Stinky Bunny!

[Candle]

We’re not sure if Bunita peed on Unibunny or what has happened but he smells so strongly of pee. I change their litterbox every 2 days and his bum area still looks clean. I know I’m not supposed to bath him but how do I get the smell out? Bunita doesn’t smell at all!

Also I use Pine shavings, I find if I clean it every 2 days it keeps the stink down. Their feet aren’t stained. (I mean his feet aren’t sparkling white either but it’s not really very yellow or gross or anything) It’s just the awful smell!

Can I rub him down with a damp very diluted soapy cloth?

Oh, and they’re both neutered/spayed

[vanessa]

If I had a really stinky bunny, I woudl go ahead and bath him, take time to towel dry him thoroughly, then gently blow dry. And check the scent glands while you are at it… I wouldn’t use a soapy cloth rub coz that doesn’t rinse the soap off. I’d go ahead and bath him. Others may have a different opinion.

[Mikey]

First off, pine isnt safe for rabbits. Youll have to switch litters, the sooner the better

Two of my bunnies love to sleep in their litter box sometimes and it leaves them smelling like pee for a day. Possible your bun is taking naps in the litter box?

[vanessa]

Yeah, Mikey is right about that. Pine shavings bad. They can cause liver problems. I hear pine pellets not so bad (although I don’t use them), but pine shavings definitely bad. I used pine shavings before I knew any better many years ago, and I didn’t find they helped with the odor. I like hardwood wood pellets, or horse bedding pellets with a layer of hay to keep the bunnies off the pellets. Bunny sleeping in the litter box is a good theory for why he smells. Aside from whether you want to clean him or not – it might be helpful to find out if this is why he smells. There was a while when two of my bunnies were sleeping in their box. They didnt’ smell, so I didn’t do anything about it, I just kept the top layer of hay fresh so they weren’t on the wet pellets. I don’t remember what made them stop sleeping in their box

[Candle]

Really? I definitely thought I was told pine was fine. Oops Are there any other wood shavings that are safe? We used to use http://www.petsmart.ca/small-pet/bedding-litter/carefresh-complete-natural-trade-small-pet-bedding-zid36-25684/cat-36-catid-600012?var_id=36-25684&_t=pfm%3Dcategory this kind of stuff. It was great for keeping the smell down but it was just too expensive so we switched to shavings. The smell isn’t masked with this stuff but again, cheaper. Any other kinds that I could find at a pet store or something?

Anyway I notice Bunita naps in there often, she’s just not the stinky one. Unibunny likes napping on our rug under the dresser, he normally hops in the box, eats and poops and leaves.

Oh, and I always put a layer of hay on top of the litter so it shouldn’t be quite as nasty right?

Update: Ooh! does this look safe? http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/hardwood-pellets-40-lb-0642776p.html

[Mikey]

The carefresh is safe to use as litter, but make sure your bunnies dont eat it On the hardwood pellets, Im not sure. I know some are safe, but Im not sure which ones. Many members use safe wood pellets, so Im sure someone will pop in and let you know soon enough

If its not uncommon for her to possibly mark him, or if she is shedding or going through a hormonal phase, then it should be safe to assume that. Have you checked his scent glands?

[Candle]

I’ve never cleaned their scent glands.I didn’t know how or if it was something that is better to leave to itself like dogs glands but I’ll check them out now

Update: I looked up a couple of videos on youtube and tried it but he was absolutely terrified and I wasn’t comfortable enough to be able to do it quickly. I couldn’t even see the areas because his hair is so fluffy and any time I touched around there he freaked out. Is it worth paying a vet to do it or should I just try it again? I feel like I would need 5 minutes of him just chilling so I could look around and see what I’m doing and obviously he doesn’t have that kind of tolerence.

I gave him lots of cuddles after and just sat him up and kind of lightly touched over him just so it wasn’t as scary. Maybe I’ll work up to it?

NEW UPDATE: We had success! I managed to get him into the position where he didn’t fight anymore. If the glands weren’t the main cause of the smell they were definitely a part of it. I finally got a look and it stunk so bad (however it might have just been his whole self). From videos I saw though the other rabbits had dark brown gunk/little chunkies but Unibunny just had orange waxy stuff. I wouldn’t even say there was a lot compared to what I saw in the videos but yeah. So hopefully he’ll smell less by tomorrow but I am thinking of just filling the tub with maybe an inch or half an inch of warm water just so his bum and feet get a little bit rinsed off. 

He’s laying down now, it was probably stressful but I’m glad it’s done and I now know what I need to do more

[Deleted User]

For litter I use a mixture of 50% hard wood pellets (the kind used to burn in pellet stoves) make sure it does not have accelerant in it. And, 50% Sophresh fast absorbing paper pellets. It has baking soda in the pellets for oder control. The baking soda is not on the outside where it can be a problem to your buns respiratory system. I then line with hay and every day when I refresh his hay I take the old uneaten hay and add that to the litter pan and refresh his eating hay. I change his litter at least twice a week. I have NO oder. 

[Deleted User]

I forgot to say I get the wood pellets from our local farm store. Its around $6. for a 40# bag.

The Sophresh that I buy is here –  http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=32252

[Mikey]

To clean him off, its better to get a warm damp towel and rub down the bun instead of putting them in water to soak

How is the smell today since the cleaning?

[tobyluv]

Those hardwood pellets that you linked to must be plain ones and free of accellerants, since it says they are safe for pet bedding, so they would be okay to use in a litter box. The only wood shavings that are safe that I know of are aspen shavings. Aspen pellets are good too. That’s what I use, the brand is Aspen Supreme. The least expensive litter will be the wood stove pellets or the horse stall pellets.

[vanessa]

I loke wood stove (hardwood) pelletd and horse stable pellets. If a wood stove pellet has an accelerant in it, it shoudl be labeled on the bag, and it is worthles as a woodstove pellet with an accelerant anyay, because you want those things to burn slowley. If an accellerated wod stove pellet burns super quick, then your fire is out in no time. If they have accellerants, they are probably labled “fire starter”. I may be wrong on that label, but acellerants ae labled on wood pellets. If you don’t want to mess with the labeling, the horse stable pellets are about the same price, dirt cheap, and available at feed stores.

I clean Lancelot’s scent glands every weekend with a warm wet cotton bud. They can cause quite a funk…

[Candle]

So I did dip him in a little shallow bit of water, since then the smell has been gone and he was a little trooper. I changed the litter and nothing stinks anymore. Yay!

[RubyTuesday]

Pine is actually fine if kiln dried, but horse stall litter/ wood stove pellets work better for the smell trust me!

[Author]

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