Smelly litterboxes

[SirBunny]

Hello,

I was wondering what are some good methods to help my room smell clean. I have had one bunny living with me in my room for a year, free roam, and the smell was never bad. Maybe I am used to it, because I can barely smell anything. But in a month I will be housing another bunny in my room, and I’m worried the extra litter box will make the room smell bad. I personally don’t mind, I’m around it enough where I barely notice it. But if I have company over I don’t want my room to smell overwhelmingly like bunny pee. 

Aside from frequently cleaning their litter boxes, is there something I can do about the smell? How do bunnies react to candles, or air fresheners? 

(On a side note – I have noticed that litter is my biggest bunny expense, aside from vet visits. Is there a cheap alternative to buying litter at a pet store? Bunnies poop SO MUCH I have to change out the litter every few days, and now that I have two bunnies the amount of litter I need is doubled)

Thanks!

[Sirius&Luna]

I have three bunnies in my living room and I’m pretty sure they don’t smell!

I use paper based pellets called back2nature. They’re not cheap, it’s about £12 for a 30 litre bag, but i use a thin layer and empty their two litter trays every other day and it lasts me about 6 weeks a bag, so actually it’s pretty good value over time.

Lots of people use non clumping pine pellets, but my spoiled brats refused to pee on them :,) they’re normally pretty cheap and are absorbent and non-smelly.

I would recommend emptying litter boxes every other day and wiping out, then giving a proper rinse once a week.

Air fresheners and candles aren’t good for buns unfortunately- they have sensitive lungs and it can harm their respiratory systems. A good alternative is something like rosemary, mint or lavender in a window box, which have strong scents and are also safe if your bun decides to nibble them!

Finally, to make the urine itself smell less you can spay and neuter bunnies (essential if they’ll be living together anyway). Some people also use a dash of Apple cider vinegar with the mother (the mother bit is important) in their drinking water.

Also, I know you didn’t ask about this, but if you’re getting a second bunny it’s really worth reading the bonding forum to make sure you know how to help the buns safely become friends! It can be a long and stressful process, but will be worth it in the end!

[Rain]

What I like to do is put Equine Pine Pellets (really really cheap, you can find them at a Tractor Supply store or something similar to that) in the corners of the litter box or wherever your bun pees the most. Then I put a scattered amount in the center. Then I just put my normal bedding over it so that Rain doesn’t feel uncomfortable, because pine pellets are very pokey. I use Carefresh recycled litter, which is pretty pricey, but lasts me about two months because I use two types of litter, one expensive and one cheap.

[kurottabun]

I think changing the litter every few days is very common as like you said, they do pee and poop A LOT. I use wood pellets and yes they are good at absorbing pee and also control the odour. Fairly cheap as well That said, I still have to empty the box every few days as the poop would pile up. It’s more of preventing my bunny from constantly stepping on his own poop than the odour for me, actually.

[Boing]

Hi Moby & Maby,

I use vinegar and an old toothbrush to scrub litter boxes. Then I rinse them. It works well!

[Author]

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