Smelly Bunny - Help Please

LizD_2

Hi

Welcome to the forum!

I have Guinea Pigs, rather than rabbits but they are both social creatures that benefit from being with others of their own kind. You'd be best to get two small ones (depending on size of home) such as netherland dwarfs or mini-lops. I can't help with the litter training, but possibly they could live in a large enclosure when you're out to prevent chewing when you can't supervise them?
Please also consider getting some from a rescue centre rather than a petshop, I know animal homes usually have lots of bunnies looking for new loving homes.

try googling "house rabbits" for advice.

Good luck and don't forget to post a picture!

Binbun

Hi

I agree with Lucianne... scented sawdust and woodshavings are a no-no for bunny litter, its toxic for them.

Any sawdust really is out as its so fine it can cause them respiritory problems and sore eyes. Don't be temped to get wood shavings from a saw mill either as its not filtered so full of dust and splinters. The clump forming litter isnt any good for buns as it can cause them problems with their Urinary tract. Bunnies love to kick and sniff around in their litter tray and often chew it too.

I have have a pair of bonded house rabbits which are litter trained, a 6 year old male lion head lop (Humphrey) and a 2 year old female lion head dwarf (Hele). I've used Bio-Catalet from Sainsbury for a number of years its the best I have found, and its great for the composter. A tray lasts just under a week and doesn't smell unpleasant at all. As buns tend to go in the same place it can get damp in one spot. Buns are very clean animals and don't like putting their feet in it if its damp. So if you shake the tray to evenly distribute the damp litter and place a little hay in the tray they will sit on top of the hay and you get full use of the paper litter, and the buns will chew on the hay while they're sat there.

Bunnies that are neutered tend to produce less smell! It also calms them down so it helps if chewing cables is a problem! Bunnies that chew on your wires or furniture can be because they are bored. The rabbitrehome.org.uk and houserabbit.co.uk websites offer lots of advise and links to suppliers of wood and cardboard toys and cable covers to protect your wiring. Humphrey developed a taste for my cordless phone power lead !!Ouch!! I managed to pick up some cable covers from Ikea for a couple of quid. They consist of a two of corrugated/concertina type thick plasic tubes which can be cut to lengh and a set of cable ties. These work a treat and come in black or white. However, since I have bonded him with a lady bunny he is other wise occupied and doesn't chew anything he shouldn't any more!

Hope this is useful.

Binny

Binbun

Hi

Don't worry about a bun being alone through the day. They are only active roughtly dawn and dusk, so sleep most of the day while you are out.

Having a bonded pair of rabbits is the best way to stop bunnies getting lonely or up to mischief. If you get a bunny please don't buy from a breeder or petshop have a look on the rabbitrehome.org.uk website for your local rehome centre. They do a fantastic job on donations from the public and have so many lovely healthy bunnies; babies to adults and many already house trained, neutered etc. and are well worth contacting. They will give you lots of advise for a new rabbit owner and provide you with a book usually which tells you just about all you need to know.

Explaining house training would take up quite a bit of space here, but have a look at this site http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/litter.html. Its an american site but this advise works.

Binny

ps... can someone tell me why I have a smiley waving a finger at me at the bottom of my posts?????

mandy_moo_1

Binbun wrote:

ps... can someone tell me why I have a smiley waving a finger at me at the bottom of my posts?????

LOL!!! you've put him in your signature line!!!
If you go to the brown strip near the top of this page and click on user cp then on the left hand side of the page that comes up, click on edit signature and you can make up a signature for yourself

chatta

After my rabbit ate my sofa, I found it a new home never had problems with smells after that.

livingdoll

I have two rabbits and they have a litter tray. I buy woodshavings from a local dog/cat kennels and i only pay around £4 for a HUGE bag. I only have to get around two of them a year and i change the litter daily! So look around DONT just go to the local pet shop they are always expensive!!!

Fleur_2

antikewl wrote:

We have a pair of semi-free range house mini lops who have a tray of Bio-Catolet to go in. It's made of recycled newspaper and doesn't smell too bad. It's changed either every day or every other day if it's not messy.

The 12kg bag is £4.50 in Sainsbury's, so it isn't cheap. But they like it, it's biodegradable and comes in a paper bag (that I can recycle!).

Anyone know where I can get it cheaper? -- even better if they deliver!

I used to use Biocatlet for my cats and my Rabbit (now sadly passed away) but now buy bulk from the internet a brand called Tiddles (how appropriate!)
One big bag (50 ltrs) lasts us about a month and is shared between the cats and our pet rat who is also litter trained (he obviously has his own tray and doesn't share with the Kittneys).
The cats litter is shared between 2 house cats and this litter is as good (if not better) than Biocatlet in the odour controll area.
It is completely safe for other critters as well.

http://www.petcompany.co.uk/acatalog/Online_Catalogue_Litter_and_Accessories_33.html
They usually deliver in 2 - 3 days by courier.

I would be very wary of using any pine based shavings or sawdust for any rabbits as it can cause quite serious respitory problems from the dust as well as pine oils which are released when urine comes in contact with it.
Fruit wood is excellent for them to chomp on - untreated apple tree branches always go down well with bunnies and keeps them from munching on your electric wires.

House rabbits - they are ace!