smelly plastic cage

[Jessi]

hey everyone!

So Marleys cage always smells and my boyfriend just absolutely hates it and sometimes he even says he wants me to get rid of her because of it. I finally switched her litter to a fireplace pellet stuff and it to me works great! and its only been 1 day. Well my boyfriend could still smell it today. well i went to go clean her cage and i put my face right in her litter box and couldnt smell it! so i know the litter is working and found out that it was actually her plastic cage that smelt bad!! really bad, like pee and wet hay mix. I clean her cage regularly and if she pees outside her litter box i clean it right away. So i cleaned it really well but i can still smell it right after. Does anyone know anything that can get the smell out of plastic? I know white vinager seems to work but i would prefer to not use that cause my boyfriend is picky and hates that smell even more!

[AbbyGirl]

Have you tried Nature’s Miracle? I know a lot of people that swear by it.

[Sarita]

Maybe her cage isn’t big enough for her. I would consider another type of housing like an x-pen to give her more room.

[Lintini]

Well that’s not fair at all, she is depending on you to clean her cage, our pee and poop stinks too but we get to flush it right away. It’s not Marley’s fault.

Stinky plastic smells a lot different from pee/poo smell …I would also recommend trying Natures Miracle or just use a different type of housing like an X-pen. It wouldn’t stink and she would have a lot more room. I have 5 rabbits all in my bedroom and my parents are always satisfied after I clean their litter boxes. If your boyfriend really isn’t happy after you clean her box out, then it’s gotta be the cage stinking.  I believe their have been posts before about cage plastic being really smelly…so I encourage you too look around for other types of housing.

[Karla]

I use coloured vinegar (I have no idea what the difference is between the two, but the coloured is cheaper) on my plastic cages and it does not smell.

Put the pan in the shower and wash it with hot water all over. Pour some vinegar in the pan with hot water and let it stand there for 20 minutes or so and then dry it. It does not smell of vinegar afterwards You could also use Rodalon. I would give the vinegar a try, because I am confident your boyfriend will not be able to smell that you have used vinegar as a cleaning agent.

My plastic cages only smell if they have not been washed properly and there is pee that has dried up. I don’t wash mine anymore though since I cover them with Pampers DryNites Bed mats. You could try that out as well although it is an expensive solution compared to just washing the cages once or twice a week.

My boyfriend hates the smell of bunnies also, and I cannot count the number of times where we have had big fights over the bunnies. So finally I switched over to non-poisenous cat litter and there is no smell at all – and no fights It works wonders. Most cat litter is completely fine to use with bunnies since kittens have a tendency to eat the litter, so it has to be non-poisenous. However, to be sure though mine are not fed near the litterboxes.

[jerseygirl]

Can you put the base outdoors to soak with vinegar or do this when bf isn’t home? You shouldn’t have to keep doing this if she’s using the box. Once it’s cleaned thoroughly it’s only a matter of regular wipe overs.

If nothing works, look at buying a new base for the cage or alternative housing.

[Deleted User]

Posted By Karla on 10/30/2010 01:45 AM

  I switched over to non-poisenous cat litter and there is no smell at all -  It works wonders. Most cat litter is completely fine to use with bunnies since kittens have a tendency to eat the litter, so it has to be non-poisenous. However, to be sure though mine are not fed near the litterboxes.

but what do you do for hay in the litterbox then? I would love to kill all smell but I didn’t think cat litter was safe; it has a reputation to be bad for rabbits’ respiratory systems. I couldn’t top it with hay as they may then eat some of the litter inadvertently. What is this litter you are using over there in Denmark? Something new? I am interested to know.

[Elrohwen]

I would just go ahead and use the white vinegar – the smell dissipates quickly after you use it and will not hang around the way the stinky pee smell will.

[Monkeybun]

I agree with the no cat litter. Clay litter is bad for buns, and clumping litter is a definite no no.

[Karla]

Posted By Petzy on 11/01/2010 09:16 AM

Posted By Karla on 10/30/2010 01:45 AM

  I switched over to non-poisenous cat litter and there is no smell at all -  It works wonders. Most cat litter is completely fine to use with bunnies since kittens have a tendency to eat the litter, so it has to be non-poisenous. However, to be sure though mine are not fed near the litterboxes.

but what do you do for hay in the litterbox then? I would love to kill all smell but I didn’t think cat litter was safe; it has a reputation to be bad for rabbits’ respiratory systems. I couldn’t top it with hay as they may then eat some of the litter inadvertently. What is this litter you are using over there in Denmark? Something new? I am interested to know.

I’ve never put hay on top of the litter…I don’t like the smell of wet hay. They get their hay somewhere else. But they have a bowl of dried herbs next to the litterbox.

There is actually lots of really good cat litter to choose from here that is perfectly fine. Is Europe really that different? It is litter you can just throw out in the garden as compost even though it is not wood pellets like that. Are you really sure you don’t have good cat litter? I would expect the US to be advanced in this field. There is nothing to worry about regarding respiratory problems because these litters are dust-free and non-allergenic (I am allergic to dust, so it has to be. That’s why the wood pellets never worked for me).

Kittens are notorious for eating litter, so it would be really bad if they made anything that could not be eaten by a kitten.

But of course, if the litter in the US is different, then don’t – but I do think you should check out the more expensive litters and see if you don’t have anything similar.

[Deleted User]

Well, I’m in Canada where we don’t have as big of a variety as in the U.S. or at least not here in the boonies where I am. Also, Europe sometimes leads the way with ‘green’ or novel pet products… but you are right if I researched it I should find a good one too. I just live so far from the city, at my store here I get like two options and both bad. LOL. But I need hay in my rabbits’ litter or they will get messy with stray littering… so… I will stick to the old cardboard strips with smellly wet hay! At least it gets them to keep up clean habits.

[Jessi]

Thanks for all the responses! I just have a few more questions.

I think i might as well try the vinager to clean the cage and see if that helps. What is a good solution of winager and water to use? And so there is no difference in the type of vinager used right?

Also, What is rodalon?

Eventually i plan to expaned her cage when i get the extra money and i was thinking of using lenulium for the flooring. Would that work well?

Thank you all so so so much!!

[Monkeybun]

I use 50/50 vinegar/water. Seems to work pretty good. Just plain white vinegar.

[Karla]

Posted By Jessi on 11/08/2010 09:51 PM

Thanks for all the responses! I just have a few more questions.

I think i might as well try the vinager to clean the cage and see if that helps. What is a good solution of winager and water to use? And so there is no difference in the type of vinager used right?

You don’t need that much vinegar actually. It works in small doses. And no there is no difference. White vinegar is for cooking, but they both do the same trick. One is just cheaper than the other. It’s like white and brown eggs. Browns – here at least – are cheaper because they are for cooking while the whites ones are meant for being served at the table

If the room smells at bit as well you can also pour some vinegar in a bowl and place it next to the cage, so it takes away the smell. It wll not smell of vinegar after a few minutes

Also, What is rodalon?

Oh sorry. I actually thought Rodalon was an international brand. It is a disinfection solution for pet areas – harmless and removes the smell straight away while killing all bacterias. However, I just googled it and it seems to be only available here. Sorry for the confusion

Eventually i plan to expaned her cage when i get the extra money and i was thinking of using lenulium for the flooring. Would that work well?

Thank you all so so so much!!

Linoleum would work well. It might be slippery for bunny feets though – mine would not like it but bunnies are so different so do give it a go.

 

Best of luck.

 

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