Stinky, Stinky Foster Bunnies, What Do I Do?!

[BUNNYFOOFOO823]

Hello Everyone!

So I had written to Beka earlier today and she thought it would be a good idea for me to repost my issue here.

So those of you who know me know I have a little Lionhead Mix named TigerLily, my husband got her for me as a gift in the early summer months when she was just a little baby. In Oct. we got her spayed and as a Christmas present Eddy got me a male Bunny for TigerLily to fall in love with (a male bunny of ehr choice of course!)

So Sunday we dropped her off at a Local Bunny MatchMaker who runs a rescue and in turn for her keeping TL there and bonding her I took in two of her rabbits who are already bonded.

Her rabbits are not indoor bunnies but she has a beautiful set up outdoors and the rabbits live outside. Well I don’t know if this is the cause of this dilema or not but my house stinks!!!!

Never in my life have I been the sort of person to allow my house to smell as I am a constant cleaner! Clean A Holic! I have two greyhounds and we all live in a Moderately sized 1bd Apt.

The rabbit matchmaker gave me a box of fresh veggies to give them, her rabbit normally do not eat pellets she said (i dunno how I personally feel about this as I follow the Binky Bunny diet recommendations but oh well)

So the rabbits just reek and theyre stinking up my whole house it was so awful today when I got home from grocery shopping that I almost wanted to return her rabbits to her and get back my TigerLily but she is a good friend and I didnt want to hurt her feelings. Can someone please help me? I am keeping these rabbits until next week. Should I just deal with it, my bunny is bonding nicely to a sweet sweet hotot and I dont want to ruin the match. Does anyone have suggestions for the smell!

Thank you Kindly, stinky in California

 

 

 

 

 

[Beka27]

well, i’ve been wracking my brain to try and thing of what it could be that’s making them smell, besides illness.

are they litterboxed trained at the rescue? are they using a box at your house and is it possible that they’re peeing over the side and you’re not noticing it to clean it up? is the ground underneath or to the sides of the box damp?  is it possible they are spraying the walls with urine and you’re not noticing?  have they been marking the new area with poop?

have you looked at the bunnies themselves? are there poops or cecals stuck to their bottoms or their feet? does their fur smell, how often are they groomed with a brush at the rescue? can you take them outside (somewhere secure) and try to brush them out very well… you say they don’t get pellets. have you given them any since they’ve been with you? suddenly introducing or increasing pellets could cause excess cecals…

you said in your email that their feet were urine-stained. can you try to give them a foot bath (ONLY wash their feet and between their toes gently). it won’t take out the yellow color, but i wonder if their feet might be stinky…

what types of veggies are they eating?

can you pinpoint what the smell is… is it urine, feces… something else?

someone else might have other suggestions or ideas…

[Cassi&Charlie]

I think if you can give us an idea of what the smell is then we might be able to help more.

I bunnysat recently and those bunnies stunk as well. It was an ammonia smell and I couldn’t get rid of it. The only way I could minimize it was by cleaning their pen out daily with a vinegar mix and changing their litter boxes constantly. Even then there was a funky smell. It was nasty!

[BUNNYFOOFOO823]

Gosh it smells like pungent wet soil. This is the only way I can describe it. But when I sniff the bunnies they are the ones who smell it is a smell that is stuck on them.

I cleaned out the litter pan today and they are very well litter trained they do leave a few poops outside but i think its just them marking in a new place. I moved the condo and the floor was fine and I actually used the steam cleaner on it in case they had peed and i missed it.

The bottom of the cage is lined with Industrial plastic so are the sides about half way up, the floor is dry and clean with the exception of those few stray poops. Their poops are larger than my bunny’s but these are way larger rabbits.

The box of veggies i was given has broccoli, romaine lettuce, some reddish colored lettuce, carrots and parsley.

Do you all think my bunny will come back smelly? Oh my god if she did my husband would kill me! He adores her!

[Hedi]

What if its the veggies she is giving those rabbits? Some people really believe in the ALL VEGGIE diet and if done correctly can be fine. But most pet rabbits really need pellets for the extra nutrients.

Maybe specific veggies make them stink? Or maybe their scent glands really need a good cleaning? Have you checked their scent glands?

[BUNNYFOOFOO823]

Well I thought it was the scent glands and i checked them but theyre clean, the matchmaker checks everyone often since they are outdoors. I think it may indeed be the veggies

Im kind of concerned about this when I get the male bunny my TigerLily picked, how do i get him on a regular diet like what TigerLily is used to? Will this harm him?

[2lops]

I use instant shampoo for my buns. To be honest, it smells sooo good LOL! It’s called Quick & Clean and all you do is massage it into their fur and than brush them (to get excess fur out). There is also Clean Critter wipes,they smell the exact same but I like the shampoo (spray) better. If you can find this in your area I would deff recommend it. (:

here’s a link:

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2753363

[jerseygirl]

Bunny Matchmaker! Now there’s a job!

Could be the broccoli is the culprit. The red lettuce most likely make the urine appear darker but don’t think it make it smell from experience. Might be that you are just used to Tigerlily’s smell (if any) also. The Matchmaker mightn’t even notice the smell with these too. Did you notice it at the rescue also?

I think the diet change for TL’s boyfriend would be ok as long as it’s done gradually. It is possible to keep him on veg+hay diet though.

Hope the smell doesn’t hang around when the other too come home. Goodluck de-stinky and TL bonding vibes!

[jerseygirl]

Another question – what sex are the two rabbits you are bun sitting? It’s possible one may be un neutered or un spayed which would cause pee to be smelly.

[BUNNYFOOFOO823]

Hello Jerseygirl, one is a female and one is a male but they are both spayed / neutered. I think I might cut that broccoli for a day or two and see what happens. I will def. be steam cleaning the room before my bun comes back home. As for the smell at the rescue I guess I did not notice it because we were outdoors so it was hard to tell. I am hoping I either get used to this smell and forget it or it goes away.

2lops I am going to take a look at petco for that shampoo! The Bunny my girl picked is a hotot and has some stains on his footsies while I know the stains stay for a while until new fur grows i figure this might help the process along.

Thank you everyone for responding to my odd post. lol. My grandma was a super duper clean freak and i guess it rubbed off on me, Im just always afraid of having a stinky home

[jerseygirl]

Ooooh! Is that the new bun in your siggy? They’ll be a cute pair – love that name too!

[BUNNYFOOFOO823]

Yeah they are doing really well they liked eachother from the moment they saw eachother it was the cutest thing I ever saw!

We picked Takoda b/c it is Sioux for Friend of Everyone and he is so friendly and sweet it just suited him

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Catching up here…so it’s their fur that smells bad? If that’s right I’d just do like 2lops suggested-the instant shampoo -that’d probably take care of the problem right away

[Beka27]

how long are you going to have them for? you can try the shampoo, it might not work, but who knows, it may make it better…

now i’m concerned about your Tigerlily and her new beau. is she housing them outside while they bond?

[Cassi&Charlie]

That is exactly how the bunnies I was bunsitting smelled! Wet stnky soil. The 1st thing I did was change the litter that I was using. She had bought wood pellets and I thought it was making it worse so I started using the recycled paper one that I use.
I’m not sure if it was the veggies – and I would say broccoli wouldn’t be the culprit because my bunnies get broccoli all the time and they smell as fresh as a daisy
I couldn’t get the smell to go away completely but by changing their litter tray constantly I could make it less odorous. My conclusion on the smell was that the litter trays weren’t cleaned as often as mine are and when the bunnies sat in them the smell clung to their fur. It’s gross. I really sympathize!

[RabbitPam]

I think the broccoli could be the culprit, if it gives them gas. They can go without it for a week since they eat such a variety of other veggies.

I would suggest getting a couple of boxes of baking soda and putting them in a save place near the bunnies but where they can’t get at them. I have an open box under my TV, which is near her cage and has NIC cubes fencing it off. That way it’s low, absorbs odor, and the bunny can’t eat it.

You might check where you empty the litter, and if it can be covered, try that. I sprinkle baking soda on the bottom of my covered baby pail and then put in a trash bag.

But if it’s the bunnies themselves, a good old washcloth with gentle pet or natural baby shampoo could wipe down some smelly parts below. Hang in there. It’s only a week. Prepare to give your own two a quick bath when they get home. Not submerged, but maybe a good brushing as well.

[BUNNYFOOFOO823]

She is 😐 being kept outside But i asked her if she could bring her inside because it has been really cold here and she is not used to the weather.

I am going to return the stinky buns on Saturday and I think I am going to bring my TigerLily and her boyfriend home, do you guys think this is a bad idea? they have been in the bonding process since last Sunday.

Please advise

[MooBunnay]

I think it is a good idea for you to bring them home – if it were me I wouldn’t be very comfortable with my bunnies being kept outside in the winter. If they are not totally done bonding, you may have to continue the process yourself, so I would recommend reading up on this website and also maybe http://www.rabbit.org about bonding in case you need to continue the process yourself. I used to live in LA, so I know it doesn’t get THAT cold, but you probably want to get her back to an environment she is familiar with.

Also, as far as diet, try to convert Takoda to the BinkyBunny recommended diet once you get them home, all of my bunnies follow the BB diet and have been doing very well with it. As far as pellets, they are not exactly necessary, but I like to feed a Tablespoon in the morning and one in the evening to each bunny, and it helps me keep updated with the bunny’s health because if they don’t go crazy for their pellets I know they are not feeling well

[Hedi]

I agree w/ Moobunnay- I would see if you can just go get your bun and her new friend and bring them home. Continue bonding them in your home. It will be a little confusing anyways for Tigerlily to be in a strange home and then be put outside which is abnormal for her.

My buns get pellets in the morning and then their veggies in the evening for dinner. Most of them take their time and snack on their pellets throughout the day. Using pellets will ensure they get all the nutrition you need. And if they are timothy based they wont make your bunnies chunky.

[bunnytowne]

Yes definitely bring them home.  Especially with the smell too.    so by now have you got them home?   How r they doing?

[BUNNYFOOFOO823]

I brought them home on Wednesday, and Eddy and I had to bathe Takoda because he had that same awful smell.

Luckily his litter habits are better than those fosters. I was able to get the smell out of my carpet but the yellowish tinge is still there
I’m going to have to hire Stanley Steamer to come

The buns are doing good, they have shared veggies and the mounting has really subsided. They have been grooming each other and also laying besides each other. I am hoping that once I get back from my Trip we can start to let them be together in one cage during the day while I am able to supervise.

[jerseygirl]

What have you used on the carpet so far? I would be hesitant about the steam cleaning as this can set the stain and cause the smell to come back. Try some other remedies before you spend the $$.

For stain: Spray with solution of 3% hydrogen peroxide and white vinegar. The peroxide should bubble a bit and pull the proteins up. Don’t rub the carpet, just blot the solution out and repeat as necessary.

If you’ve already used another product, use white vinegar first, blot, then the peroxide/ vinegar solution.

If it’s all not working, maybe try just the 3% hydrogen peroxide?
If the smell is still an issue, use a enzyme washing powder with not bleach or perfumes. The enzyme is supposed to break down the protein molecule.

I have not tried these sloutions but have heard they’ve been successful. I’ve only even used white vinegar on carpet before.

[BUNNYFOOFOO823]

Thanks Jersey! I am going to go buy some White Vinegar tomorrow (i ran out) and try this. I will let you know if it works! To make matters worse my dog found the area the bunnies peed on and peed on it herself ::slaps hand on forehead:: I’m hoping to clean it up better with the vinegar and hydrogen peroxide. I’ll let you know how it goes!

[RachelF]

aww doggie pee and bunny pee = doubld disaster!

hope you find time to relax and stop cleaning overtime very soon!

[jerseygirl]

Ha ha! So after posting the carpet method ^^ I thought I should give it a try on an old coffee stain! I put peroxide straight on then sprayed over with vinegar and rubbed lightly with fingers. Then I stood on a towel to get moisture out the carpet.   It hasn’t made all that much differance so far :o( but then it hasn’t completely dried yet. Think it’s worth a try though and the products have no bad effects on the carpet. Maybe you have to deal with coffee and milk proteins differently. Or maybe the technique was wrong!

You can get the 3% peroxide in supermarkets and chemist usually. Good luck with the Pee wars……

[Hedi]

If you guyz need something to get animal pee stains out of carpet I have one for you….

Here in the states we have OxyClean. You can buy it in powder form and it comes in a tub w/ a measuring cup in it. Take one measuring cup full of the OxyClean and place in a bowl. Then fill that bowl w/ VERY hot water and mix. It gets kinda bubbly. Pour directly onto the stain completely and give it a few minutes and then go back and scrub it w/ a clean towel. It may not look great after your scrub it BUT once it dries the stain is gone. EVEN works on old stains. My MotherInLaw does this when the buns visit at her house and leave a spot. Works perfectly!

http://www.oxiclean.com/products.asp?MainNav=Products

[jerseygirl]

I think I’ve heard of that, or seen some demo where the dip stuff in it. Is it like a washing powder? We have Napisan Oxy in Aus which I think would be similar.

[RabbitPam]

There’s also a product called “Nature’s Miracle” that I’ve heard highly recommended. It’s safe for cleaning your pet’s area and it says it takes out stains. I used it once on a stain somewhere and it worked well. I now see it sold in all 3 pet stores I frequent for supplies, and you could check at WalMart.

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