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› FORUM › DIET & CARE › vacuum cleaner?
I know you guys all understand my pain. lol. I vacuum, then one or two days later their area is completely COVERED in stray fur and I have to vacuum again. I use a Miele vacuum but I feel like it’s not picking up as much as I would like it to, so I figured.. what better people to ask then you guys? haha. what brand of vacuum cleaners do you use, and how effective are they on carpet?
I have a dyson. The animal one. It makes Lolli’s area look like new. But dyson’s are expensive though.
oooh I was looking at dyson! I’m wiling to eat at home for a week and spend that saved $$ to make the cleaning process easier lol.
oh wait, haha. I just saw the price for it. so maybe I’ll eat at home for a few weeks… or a month. =X
Yeah, the animal one is the most expensive. I had to wait until I got my tax money a few years ago to get it.
I used it too much on her litter and hay so now it’s scuzzy looking though. But it’s very nice. At my previous apartment, my friend lived upstairs. I had to have her come down and look at Eddie’s pen area when I first used it. Make sure I wasn’t seeing things! LOL There was a layer of white fur on his navy blue area rug. And it got it ALL up.
The only bad thing is that since they are canisters, dust ends up flying up when you dump it. But I don’t know what would be a better bet though – the canister being a bit dusty or going through vaccuums bags. I’ve never had a vaccum that used the bags so I don’t know anything about capacity or cost. The canister being a bit dusty when emptying is the only downside to it and would make me consider other types if I ever have to repurchase.
I use Dyson’s as well – the only difference w/the animal is the attachments. HOWEVER, I’ve really had to rig mine by taking out the wand and using a small wand part upside down from another vacuum cleaner I had. I use a totally separate one especially for my rabbits because it does have an odor that I don’t want in the rest of my home. I have gone through about 4 Dyson’s however – I vacuum my rabbit area twice a day – now keep in mind I now have 5 rabbits in my rabbit room currently and have had up to 16 when I fostered so even a very expensive vacuum gets used more than a normal one of once a week.
I do use a Dyson ball (hate the ball though) for the rest of my home and only for the areas other than the rabbit rooms – I prefer the regular Dyson rather than the ball for maneuvering.
I tried a Bissell and it kept hitting me on the head because the vacuum tube thing was not long enough.
I have a Riccar SupraLite vacuum and I swear by it. I bought it because Consumer Reports rated it as the #1 vacuum for picking up animal hair. And I can say, this thing works! I have three cats and a bunny so we have lots of fur here. They are also really light and easy to move around – 8lbs when empty.
I’ve used a dyson before and just wasn’t a big fan (my roommate for a year had one and so I got to use it regularly for a year) – it didn’t work as well as I would expect a vacuum of that price to work for picking up the animal hair. Then again, it was the regular one, not the animal one. I also hate emptying the containers. If you don’t want dust everywhere you have use a bag to empty it in and toss it, so it isn’t any less waste or bags going into the environment.
The Riccar has some really good bags that help with allergies. I like that because I have seasonal allergies and some friends who are allergic to cats – and they say that of all the friends who have cats they like going to mine the most because their allergies act up the least here.
I think I spent $250 on mine at a vacuum store. I bought the most base model. If you buy the more expensive one it has more features like having the on and off switch on the handle, but that wasn’t worth the extra cost to me. And the base model works just perfectly. I’ve had it for 5 years now and it works as well as the day I bought it – well worth the price I say.
This is the one I have: http://www.riccar.com/products/8-pound/?prod=RSL1A
BearMom, your link didn’t come through. I’ve never heard of this vacuum cleaner but I’m always on the lookout for something better.
How odd – on my end it shows the word “here” in blue and its the link.
You might have to copy and paste this but here is the website:
http://www.riccar.com/products/8-pound/?prod=RSL1A
I’ll try to fix my other post too.
They both show up now – thanks BearMom. I’ll check it out!
I use a cheapy Bissell. I am too afraid to spend the big bucks when the majority of what I vacuum up is fur and hay! This way, I am not too sad about having to spend another $80 on a new vacuum once a year!
I use a Bissell too. The kind I use is the “Bissell Lift Off” we got it years ago so they have probably added more stuff. I would not recommend using this vacuum if you have rabbits because the filter gets clogged 2 weeks after you clean it and then it isn’t as powerful after its clogged. also there is no bag and it doesn’t hold very much in it. It works fine for my rug but doesn’t work so well for vacuuming the cage. I wish I could use a better one, but its the only one my parents will let me use for hay ![]()
A lot of people on here apparently use a shop vac for the hay and cleaning cages. I just pick up as much as I can before vacuuming. That works ok for me as I don’t have a shop vac.
I got a dyson cause my old vac wasn’t picking up ANYTHING. It didn’t even look like I vacuumed and it wasn’t like I was using it like a shop vac and trying to pick up everything. Just normal vacuuming like you would without pets. lol
I use a mini shop vac! I love it! My, well now ex-boyfriend, is a gear-head/mechanic and I “borrowed” it from his garage. He has like five so I don’t even think he noticed it’s missing. Hemi doesn’t shed that much but since my roommate is slightly allergic I try to clean as much as possible. It works great picking up hay, fur, well everything actually. =)
I pick up scrap pieces of hay and chewed wood (toys) and put the pieces in a plastic bag, and vacuum! It works great for me.
My dad got me a $60 shop vac and it works amazing. I need to get some extra bags…
My dad just bought a new shop vacuum…. I hope he didn’t throw the old one away, because then I could use it!
I have a Dyson and am happy with it.

I’ve been thinking about new vacuums myself. My current one is TERRIBLE and since I’m moving in July/August I need to make sure my place now is actually clean when I move out. Plus I’d like to have a new one when I move in to my new apartment.
A shop vac was recommended here a few years ago so I found one (it might also be a mini) on sale one weekend and have used it since for her habitat and the surrounding area. Works well, attachments help, and I empty it separately by the front door on tile so I can toss it all in the garbage, then vacuum up the dust it made after I put it back together.
hey i just bought a bissel cleanview helix. absolutly amazing and only around 80 bucks! It made my bunny carpet (the one they sit on all the time), look completely new. I swear that thing sucked up a years worth of fur stuck in the carpet haha
I saw one of those handheld vacuums “as seen on tv” at walmart for $20. Would this be a good investment or would it hurt my Holland Lop? (She’s been moulting and I can’t keep up with daily brushings, plus she’s still shy to me and sheds of fear too sometimes)
I use a shop vac and I hate it. Big, clumsy and hard to clean/smelly. (It is the plastic one though, so maybe the metal can would work better.) It just breaks my back to haul it around, so I don’t vacuum as much as I should. I would much rather have a bag vac now that I’ve used this thing.
I do wish the little Roombas had been better products. I often wanted to see just what my cats would’ve thought of it. But I can probably guess….
Most of the loose fur flies up in our house though. Not to the floor. And unfortunately it often goes in my hubby’s eyes and nose. >_<
Hey I just want you to know that I have the Dyson DC25 and I love it for picking up dog and cat hair. I know those art rabbits but I figure they do still have hair and if the vacuum can pick up dog/cat hair than it can pick up rabbit hair too!
check out this site if you would like to look at the review of the vacuum cleaner and others that might fit the bill, this is where I researched and purchased off of.
http://www.vacuum-cleanersreviews.org
We have 2 Dysons and use the hand held (dc35) one mostly for the rabbit room & spot cleaning. Tried a few cheapy hand held vacs before buying the Dyson. Couldn’t live without it! Purchased with frequent flyer points!
› FORUM › DIET & CARE › vacuum cleaner?
