly. Guests come over and don't smell a thing and are surprised when they see rabbits since they did not smell anything.


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## Popsicles (Oct 3, 2018)

Completely agree, I use paper pellets but same thing here, absolutely no smell for a week with my one (pretty large) bunny!


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## Bennie_bunny_mom (Oct 3, 2018)

Blue eyes said:


> I'd encourage you to try those wood pellets (different than shavings). Hay and newspaper does nothing for odor control so it isn't surprising that daily cleanings are needed. With the pellets (and maintained per the site link) there is no smell whatsoever for at least 3 days (2 rabbits) and for a full week with 1 rabbit. Truly. Guests come over and don't smell a thing and are surprised when they see rabbits since they did not smell anything.



I tried wood pellets (2 bunnies) and it didn’t work for me either.


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## Popsicles (Oct 3, 2018)

It’s also a case of making sure you use enough pellets and a big enough tray for both animals. If you can show us your set ups maybe we can help


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## Blue eyes (Oct 3, 2018)

Yes. It isn't just the product, but how it is used. The size of the litter box, how thick it is layered, how much hay it is topped with (and how often) -- all of these factor into how effective the set up is. I know that there is no smell at all the way I do the set up. Three days without smell guaranteed - provided all the factors are followed.


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## Orrin (Oct 4, 2018)

Our three bunnies do not smell. I started out changing the litter every day; but, our compost pile was growing too fast. Now, each morning and evening I sprinkle fresh litter on top of the old. Every third day I dump and wash the pans out with vinegar. I don't want to start any arguments about bedding safety; but, I find that wood products work best at absorbing the smell: pellets or pine shavings. We have one bun that refuses to pee in wood pellets.


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## April LD (Oct 4, 2018)

Just started using Simply Pine...IT IS WONDERFUL. I have used other wood pellets that just made a huge mess and became like concrete in the potty, different paper pellets, but that gets SUPER messy as it sticks to bun fur and gets dragged all over!

Now we only have to change out our potties - with the babies 2x a week - wash out once a week (twice if needed - baby buns cute but messy). 

For the single or "married" bunnies, we change out and clean once a week. I add pellets to the mom & babies potties once maybe twice as needed...too scared to buy stove pellets at the store since they might have stuff not good for them. 

If your rabbits are not spayed/neutered then they are QUITE smelly - more smelly than not. And if your buns are scared/scenting (spraying their pee to mark their new territory) it could be why it is so smelly. Also, check the buns make sure they are not smelly themselves. Vinegar and water really does wonders for the smell and disinfecting of the cage and potties. I 1/2 and 1/2 it to clean our potties.

I should look at Concord Feed stores see if the horse pellets are cheaper to buy...have way too many buns and looking to adopt out after saving some abandoned buns that ended up having babies...not much luck yet.


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## DudBun (Oct 7, 2018)

I line the litter box (cat sized one) with a puppy pad, put a layer of Yesterday's News (paper pellet litter) and then a top layer of soft Uber paper bedding. It absorbs well, but I also change it completely every other day to stay on top of odors.


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## CottonCandyandTwinkie (Oct 8, 2018)

What I use in my litter box outside is a nonclumping unscented cat litter from Walmart... Works wonders to clean out as you can use a scoop and with a litter pan liner, cleanup is easy, It’s also absorbent and ive never had any issues with smell


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## lavendertealatte (Oct 9, 2018)

Maybe the cage needs a cleaning, not just the box? I have a very sensitive nose and Bunster is in our den which is unfortunately where all the smells congregate... so sometimes I get lazy and don't clean out her box for about a week, it does smell :/ .. but I just read that you cleaned it out last night. It could be that the pee made it outside of the box somewhere?


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## Joyce Guardado (Oct 9, 2018)

To clean I use pet friendly angry orange sold on amazon a little goes along way and the crisp orange smell stays for a day or 2
Bunny litter boxes should be cleaned daily or every other day.
And that way the smells won’t build up
Plus have a well ventilated area.
I only use newspaper and fresh hay.
I have heard that wood pellets and shavings if your bun decides to eat them can be dangerous


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## Popsicles (Oct 9, 2018)

Wood pellets (not shavings) will not make your bunny sick in the rare event that they do eat them, as long as they are untreated wood. And will save you from having to clean daily - hay and newspaper will have no absorbency at all.
I have my rabbit’s litter tray in the kitchen, full clean once a week and no smell at all. And she is a 3.5kg rabbit, so produces a lot of urine!


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## Blue eyes (Oct 9, 2018)

Thought I'd post a couple photos of the wood pellets being used for litter. Seems to be some confusion.




The red arrow below shows how the wood pellets expand and the daily added hay that doesn't get eaten gets tamped down.



Take a look at the fresh box on the left side above and you may notice that the layer of wood pellets is* not very thick.* It doesn't have to be since the pellets are so absorbent, they expand. It took me awhile to get used to using less. I had used Yesterday's News (unscented) before switching to pellets. It also works great but I had to use twice as much of it and it costs more.


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## katlupe (Oct 9, 2018)

The one thing that impressed me about having a rabbit for a house pet was that his litter box never smells. I clean it daily and the litter box is contained in A-frame bunny cage, so he has 2 boxes in there that are padded with puppy pads that has plastic underneath that. Then I put a layer of newspaper on top of that, which absorbs the urine. Then I spread a good amount of hay over the whole floor of the cage, including the 2 litter boxes. He is free to go in and out his cage and he loves his cage, but never stays inside it only. I never lock him in. His cage is just a few feet from my bed and I can say honestly, I have never smelled it or anyone coming to visit has never smelled it either.


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## Bam Bam (Oct 10, 2018)

I use a really easy an inexpensive way to keep your litter box clean and hay stays fresh for yourunnies every day
This is the first time I uploaded a picture so hopefully I did it right.
The white piece picks up and I put newspaper (I use the free newspaper they have in the supermarkets. Nobody ever reads them anyway lol) has on tray and the white part over it. Your rabbits paws stay clean and will help keep the odor down.
I use another box but I can’t find the seller anymore and if was even better than this one.


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## Bam Bam (Oct 10, 2018)

I use this litter box which really helps keeping the odor down, the hay fresh and your rabbit paws clean. The white grid comes out, I put newspaper in the tray and the white grid on top. I got this on Amazon.
I use the free newspaper kept in the supermarkets (nobody ever reads them lol)
It also saves you money. You don’t need to buy litter anymore.
Most important is to clean your litter box daily 
I had an even better box but I can’t find that seller anymore


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## Bam Bam (Oct 10, 2018)

Sorry for the 2 replies.i thought I messed up the first reply


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## Popsicles (Oct 10, 2018)

Where do you put their hay @Bam Bam , out of interest? 
Just a slight addition that wire bottoms can work well for some people, but you do run the risk of claws getting stuck and pulled out (I’ve seen it happen) and sore hocks (paricularly in rexes and other susceptible bunnies).


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## Bam Bam (Oct 10, 2018)

I agree, the wire bottom is dangerous. We went to a farm sanctuary that had 50 bunnies in wire cages. Such a nightmare? That is why I searched for a box that had plastic bottom. It is a white plastic soft bottom and I have been using them for years. I will attach a picture of the other one I use that unfortunately I can’t find the seller. My bunnnies never had sore hocks and their paws always stayed clean.
I do a lot of bunny sitting and some of my clients have had atrocious litter box cleaninghabits. I have advised them to use this box and their bunnies paws look terrific .


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## Popsicles (Oct 10, 2018)

I meant a grid bottom in general - plastic is definitely better but still run the risk of nails getting caught etc. It’s defo not a risk for everyone, and sore hocks only affect some bunnies, so for those it is worth it for the added hygiene  just wanted to put a comment in warning other people Just to be aware.


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## Bam Bam (Oct 10, 2018)

I agree about the danger of nails gettin caught. It is not a very thickplastic and lays right on top of the newspaper. My hay methodworks great with this too. You don’t waste a lot of hay because the pee goes right down through the holes. I put a layer of 1st cut on the bottom than pile on 2nd cut on top. My rabbits became great hay eaters since I have used this box.


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## lavendertealatte (Oct 22, 2018)

I'm starting to have this problem too.. getting a little frustrated.. our den smells like a pet store. The wood stove pellets I have actually have kind of a strong smell .. I may have used just too thick of a layer this time, but I think Bunster is smelling because she's been producing some soft poops and they're staining her tile floor and the flat sheet.. it's not a lot but I think it might be enough to be producing off smells .. I don't know if it's the spinach or cilantro causing it. She's kind of always had a sensitive tummy it seems. ....with her soft poops problem.. last thing I want to do is trying to clean poop stains off carpet  When it happens with the sheet I throw it in the wash ... just doesn't seem to be any other way to clean it.
I also switched her to orchard grass cause I suspect I'm allergic to the timothy.. it seems to be that timothy hay has kind of a nicer smell than the orchard grass?


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## Joyce Guardado (Oct 22, 2018)

FLequestrian said:


> I just acquired two rabbits and their cage smalls so bad! They go in a litter box only. I cleaned the litter box last night and this morning my whole house smells like rabbit pee! In the litter box I have KayTee clean and cozy bedding and hay. Any suggestions??


Angry orange is sold on amazon you would never know I had rabbits


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## DottyGrijsje (Nov 1, 2018)

FLequestrian said:


> I just acquired two rabbits and their cage smalls so bad! They go in a litter box only. I cleaned the litter box last night and this morning my whole house smells like rabbit pee! In the litter box I have KayTee clean and cozy bedding and hay. Any suggestions??



Hiya! I have always used ONLY pellets in the litter tray. The pellets were actually for cat litter trays but are absorbent and work just fine. 
Hope this helps.


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## Orrin (Nov 1, 2018)

I agree with lavendertealatte, perhaps the whole cage needs cleaning. I can change out all our litter boxes, including disinfecting them with vinegar solution and the rabbitat still smells. Here is why: When our young male entered puberty he started spraying all over the place. He is recently neutered and when his hormones subside I will need to scrub all cage fencing and everything else in the area. It is all covered with pee residue from the young buck. I expect the smell will be history after everything gets a good washing down with vinegar solution. In the meantime I waiting out those subsiding hormones.


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## Blue eyes (Nov 1, 2018)

DottyGrijsje said:


> Hiya! I have always used ONLY pellets in the litter tray. The pellets were actually for cat litter trays but are absorbent and work just fine.
> Hope this helps.



Some cat litters are harmful to rabbits. Just be sure that it is not clumping, clay, dusty, or scented.


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## Bam Bam (Nov 2, 2018)

I don’t know if anyone mentioned this but I would give their cage a good scrubbing with vinegar. We use that is the rescue and there are over 15 buns there and it doesn’t smell


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## Hazel 1 (Nov 2, 2018)

FLequestrian said:


> I just acquired two rabbits and their cage smalls so bad! They go in a litter box only. I cleaned the litter box last night and this morning my whole house smells like rabbit pee! In the litter box I have KayTee clean and cozy bedding and hay. Any suggestions??


First of all, are your beautiful bunnies spayed/neutered? That will decrease urine odor as well as bad behaviors. I don't know how familiar you are with bunnies and whether you need to check if you've got a bonded pair or if you have to worry about babies. As for litter, soft flaky stuff mats down and smells. Recycled paper pellets are much less messy, but make sure you avoid any that uses baking soda to absorb odors. I use Petsmart's "Exquisicat" that has no perfume and uses zeolite instead of baking soda (the former is safe for rabbits).


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## rocket'smommy (Apr 9, 2019)

Popsicles said:


> Completely agree, I use paper pellets but same thing here, absolutely no smell for a week with my one (pretty large) bunny!




Which ones do you use?


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## Blue eyes (Apr 9, 2019)

There are a couple good options of pelleted paper litters. Yesterday's News (only get unscented version) is sold at PetSmart. Petco sells its own brand of pelleted paper litter. 

Pelleted paper litters work well but will cost more than the wood pellets. For example, Petco's paper pellets litter for rabbits is $20 for 20 lbs. The wood pellets I just purchased last week was a 40lb bag but only cost $6.


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## somebunnylovesme (Apr 9, 2019)

I prefer paper pellets over pine pellets. I find with using pine pellets my nose just goes crazy and I get a head ache. You can use just non-ink plain paper underneath the litter. I find that some rabbits will chew puppy pads and that puppy pads tend to be more expensive.


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## Orrin (Apr 9, 2019)

The price of paper pellets scared me off. Wood pellets, on the other hand, are inexpensive around here, especially when they are on sale. 

My bunnies do not like wood pellet litter, so I put a thin layer of them in the bottom of the box, then cover them with pine shavings, also cheap. Each day I put in a fresh layer of shavings. The box gets full about the time the pellets become saturated. Then, dump it all and start fresh. Done this way there will be no odor problems. 

If the warnings about pine shavings frighten you, then use hay or straw.


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## Zaleia (Apr 16, 2019)

I use peat moss. Cheap, very absorbent, the ph-level makes parasites less likely to breed and I have no smell issues despite my giant bunny (plus a tiny one) and a thin layer of bedding. I do clean once a day - it's easy to just shovel up the pee soaked litter and toss in the garden.
I could get a thicker layer and clean less often, or just toss new peat on top a few days.

The peat comes from sustainable harvesting.


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## Love.Bunny.Marinette (Apr 16, 2019)

FLequestrian said:


> I just acquired two rabbits and their cage smalls so bad! They go in a litter box only. I cleaned the litter box last night and this morning my whole house smells like rabbit pee! In the litter box I have KayTee clean and cozy bedding and hay. Any suggestions??


I use the same bedding covered with hay but I only have one rabbit and she has not hit puberty yet. I also clean her letterbox every evening with a vinegar water solution. When it dries there is no smell left from her urine or the vinegar. As soon as she is old enough I plan to get her fix for many reasons. The urine smell being one of them...


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## Habib (Apr 19, 2019)

Sometimes u need to check the cage itself. While I put lot of wood bedding it's usually the pee that is along the bottom plastic that has not dropped onto the bedding. Cant help but to clean every once in 1 days. My 2 are female yet seems they do not want to use the litter pen but pee and poop on the place where they sleep...haiz. u can see the bottom after I remove the top cover


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## Emina (Apr 19, 2019)

We use eco mini flakes for bedding. Our rabbits come indoors when it’s winter and never had issue with the smell. We have 8 rabbits. ‍ You can clean the cage with 1/2 vinegar 1/2 water mixture and then let it dry out. Put bedding on bottom of cage. My rabbits only go in one corner to do their potty duties.


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## VioletRose (Apr 20, 2019)

I have a house rabbit, completely free ranging. He only 'toilets' in his litter box and I have never had any smell problems. I do clean it out every day though, which I think is the way to go for a sweet smelling house and happy bunny. I use a base layer of 100% recycled paper pellets and a layer of hay on top. The pellets can be flushed, used as compost on the garden, contain no chemicals, are virtually dust free and completely control all odour. The bunny has never had any interest in eating it, though he does have a fondness for eating brown paper and cardboard when he can. I remove the hay on top daily, taking most of the urine with it and leaving the pellets to dry out then put hay on top again, usually older hay from the balcony outside, where he has a hay box. The end of litter tray with has twice daily fresh clean hay for eating, so he poops, wees one end, whilst eating clean fresh hay at other end, within easy reach. This works well in regards to him eating more hay, no odour and not too much fuss with cleaning. The whole lot gets chucked out every two or so days. With the regular daily hay clean out it works well. Cheers.


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## ChloeBunny (Apr 21, 2019)

We had luck with a compressed recycled paper product that claims to 'lock-in' ammonia called "Fresh News" - we buy the cat litter version from Chewy.com (better priced than we found on Amazon) as opposed to the "small animal" version = get more for the money. Chloe also only uses a litter box and I was able to replace the shredded paper we were using. It got rid of the ammonia smell. These small pellets of paper swell when absorbing urine, so you you can scoop up like you do with the other pellets. Hope it helps.


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## RoseCottageBuns (Apr 22, 2019)

Recycled compressed paper pellets are great... just chuck them on the compost heap, I always wash my Bun's litter tray out with dilute vinegar as this cuts down the smell and is a natural cleanser...also I layer the litter tray with pellets on the bottom and lots of bedding hay on top. Works a treat


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