# Need advice about rabbit odor!



## aiyixing (Nov 15, 2013)

I have 2 female rabbits in my bedroom they are not spayed and are going to be 4 years old soon and I have no plans to spay them (I'm 17 and it's very costly). Is there ways to help get rid of the smell of my rabbits? It is SO bad, sometimes I can hardly breathe from the smell and my parents hate coming to my room because of the smell. I have a male rabbit in the living room and he hardly smells. I've tried almost everything, I clean the cage regularly, They are somewhat litter trained, they go in the little box whenever they feel like it but most times they just go to the bathroom wherever they want, I can't put newspaper down (some people have said this) because my rabbits like to dig and they eat it, I have an odor absorbing bag I found at a pet store on the outside of their cage but that doesn't seem to be working. They have carefresh bedding also. I really don't know what to do anymore, I always have to burn candles to hide the smell even just a little bit. Any advice would be appreciated!


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## Korr_and_Sophie (Nov 15, 2013)

Use a better litter. I have not really heard that carefresh is good with odours. Many people use wood pellets and they are great and absorbing the odor. You can use them in the litter box and even the rest of the cage. Even using it under the carefresh can help. It is not expensive, a 40 pound bag costs about $5. 

Clean the cages really well. Wash them out with soap and water. If there are urine stains, use white vinegar to get them off. It can take some scrubbing, but you can get them off. This should help with some odor and can even get them using the litter box more. Keep up with the cleaning as well, get a spray bottle and out some vinegar and water in it to use at least weekly in the cage. You may need to clean the cages more often. If you can at least spot clean daily, that can help. Doing a total clean at least twice a week does go far. 

Good ventilation is needed. Even opening a window a little bit can help with airflow. If the temperatures are nice enough, you can just leave the window open. 

Have you checked their scent glands? Those can be a bit smelly and can contribute to overall odor. It is good to check them and clean if needed.


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## Nancy McClelland (Nov 16, 2013)

:yeahthat:


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## BunnehChronicles (Nov 16, 2013)

Do not use Care-fresh. I hate the smell of it and gave my Guinea Pig a respiratory infection with all the dust. Use another liter.


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## Bville (Nov 16, 2013)

Yesterday's News litter or pine pellet litter might be better at controlling odors. While you are trying out different ones, just put a little of the Carefresh on top of the new litter for a couple of weeks until they get used to it.


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## aozora (Nov 17, 2013)

Are you using Carefresh to line the entire cage as bedding? That may be confusing to your bunnies and make them think of the entirety of their cage as one giant litter box. And where are you keeping the hay for them to eat? If you're not doing so already, you can try hooking up a hay rack over the litter box because bunnies like to do their business as they eat.

I also agree with the others on Carefresh not being good for odor control at ALL. I used that until just very recently (about 2-3 weeks ago) and my family would always complain of a smell when they come in my room. It always stank when I changed his litter too, and I religiously changed it every single day! Using baking soda to absorb odor didn't work and spaying pet-safe odor removers only helped for a little while. 

Then I saw a lot of recommendations for wood pellets, finally decided to bite the bullet and change Mocha's litter once and for all, and I have to say I don't regret it one bit. The only smell you ever get is the smell of the wood itself even after it's soiled and disintegrated into little bits-- which may smell bad to begin with depending on the person, but it didn't bother me one bit. Even my mom, the one with the most sensitive nose, admitted that my room no longer smells ever since I made the switch over to wood pellets. 

I haven't tried Yesterday's News or pine pellets so I can't tell you how well they work, but I CAN tell you for sure that Carefresh sucks for odor control. That and combined with you using it as bedding rather than just to line the litter box (I hope I didn't misinterpret), I can definitely see why you might be having an odor problem. I'd say remove all the Carefresh from the floor of the cage and only use it in their litter box, then look into some better litter alternatives like what people have been bringing up. Personally I would recommend getting some wood pellets from your local gardening/hardware stores! Great value and fantastic results.


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## mmfh (Nov 21, 2013)

Aspen chips work great for me


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## Rosies Rabbitry (Nov 23, 2013)

I have a small rabbitry of 12 holes and they all are in my 2 bedroom apt. 2 in my living room and 10 in the 2nd bedroom. It almost never smells in here. I have been using pine pellets in corner litter boxes and change the wet part of the litter boxes almost daily. Even my newest rabbit seems to do most of their urinating in the box. The poop is all over but that's not really what smells. I have slept in that room when I have company and except for the running around that they do, I would never know that they were there.

:woohoo


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## ferchor (Nov 23, 2013)

Go to your local home depot and get a bag of stove chow wood pellets $3.65 for a 40lb bag.. Best thing i have tried, little or no smell at all!


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## selbert (Nov 23, 2013)

I use a recycled paper litter as it doesn't lead to respiratory problems and it's better for the environment. Personally I'd say save up and neuter them, girl buns can be very territorial and they're probably marking out what's theirs. If they aren't completely litter trained then I'd say you're not going to reduce the smell THAT dramatically by changing litter. I use CageFresh, it's a powder that I sprinkle in the bottom of the litter tray and that seems to keep my room smelling nice.


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## honeybunnies (Dec 1, 2013)

Hi,
I have 2 does that live in the house with me in an enclosure. 
They are mother & daughter & neither is spayed, as I want to breed with them from time to time. 
I use recycled newspaper pellets, in their litter tray & I find they absorb odor really well.
I scoop out the soiled corner every day & just give a quick air out to the room if necessary. I find that works really well for me. I hope I've been of help to you!
:highfive:


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## namimommy (Dec 2, 2013)

I use litter from woodpine. I could say litter from wood is absorbing odor greatly compared to other types of litter. Well in my case i live in a very humid and hot area. This one works.


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## BunnehChronicles (Dec 8, 2013)

honeybunnies said:


> Hi,
> I have 2 does that live in the house with me in an enclosure.
> They are mother & daughter & neither is spayed, as I want to breed with them from time to time.
> I use recycled newspaper pellets, in their litter tray & I find they absorb odor really well.
> ...



In my experience, having to related rabbits than breeding them to another rabbit, in my case, was an accident, they will become aggressive, territorial, hormonal and inactive towards you and the the other rabbit. Besides, aren't there enough rabbits in shelters that are put down constantly because people breed? I mean a couple more litters can in fact effect that even though a couple litters do not seem that much.  I hope I've reorganized your thoughts.


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## Imbrium (Dec 8, 2013)

aiyixing said:


> I have 2 female rabbits in my bedroom they are not spayed and are going to be 4 years old soon and I have no plans to spay them (I'm 17 and it's very costly). Is there ways to help get rid of the smell of my rabbits? It is SO bad, sometimes I can hardly breathe from the smell and my parents hate coming to my room because of the smell. I have a male rabbit in the living room and he hardly smells. I've tried almost everything, I clean the cage regularly, They are somewhat litter trained, they go in the little box whenever they feel like it but most times they just go to the bathroom wherever they want, I can't put newspaper down (some people have said this) because my rabbits like to dig and they eat it, I have an odor absorbing bag I found at a pet store on the outside of their cage but that doesn't seem to be working. They have carefresh bedding also. I really don't know what to do anymore, I always have to burn candles to hide the smell even just a little bit. Any advice would be appreciated!



As aozora pointed out, if you're using carefresh in the entire cage, this confuses them and makes them think their whole cage is a toilet (a mistake I made in the beginning).

As for newspaper, it IS ok for them to dig at and eat it as long as you're not using any pages that have colored ink and/or are glossy. I don't know if it would make much difference; I just wanted to point out that the fact that they dig at/eat it shouldn't stop you from trying it if you want to.

Fwiw, I also use wood pellets (aka pine pellets) - I get mine from the feed store, as Home Depot and other hardware stores only sell them in parts of the country that have actual winters (which south Texas definitely doesn't ). If you go to a hardware store, you're looking for wood stove pellets and need to make sure they don't say that they have an accelerant added. If they don't say that they do, then they don't. I find the wood pellets very effective at odor control.

As for getting them spayed, I'm well aware of how costly that can be, heh - I paid around $450 to get my two girls spayed when they were 5 months old; a price tag that's nowhere near being within the budget of most 17 year olds!

However, spaying is awfully important for females due to their proclivity for cancers of the reproductive system - the lifespan of unspayed females is around half that of spayed females. If you would like to get them spayed and have only ruled out the option because it's so costly, I strongly encourage you to look into it a bit more.

Here's a great listing of places that do low-cost bunny spays/neuters and organizations that can provide "spay/neuter assistance" for people who can't afford the cost of getting those surgeries done through their vet - http://www.rabbitsonline.net/f14/79-00-bun-speuters-seattle-appt-info-72039/#post947066 (ignore that it says "seattle" in the link - the thread actually has info for places all around the country and will hopefully have something in your area)

Also, if you have any shelters in your area that take in a fair number of bunnies and/or any rabbit-specific rescues, you could call them and explain that you're having trouble affording spays for your two 4-year-old rabbits and ask if they can recommend any inexpensive options. These sorts of places get a lot of bunnies fixed and, as non-profits, also need to get them done at a low cost, so they may be able to help you find an option that fits your budget. If you live in a major city, it's worth calling places that are a ways away from the city as well (even if you wouldn't be able to drive out to where they're at) because there's a chance that they bring their bunns into the city to get fixed.

There's no guarantee that you'll be able to find a place that can spay for a cost you can afford, but it's certainly worth looking into what low-cost options might be available in your area.


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## Imbrium (Dec 9, 2013)

Oh, and I forgot something - someone mentioned earlier in the thread about checking scent glands (aka anal glands)... while urine is almost certainly causing most or all of the smell issues, checking (and if necessary, cleaning) a rabbit's anal glands is never a bad thing to do from time to time.

This site has a "monthly maintenance" guide, which includes information on dealing with the stinky glands: http://binkybunny.com/BUNNYINFO/tabid/53/CategoryID/21/PID/940/Default.aspx


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## pani (Dec 10, 2013)

Imbrium said:


> Fwiw, I also use wood pellets (aka pine pellets) - I get mine from the feed store, as Home Depot and other hardware stores only sell them in parts of the country that have actual winters (which south Texas definitely doesn't ). If you go to a hardware store, you're looking for wood stove pellets and need to make sure they don't say that they have an accelerant added. If they don't say that they do, then they don't. I find the wood pellets very effective at odor control.


Is this the stuff I'd be looking for? Felix's cage and box are both lined with newspaper right now, which is probably quite confusing for the poor little guy! :}


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## Imbrium (Dec 10, 2013)

That stuff would work, yes, as it doesn't say it has an accelerant added... however, that's a little over 6 1/2 lbs for the equivalent of just under $26 US, which is utterly absurd (probably because the shipping is free, but even then it's ridiculous). Wood pellets (for stoves or for horses) cost around $5-8 USD for 40 lbs in the US.

Here's a site where you can get 44 lbs (20 kg) of wood pellets for $16.63 (about $15 USD) on the first order and $26.35 (about $25) for subsequent orders and including shipping if you sign up for "regular delivery" (at intervals of your choosing). You save $6.95 (AUD) in shipping if you can pick it up, but they're in Melbourne and Sydney and you're on the complete opposite side of the country so that's hardly an option. First order price isn't that bad, but they really hike up the price after that ><. Still better than that ebay listing, but I'm sure you can do better so I'll keep looking...

This company makes a wood pellet litter for cats, but I can't find any pricing info... here's a list of distributors; no clue where the vast majority are located other than "Western Australia," but Gosnell's is on the outskirts of Perth (1990 Albany Hwy, Maddington WA 6109, Australia +61 8 9493 4844).

However, I suspect even the cat litter is going to be stupidly overpriced (based mostly on the fact that I *was* able to find prices at some places for Oz-pet litter, which is sold in the same size bags and is also wood pellet litter - those were around $13-14 AUD for 10 kg). Here, wood pellets marketed as horse bedding are a fraction of the cost of wood pellet cat litters even though there's really no difference.

I know in the US, hardware stores only carry wood stove pellets during the winter (well, in areas of the country that have a real winter) - seeing as it's the middle of summer, your best bet is almost certainly feed stores (here, the 40 lb bags of pellets are sold as horse bedding at feed stores - I bet they have something equivalent over there).

Some of these results are so far from Perth I don't know how they even come up as being in the greater Perth area, but others are actually inside the city... many have websites, but I would call the places closest to you as wood pellets often aren't listed on a feed store's site.
Livestock supplies (results are pretty much identical to when I searched for "feed store")
I also searched for places that sell bales of hay, since any place that sells horse hay is liable to have wood pellets as well; many of the results also came up in the first search, but a few are different.


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## pani (Dec 11, 2013)

Thanks so much, Imbrium! I've been on the hunt for reasonably priced pellets, as well as hay bales, so that helps a lot. :}


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## Imbrium (Dec 11, 2013)

Happy to help! Feed stores are AWESOME.


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