If you own rabbits, it is pretty obvious that where they live should be as clean as possible. This is one the easiest the keep your bunnies healthy and free of diseases. It will also leave you home smelling fresh. Probably, you are already wondering how you should clean your rabbit cage and how frequently you should perform the practice…
There are various ways you clean the hutches, however, sticking to regular cleaning will reduce the work burden. There are two applicable methods to clean your rabbits’ cage, deep cleaning and light cleaning, both of which are effective. Following are details
It is a general rule that you clean the cage at least once a week, however, it might be appropriate to clean the cage frequently depending on the rabbits’ training on litter training and the size of the cage. Also, more rabbits in a cage translates to frequent cleaning. There are two procedures you can apply in cleaning the cage:
- Light cleaning
- Deep cleaning
Light Cleaning
This involves daily cleaning of the rabbits’ cage. Make it a routine to freshen up the cage and ensure it smells and appears fresh. There are a few routine procedures you can employ in daily cleaning. The steps include:
- Ensure you remove all uneaten meals daily from the cage. This should be done at least twice a day, remove the first batch in the morning than late in the night.
- Make it a routine to clean the rabbits’ food bowls
- Using a bottle brush, clean the water bottles and refill them
- Clean all tiny messes such as urine clumps and water spills that you spot out of the litter box. After cleaning, replace the tidy spots with bedding or fresh hay whenever necessary.
- Later on, pick up the litter box or change the litter as required.
Deep Cleaning Procedures
There are two ways you can deep clean to leave your bunny cage fresh and spotless. They include:
- Weekly maintenance of the cage
- Bi-Weekly or Monthly cleaning
Weekly Maintenance of the Cage
Step #1
First, get rid of all leftover food. This is essential since the rabbits’ dish should remain clean and it enhances the rabbits’ health.
Remove the food remains to prevent the development of bacteria that often harms rabbits. Ensure you clean the rabbits’ dish using hot water and soap.
Also, remove bits of other material such as feces and fur from the cage and refill the rabbits’ dish, ensuring it remains full all the time.
Step #2
The second step involves cleaning the water bottle. You should prioritize the bunny’s health by offering it clean water daily. The water bottle requires refilling daily but should be washed every week.
Clean the drinking containers using hot water and soap to prevent the growth of bacteria. Ensure that you change the drinking water every day. In case you spot floating material on the drinking containers, take them out before refilling.
Step #3
The third step involves scooping the accumulated litter. Rabbits tend to defecate and urinate at a certain spots in the cage, you might also provide the rabbits with a litter box where they relieve themselves.
Begin by getting rid of soiled litter, newspapers or hay and replace them every week. This prevents the stinking smell from engulfing your homestead and reduces the risk of bacterial infections arising from the buildup.
Your main focus should be on the defecating spot or litter box. Ensure you wipe off dirty walls and the floor using a mixture of vinegar and water. Let the cage dry completely before replacing toys, dishes or beddings. This reduces both ammonia and bacterial growth.
Place the rabbit at a safe place when removing or replacing beddings. This makes the cleaning process easier, during this time, give the rabbit food pellets to keep it busy. Never use cedar, pine shavings, and cat litter. When mixed with rabbit litter, the composition can cause illness.
In case there are moist droppings that are large, leave them behind since they are probably cecotropes. These are food pellets that can be consumed by the rabbit, ensuring their bowels remain healthy.
Step #4
The fourth step involves getting rid of old toys. You might have given your rabbits old papers such as newspapers to play with. Ensure you replace such all toys every week.
Also inspect any defects on the toys, checking whether they are broken. You should discard worn-out toys and replace with new ones. Replace papers in the cage that have moisture. Keep in mind that moisture cause health issues to rabbits.
Step #5
Lastly, clean and sweep the cage. Ensure you reach all spots on the floor and walls where the rabbit has spilled food, feces or urine. Clean all spots using a mild disinfectant thus preventing bacterial growth and bad smell from spreading.
Bi-Weekly or Monthly cleaning
This method requires several supplies to ensure a perfect clean. It is more effective than daily and weekly cleaning. The following supplies can aid you in speeding up bi-weekly or monthly cleaning:
- Trash bag
- New Toys
- Broom and pan
- Vacuum
- Sponge
- Disinfectant or a water and vinegar mixture
- Brand new litter bin and bedding
Steps
- Remove the rabbits from the cage and place them in a safe spot before cleaning. This allows for deep cleaning without exposing rabbits to toxic chemicals or fumes and also prevents traumatizing the bunnies.
- Get rid of all items in the cage since the cleaning covers both the interior and exterior of the cage, this ensures effective cleaning. Using the trash bag, pile up all leftover food, newspaper, litter, and all other bedding. Also, clear the water from drinking containers.
- Items such as blankets, food dishes, toys, and litter boxes should be set aside since you can clean and reuse them in the cage. Begin by wiping the walls of the cage. The water and vinegar mixture is a safe disinfectant for rabbits. Other commercial based disinfectants might pose a health risk to the bunnies.
- Wash the walls, floor, and ceiling till they appear spotless. Also using a mixture of baking soda and vinegar can be effective in eliminating tough spots. Create a paste and scrub the tough spots until no residues remain.
- Allow the cage to dry completely. This inhibits the growth of fungi and bacteria and shields the rabbit from moisture-related diseases such as alopecia. The cage should dry in the sun, thus inhibiting bacterial growth and speeds up drying.
- Clean the food dish using soap and water and ensure no cracks and defects appear on the dishes. You should also consider sterilizing the dishes in hot water to eradicate mold, mildew or bacterial growth. Allow the dishes to dry before filling them with food.
- Also, sterilize the drinking containers using hot water and soap. Thereafter, refill the containers with clean water and place them in the cage.
- Wipe the litter bin using sponge then create a mixture of one-part vinegar and four parts water and soak the litter bin, you can also use regular detergents for this. This gets rid of stains, strong odor and bacterial growth in the bin. Fill the litter bin with newspaper, hay or fresh litter.
- In case your rabbit uses sheets, blankets and other fabric in the cage, clean the items using unscented detergents and hot water. The unscented detergent is appropriate for sensitive rabbit skin and reduces exposure to mild scents and chemicals.
- Disinfect all the toys and replace the damaged ones. The toys often get soiled, hence this requires that you inspect all rabbit toys and replace defective ones. Using the water-vinegar mixture, clean the toys then give them time to dry up. Later on, place them back in the cage. Throw away the damaged toys to prevent bacterial growth that often harms rabbits.
- Clean the regions around the cage using a vacuum cleaner. The surrounding regions are probably soiled by food spills and rabbit feces. Finally, return the rabbits in the cage.
Daily Tips to keep Rabbit Cage Clean
- Ensure you spray and wipe urine that spills away from the litter box daily
- Always remove moisturized litter from the litter tray and replace it daily
- Empty the drinking containers then rinse and refill them at least twice a day
- Sweep all stray feces, pellets, hay, veggies, and fruits that remained from the previous day
- Replace all worn-out toys, blankets, towels and fiber-based items that are soiled by the rabbits daily.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often should I clean an indoor rabbit cage?
The interior of a rabbits’ cage requires weekly cleaning. This should be done thoroughly using the required equipment to prevent infections and spread of bad odor. Frequent cleaning is however advisable.
How often should I clean the outdoor rabbit cage?
The exterior of a rabbits’ cage requires cleaning once every two weeks. \this is due to food particles and feces that often spill outside the cage. Frequent cleaning is however advisable.
How often should I clean the indoor rabbit litter box?
A rabbits’ litter box requires daily cleaning. The bin should be cleaned frequently to prevent bacterial growth and the spread of pungent smell from decomposing litter.
Is there a rabbit cage cleaning system?
No, the available cleaning system only allows that you ensure cleanliness and that loose food particles never litter the cage.
What are the best rabbit cleaning products?
There are various effective cleaning tools that you can use to clean your rabbits’ cage. First, create a mixture of four parts water and one-part vinegar. Scrub the rabbits’ cage using a rag dipped in the solution. The second method involves using regular detergents. Scrub the cage using a rag that has the detergents. Later rinse the cage and allow it to dry in the sun.
How do you get pee stains out of a rabbit cage?
You can use regular water and vinegar mixture. When you find the toughs are tough to remove, create a paste of baking soda and vinegar and scrub the paste on the tough spots. In case the methods fail to remove the pee stains, you can buy detergents from a supermarket. All these methods work effectively in removing the stains from the cage.
Which material is most appropriate for a rabbit’s litter bin?
It is advisable to use either hay or paper-based litter since rabbits tend to nibble on all litter items. Ensure the products that you use are safe for the rabbits.
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