# Can a cage be reusable?



## bowserandluna (Jan 13, 2014)

So I'm adopting two baby holland lops on Saturday, I've been waiting a long time for them and am so so excited.

I had a rex back in November that passed away, the bottom of her cage was a dog kennel pan. She passed away on that pan and fluids and diarrhea, a good amount was on the pan... I cleaned it off very good when it happened the very next day with soap and water and a scrub brush. Today I got my friends old dog kennel from him that his dog never used, so it was a good deal. The pan that I used came from that dog kennel so I am planning on using the same bottom.

Today I put it in the bath and dumped the hottest water I could on it and again cleaned it with soap and a washcloth really well.

I just want to make sure that it will be safe to use for the new bunnies & they don't get any diseases or sicknesses from it or anything. We don't really know why the other one passed away, we think it could have been too many treats and she may have had health problems before hand too. 

I think it will be fine and I'm just being paranoid...what do you guys think?


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## Sophie's Humble Servant (Jan 13, 2014)

I would think that it should be ok considering you last used it in November and have washed it out. If you're very worried about it you can always either wash it with a bleach solution, then rinse or a solution of vinegar then peroxide, then rinse. Either of those will kill germs.


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## Azerane (Jan 13, 2014)

Do you know what your rabbit passed away of? I don't think it's at all common over there, but I know that calicivirus can live for a substantial amount of time on surfaces (as long as six months I believe). If you've cleaned it thoroughly and had it well dried several times it should be fine though. Did you use a disinfecting soap? If not, use some hot water and vinegar as well, and let it dry in the sun (not sure what the weather's like where you are currently). If your last bunny passed from a virus, you can probably look up how long that virus is capable of surviving.

All that being said, I think you'll be fine  You've cleaned it, it's not a dirty/contaminated surface anymore.


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## JBun (Jan 13, 2014)

VHD is practically unheard of in the US, so that's not a problem, but the parasites/bacteria that cause diarrhea would be. It's unlikely that anything could be transmitted after this long, but I think the suggestion to clean with a bleach solution would be a good idea in any case. You want to use a 10% bleach solution, spray it on and leave for 20 min, then rinse thoroughly.


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## zombiesue (Jan 13, 2014)

Yeah I'd bleach the you-know-what out of it, and then I'd make sure to rinse the you-know-what out of it and air it out for a long time before the buns came. It might not be necessary but it's what would make me feel better anyway.


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## bowserandluna (Jan 14, 2014)

I'm almost worried about bleaching it just because of the chemicals...I might just invest in a new pan. They're pretty cheap it seems, around like $20. It'll make me feel better. 

It's probably fine but I just don't wanna take any chances. These babies are just too cute and I think I just had some bad luck last time.  Especially with all the research I did. I don't think the place I got my last bun from was very reliable. They're environment was pretty nasty at the pet store, flys everywhere.... it's a local farmer's store, and i was just anxious to get my first bunny. She was so sweet though it was really shocking when it happened and I just couldn't handle that again!


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## zombiesue (Jan 14, 2014)

Yeah, but you can't raise them in a bubble, either.


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## bowserandluna (Jan 14, 2014)

zombiesue said:


> Yeah, but you can't raise them in a bubble, either.



Well of course not.  I just wanna make sure that pan doesn't have any grossness left on it.


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## JBun (Jan 14, 2014)

It's common sense to sanitize thoroughly, when an infectious disease has been present. We would do it for ourselves, we should do it for our rabbits, even if that means getting a new pan. E. coli, clostridium sp., and coccidiosis are all extremely contagious with rabbits, and can wipe out whole herds/groups in a matter of days.


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## zombiesue (Jan 14, 2014)

bowserandluna said:


> Well of course not.  I just wanna make sure that pan doesn't have any grossness left on it.



I don't know, now that I said it out loud, I kind of want to see if maybe we COULD raise them in bubbles... lol


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## Sophie's Humble Servant (Jan 14, 2014)

As long as you thoroughly rinse the bleach solution off, there's nothing to worry about. If you're worried about bleach for other reasons, such as the impact it has on our environment after it goes down the drain, then use vinegar and hydrogen peroxide. First you spray the area with straight vinegar, then spray right after the 3% peroxide. Let it sit for 20 minutes then rinse off. This will sanitize very well. You could also use a Norwex cloth to clean it. The cloths have silver imbedded into them and are very effective at killing germs.


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## lovelops (Jan 14, 2014)

I would clean it out and disinfect it well. If you have to use vinegar and other things do it, but I think it's up to your comfort level. If you don't feel comfortable, then don't use it.. however post some photos of those new buns!

Vanessa


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## bowserandluna (Jan 14, 2014)

Thanks guys! As soon as I get them I Will post lots of pictures!


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## Imbrium (Jan 14, 2014)

Vinegar really is a good disinfectant and a viable alternative to bleach. It's usually a 5% acid formula, but you can find higher sometimes (the grocery store I go to sells a 9% acid formula) - it wouldn't hurt to use the stronger stuff, but even the 5% formula would disinfect. The acid in vinegar kills both viruses and bacteria.

Oh, and it's 100% pet safe once it dries and doesn't leave a residue so it technically doesn't even have to be rinsed off! I believe bleach is a little bit more effective than 5% vinegar as a disinfectant, but there's also the environmental and health concerns associated with it...


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