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Bunny Urine Odor

22 10:33:27

Question
I've had my lop eared bunny for about 2 months now and absolutely love him!  
But the last month or so, he urine has smelled really bad.  I was just
wondering if theres a certain kind of wood chips I can use to help it smell
better.  I hate the thought of having to keep him in the garage.
Any advice you could give me would be very much appreciated.
Thanks!
Michelle

Answer
Dera Michelle,

If your bunny isn't neutered, then neutering will help reduce the urine smell, which he "improves" with scent musk upon sexual maturity.  YOu don't say how old he is, but this can happen as young as 3-4 months with a male, and a little later for a female.

But if the problem is just litterbox odor, then that's easy to solve.  We use Feline Pine or other pelleted sawdust as litter, covered with a thin layer of soft hay to encourage bun to sit in the box and "do his business" on a comfortable surface.  The pellets completely absorb moisture and neutralize odor.  And with a single bunny, you probably won't have to change the box more than every 3-4 days, depending on how much he pees. (Herbivores pee more than dogs or cats, so that's the main reason for changing the litter.)

When you change the litterbox, be *sure* to rinse it thoroughly with the hose, to remove any pee residue, which will break down into stinky ammonia compounds very quickly.  The pelleted sawdust itself makes fantastic compost, and you can dump it directly into your garden to enrich the soil.  (Just hose it in, and no more smell!)

Wood shavings, paper litters and clay just do NOT absorb odor the way sawdust pellets do.  Once you've tried them, you'll never use anything else.

Hope that helps!

Dana