rabbit smells of urine

Question
We recently got a dwarf rabbit, she is about 6-7 months old and she has been letting off an odor (like a urine smell) We've tried different products from the pet store to try to help with the smell, but can't seem to get rid of it.  Could this be because she is in heat?  How can we get rid of this smell?

Answer
Dear Julie,

Have you checked her back end or other areas to see if she has been leaking urine on herself?  If so, it can dry into the fur and start to smell pretty ripe.  And it means she has some sort of urinary tract problem that needs the attention of a good rabbit vet.  Rabbits don't normally smell of urine.  Please read:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/urinary.html

and find a good vet here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

For the time being, you can make her smell better by applying a small amount of baby cornstarch to the affected areas and very gently combing it out (rabbit skin is as fragile as tissue paper, so be careful!) with a soft brush or fine-toothed flea comb.  This will remove stinky residue and keep her comfortable.

If she does NOT have any urine residue in her fur, then the smell you're detecting could be her musk, which will become more pronounced at sexual maturity.  Having her spayed will not only reduce the smell, but also prevent uterine cancer, which is a very high risk in unspayed, unbred female rabbits.

Finally, be sure the smell is coming from the rabbit, and not just her litterbox area.  If you don't thoroughly rinse the litterbox or toilet area between litter changes, you'll have a bad smell developing as the urine deteriorates into ammonia.  It also helps to use a pelleted sawdust litter (e.g., Feline Pine or wood stove pellets from Home Depot or other large hardward outlet), which destroys odor better than any other type of litter.

Hope this helps.

Dana