My bunnies litter is not doing the trick. Would it be safe to sprinkle baking soda in the litterbox before putting the litter in to help deal with odor control?

hi Laura,

I was using a thin layer of baking powder under the newspaper and litter at one point and got worried since my bunny seemed to be eating it. I don't know that it made him sick at all, but just made me nervous so I stopped. I asked my vet if it was safe and she didn't seem to answer me one way or another :-/

What kind of litter are you using now? It might be you could switch to something with better odor control. I'm liking the new CareFresh Ultra. Also is your bunny spayed / neutered? Altered bunnies tend to have less potent smelling wee.

I also have been having a difficult time find an solid answer.  I just posted this question on Etherbun, and so hopefully in a few days, I may have some info.  I'll also check with my vet.

I use Yesterday's News and it is great in absorbing odors!

this is a popular topic, as it just came up on LJ - and someone else warned about the potential issue of inhaleing the dust.

I use Critter Country and it seems to do the job; I especially like how it's compostable! No problems with smells until after 3 days( or so) of solid litterbox use

I've never had a problem with Yesterday's News. I change the litter daily and about twice a week clean the litterbox with a vinegar/water mixture. Seems to do the trick for me. My bunny would eat the baking soda so I wouldn't try that.

I read some posts over at Etherbun (a good forum for health issues)

I also got a couple of responses regarding this when I posted your question there. 

Recommendation from posters there were not to leave it sitting on the surface.  Basically putting it underneath litter or underneath paper.  But they also said they didn't have a bunny interested in eating it. 

But for me that doesn't mean that if a bunny did find interest in it, or just came in contact with and licked it off their paws that it wouldn't have some negative reaction.   I don't know, soooooI am still going to talk to a rabbit savvy vet and get her words on it, and I'll be back with that info.

In the meantime, I learned a new cleaning trick from them!!!  Use baking soda with vinegar to help "fizz out the yuck"-  as one person put it,

I did this.. behind Fujoe's fortress of solitutde (his huge cage/fortress) I tool an empty container of sour cream - the really little one's- poked some holes in the top and filled it with baking soda. He can't get to it, but it's near the cage... I think I need to poke bigger holes i it though...

I have (in my limited bunny experience) had good results with carefresh ultra changed once a day. I use baking soda by putting it near the litterbox (like you put it in the fridge) I punch out the hole in the box and leave it outside her cage by her litter box. But if your litter box is not in the bunny's home, i thought that you could put the baking soda box in some sort of device from keeping the bunny from tipping it over (like a small plastic item with holes weighted down by books or something.) I have the bunny, a rat, and a hamster in one co-op room, so this open baking soda thing really cuts down on smell.

I've never had a problem with odor control. I change my litterboxes everyday at the same time every night. I have used Carefresh, and Critter Country and they both work fine. I clean out the boxes with a vinegar/water solution which works great! I think the problem might be with an unaltered bunny. I have three buns who use the same litterbox (the largest one I could find) and I don't have any odor problems! Having a box of baking soda outside of the cage is a good idea. Baking soda can be toxic if too much is ingested.