Do Rabbits smell?
By jenniesawdon
@jenniesawdon (68)
May 17, 2007 8:13am CST
After a previous discussion on MyLot about keeping rabbits inside or out, I finally decided that when I eventually get my rabbit I was going to keep it indoors. Now I am being told that Rabbits smell really bad. Is this true and if so how do you live with it indoors. I do not want to keep my Rabbit outside as I been told a horrible story about a fox chewing through a cage, you can imagine how it ended.
Help, my poor future Rabbit.
4 people like this
12 responses
@gizmo528 (731)
• United States
17 May 07
Their urine is what smells bad but you can buy some drops to put into their water that sort of stops it from smelling bad. The drops may not work for all rabbits. Just be sure to clean the cage every few days and if it's really bad do it 2 or 3 times a day. It's not as bad as you might think. Rabbits do shed about twice a year, spring and fall, so during that time you may have to clean the cage more because of the loose hair. Our rabbit is currently shedding now so the bottom of her cage is kinda full so it's going to be changed in about 10 minutes. Good luck and have fun.
@Pigglies (9329)
• United States
18 May 07
I'm always a bit wary of those types of things... where you alter the composition of their urine. I wonder exactly how it changes it and what health effects that may have on their kidneys and bladders in the long run.
When a rabbit is shedding, they should be brushed out more. Even with that, you'll still often get hair all over the room. You should NOT however be seeing hair in the poop and litterbox. If you are, you're not brushing enough and you're risking serious health problems from hair accumulation.
1 person likes this
@gizmo528 (731)
• United States
18 May 07
That is very true and which is why I haven't used the drops into the water. I try not using anything that has alot of chemicals in it. She gets brushed everyday and that does help alot with keeping the loose fur down. Whatever loose fur that falls off during the day falls down into another litter pan, that she doesn't get to, and we pull that out at night and throw it away.
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@02FreeSpirit22 (99)
• United States
22 Jun 07
I have learned cleanliness is the only way to keep the smell away. Change the food regularly, make sure to clean up anything uneaten. I clean the rest of cage every other day, and brush my rabbits frequently, as alot of debris and food get stuck in their thick fur. Just be carefull when brushing them, it seems there skin may be sensitive. But No I haven't noticed any normal fowl smell coming from the rabits themselves.
@hermitcrabheaven (645)
• United States
17 Jul 07
Yes, rabbits do smell. Their urine is very, very potent. However, you can litter train a rabbit. It's supposed to be easier to litter train an older rabbit. You can also put a container in the corner where your rabbit usually "goes." If you clean your rabbit cage, and litter box regularly, you will be able to keep the little guy in the house. Many can be trained to come to you when you have treats, or when you open the fridge. It knows it's going to get a treat, so it will come to you.
I had 2 rabbits when I was in high school. My parents made me keep them outside, and we lived in the country. I had them for about 5 years or so, before I gave them away to a younger girl. They had nice sturdy cages and there was never any sign of another critter trying to get through their cage. :o)
@Pigglies (9329)
• United States
18 May 07
It depends on how often you clean. My rabbits are litterbox trained and I change the boxes at least daily. You can't even tell that I have pets. People who come over are always amazed.
If you have a rabbit in a tiny cage that's cleaned once a week, it's going to smell. Especially if the rabbit isn't neutered.
You should look into some info on reputable rabbit rescue pages to learn more about rabbits. I'd recommend www.rabbit.org and www.bunnybunch.org (even if they aren't in your area, both have excellent educational information).
@samson1967 (7414)
• India
17 May 07
Rabbits do not smell, but their urine do smell. If you can clean its cage twice daily, then you can keep them indoors. They are very pretty pets.
@OURDEW (4809)
• United States
18 May 07
I have a bunny and I keep it inside. My bunny has a litter box in his cage. It doesn't smell bad at all. I clean it once a day. I let the bunny run around in the kitchen, but they like to eat electrical cords, so you have to keep the cords away. Good luck with your bunny.
@PsychoDude (2013)
• Netherlands
17 May 07
You can keep your rabbit outside at height, just one of those cages like a meter above the ground or so on a platform. Foxes won't be able to reach to it.
And bunnies do quite tend to smell, but every pet does, you won't smell it yourself though as you get used to it but mainly others will smell it.
@ahrens12904 (33)
• United States
17 May 07
I have a pair of rabbits who just had babies they are in my room. I clean their cage every 2 days and that keeps the cage from stinking.
@chluvcw (31)
• United States
17 Jun 07
Yep, they do...it isnt too bad if you keep the cage clean. We keep ours indoors in a 5 foot long rabbit run. And we clean it out twice a day. She is littered trained and for the most part will urinate in her litter, but she does poop all over her cage, and we have found that on some days her poop does smell worse than others. We also let her out for some play time while we clean out her cage. She likes to play with one of our cats, lol.
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