WHY does her litter box stink so bad?!

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This topic has 7sd replies, 6 voices, and was last updated 9 years, 7 months ago by Azerane.

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- 09/27/2016 at 7:08 AM
  Tia
  Participant
  36 posts
  Roza is 98% litter box trained. The litter box we have made has a grate on top and made so that it has two tiers. The first catches the poop and then the second catches the pee so it stays separated. This was working great with no odor until about the last month. We change the box out every other day and soak them in vinegar solution for at least a full day and half in between. We have tried yesterdays news and that doesn’t help at all.
  
  I’m at a loss, but the smell by the second day is pretty bad. I am in the process of making a third set up so I can change it out every day, but I don’t think there’s many people out there that are changing their boxes that frequently. Any information would be appreciated.
  
  BTW, she is 2&1/2 years old, 99% litter trained, had two litters before she came to live with us, she was spayed in March (she DEFINITELY smells better now that that is done!), she used to spray but stopped that as soon as she realized she was in a safe home, lived outdoors in her other home and is 100% indoors now.
  
  Thanks!
- 09/27/2016 at 7:34 AM
  Luna
  Participant
  2219 posts
  What are you using to soak up the pee at the bottom?
- 09/27/2016 at 9:12 AM
  tobyluv
  Participant
  3312 posts
  I clean out my rabbits’ litter boxes every day – the wet, dirty area. I’ll spray that area of the box with a vinegar solution and add more litter if needed, otherwise I just push some clean litter from the rest of the box into that area. It’s probably best to clean the dirty areas out every day. Maybe you should try some other litter, since Yesterday’s News isn’t working that well. A wood based pellet, such as Aspen Supreme, Feline Pine, wood stove pellets (plain) or horse stall pellets might work better.
  
  Do you have to use a grate on top due to Roza digging in the litter? It would be easier to clean out her litter box daily if you just had the litter in there (and some hay if you put hay in it). I have never soaked my litter boxes in any solution, but I do completely empty out the litter and clean the whole box using my spray solution, on a regular basis.
- 09/27/2016 at 1:15 PM
  Tia
  Participant
  36 posts
  We were using Yesterday’s News to soak up the pee, but the smell was no different so we stopped using anything because it makes clean up easier. It just drips into the bottom of the pan and then gets poured into the toilet.
  
  I thought the Feline Pine was a no no because of off gassing? I will look into the other two to try for absorption.
  
  We use a grate for Roza because she won’t use the litter box otherwise. Before she came to live with us in January, she was in an outdoor hutch full-time, on a grated floor. We tried just the litter box with just litter and she wouldn’t go near it and sprayed everywhere. So, one of the things we decided to try was putting a silicone covered cookie cooling grate over the box and she started hopping in it and then potty trained to about 99% in about six weeks. Whatever Roza wants, Roza gets. Anything we have acclimated her to has taken quite a long time. She even gets upset if we move anything in the room she is in or change her routine. In all the months she’s been with us, she will only wander about 1 foot away from her cage to come sit with us. She has honestly come such a long way from when she arrived. She was left in a hutch in the back yard at the previous human’s house and the only interaction she got was being fed, a bit more when she had a litter of kits. They told us she was very mean and bit and scratched all the time, which we have found is far from the truth.
  
  I don’t mind completely changing her box daily, which is what I will start doing while I research the other litter options. The solution I use is just a 1 to 10 vinegar and water solution and the length of time I soak it is just how long my germaphobe self feels comfortable with it is all. I do the same type of thing with the cats’ litter box as well.
  
  I guess I’m just trying to figure out why none of it smelled for about the past five months and then all of a sudden it does. I don’t know if their smell changes with the seasons or something. Maybe it could be something I’m feeding her.
  
  Thanks for your responses!
- 09/27/2016 at 9:48 PM
  Q8bunny
  Participant
  6345 posts
  Is she spayed? Has a vet seen her about a possible UTI? (Just things to consider)
- 09/27/2016 at 9:49 PM
  tobyluv
  Participant
  3312 posts
  Feline Pine or any pelleted pine is fine to use. The pelleted pine doesn’t have the dangerous aromatic oils that is found in pine shavings. Poor Roza really had a rough life before coming to live with you. It’s wonderful that you are doing so much to keep her happy and feeling comfortable.
  
  I know that some people put litter box screens (like they sell in the BB store here) inside their litter boxes on top of the litter to keep it from being dug out, but I have never heard of having a grate over the top of the box. I can see where just having puddles of pee at the bottom of the box would smell. It’s surprising that it didn’t smell all along. Is she eating some different veggies now? A UTI could possibly cause a change in the pee smell, but you would probably be seeing other signs if she had an infection, especially since the change in smell happened several months ago.
  
  You may not want to use disposable products, but instead of using litter, you could place a pee pad in the bottom of the litter box to soak up the pee. I imagine they keep odors contained too. I’ve never used any, but I have ordered some for the rabbit sanctuary where I volunteer and I think that most of them are around 2 feet square, so you would have to fold one to get it to fit in a litter box. I hope that you can find some solution to the odor problem.
- 09/27/2016 at 11:19 PM
  LBJ10
  Moderator
  17244 posts
  Wood stove pellets really do help with the smell. They crumble when wet, but I don’t find them difficult to clean up. You can easily scoop soiled litter or dump the whole box. It comes out easily and doesn’t really stick.
- 09/29/2016 at 5:51 AM
  Azerane
  Moderator
  4691 posts
  I agree that if there’s not another issue causing the smell, that adding some wood pellet litter would really help. You would only need to put it in the bottom tray that catches the pee.
  
  I clean the box daily too, I was trying to do it every other day but I found the bunnies didn’t like it and had pee accidents (on purpose) then. So now it’s daily, though it’s more of a spot clean. I have a two-tiered tray as well although I keep a little bit of litter on top. I remove all wet litter and poops from the top and add a tiny bit more litter as needed, the bottom tray I dump completely, hose out and swap for a dry one (from day before) adding a scattering of litter. I completely soak and scrub the entire lot once every few weeks in vinegar/water.
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