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› FORUM › HOUSE RABBIT Q & A › Good Bunny cage cleaner/sanatizer
So I was wondering what you guys recomend for bunny cage cleaning, like the kind with a plastic tub bottom. My lops refuse to pee on the bedding so they dig it away and pee on the plastic bottom, and im telling you its a pain to scrub!! I havent found anything so far that im willing to try (I dont want to try anything uber toxic) That can get it sufficantly off! Also i worry about using chemicals because of fumes, and what kind of sanatizers are good? I worry that they might ingest it if i sprayed sanatizer on the pan, but i think it should be sanatized. Help?
Vinegar! It is a awesome cleaner for bunny stuff- expecially if it is scratches in plastic with pee- the vinegar will penetrate and dissolve the residue- although you may have to let it sit for a while. The only cleaners I use for by bunnies boxes and for my cats litterboxes- is hot water, vinegar and dish soap. I don’t “disinfect” the boxes with bleach or any other sanitizer because if the pets are healthy and exposed to each other already- the really only need CLEAN boxes- not “sanitized”. Totally different in foster situation, shelter, vet or rescue or new bunny in house.
I usually dump the boxes, rinse them out with hot water and then let them sit with hot water and vinegar while I clean or vaccum their area, then I scrub with dish soap, rinse with hot water and put them in front of a fan to dry.
Vinagar. A nice soak in vinegar will get the hardened stains off. And sanitizes the area too
Thanks, defently on my grouchery list!
I use this stuff
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2753346
(It’s non-toxic)
There is also a number of different cage cleaners on the Petsmart site, if you have Petsmarts where you live..
I second the white vinegar!
Be careful to rinse off the residue as it increases the ph level if bunny paws come in contact and can give them sore hocks.
I also use baking soda – Yes, it fizzes when it hits the vinegar, but it is a good “scrubber” with the vinegar.
I hit the bottom with vinegar then sprinkle the baking soda on…then scrub. Rinse everything out with very hot water and let dry.
I also use the vinegar baking soda to clean my tub and bathroom sink.
i like vinager as well. I’ve also used nature’s miracle.
Nature’s Miracle is good to have handy, since it also takes out the stains in carpets, etc. without harming buns.
How often do you guys clean out the whole cage (not just change out litter and dishes?) With the condos, isn’t it hard to get the basics cleaned?
I just hate Sammy’s cage for cleaning and fear I am neglecting the big clean in favor of litter pan followed by sweeping out the bottom. On my to do list tomorrow – will definitely do the white vinegar/baking soda/hot water method.
If I ever dumped a cage for an x-pen, would it be just a carpet bottom that goes in the washing machine? Wipe down the bars with a vinegar solution?
I do what Katnip does with a variation. I only clean the boxes with vinegar once a week. The other times I just dump, wipe out and refill. When I wash with vinegar, I let them soak in my laundry room while I go vacuum and straighten up the bunny room. By the time I’m finished with everything else, I go back and scrub out the boxes, rinse, and dry.
I was able to buy a big 2 gallon jug of white vinegar at my local bulk store (Bj’s, Sam’s Club, Costco) for under 2 bucks. I also keep a little bit in a water bottle just in case there’s a pee spot I have to zap. (This also work for non-pet spots on carpet.)
I line my box with paper towel, I find that it absorbs the smell better and when I dump it, there’s no litter residue in the box. Once in a while I have to wipe it out. But def vinegar for all your cleaning needs.
One thing-it sounds like you are using bedding on the whole floor rather then a litter box? I’d highly recommend using a litter pan, filling that with litter and then leaving the rest of the floor bare.
Vinegars on the A list but here’s a great way to clean too. Take the bottom once you’ve got it mostly icked out and put it in your shower, run water in it (dump it in the toilet if their is still stuff that can’t go down your drain) and soak it like that. It will help clean it much nicer, plus if you do use cleaner you can give it a rinse in the shower after as well. Then just dry with papertowels or let it air dry!
I shower my coroplast condo flooring too! ![]()
All i’ve ever used is white vinegar dilutes with water. I also leave the floor bare, except for in the winter I do put shreddings from my paper shredder in there for Sophie to burrow into. It keeps her entertained, what can i say? ![]()
I have a single spayed female. I use wood stove pellets and only have to change the box once a week. I dump the contents (i use a paper towel in the bottom so it all comes out), pour in a little straight white vinegar and swish. If anything looks stuck I wipe with a paper towel and then pour the vinegar out and rinse a couple of times with clean water.
what everyone else said, vinegar. I use that or the cage cleaner from petsmart. I use both on their cage and my pet rats cage. Both do really well.
As far as your rabbits pushing out the bedding to pee on the bottom, I have one that does the same. One of mine is litter trained, and I”m working on the other. The first night she was here, I saw her push all the bedding around, sat on the bottom plastic and peed. My solution? I took out all of the bedding and laid down sheets of newspaper. I got the free newspaper you can find in bins that have all the ads in them. I spread them out on the bottom, and then I put bedding on top of that. So when she pushes all the bedding away, she pees right onto the newspaper. It absorbs it soooo well! That when I pick up the newspaper bottom, there’s nothing underneath!
› FORUM › HOUSE RABBIT Q & A › Good Bunny cage cleaner/sanatizer
