If you’re the proud new owner of an adorable rabbit, one of your main concerns is probably cage maintenance and hygiene, and you must clean your furry friend’s cage. How and how often should you clean a rabbit’s cage?
You should clean a rabbit’s cage once daily by doing a spot clean. A spot clean involves removing messes, washing out bowls and water bottles, and removing uneaten food. Once every week or second week, a rabbit’s cage needs to be cleaned thoroughly by removing the bedding and disinfecting every item.
Rabbits are not dirty creatures; they can get grumpy or even aggressive if left in poor living conditions. Keep reading with us as we discuss how you can go about cleaning your rabbit’s cage to keep them clean and healthy!
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Cleaning Your Rabbit’s Cage Correctly
As mentioned, your rabbit’s cage should be spot-cleaned and checked each day, with a more intense clean every week or every other week.
Effectively cleaning your rabbit’s cage is not only extremely helpful for hygiene but also important, as it is a way to monitor your rabbit’s feces and urine output. If you notice any changes, you can catch it early and take your rabbit to the vet for a checkup.
How often you clean your rabbit cage may depend on how messy your rabbit is, as well as the size of the cage.
Let’s take a more in-depth approach to how often you should clean your rabbit’s cage and how you can practice the cleaning process correctly:
How To Spot Clean Your Rabbit’s Cage Daily
It would be best to spot-clean your rabbit’s cage daily, and it’s not complicated or time-consuming! You will find that practicing a spot-clean every day will make it much easier for you when it’s time to deep clean your rabbit’s cage, and it will keep your bunny’s house smelling clean and fresh!
A spot clean involves removing any leftover fresh foods from your rabbit’s cage. This includes lettuce, cucumber, and lettuce, along with any other foods that can perish.
If you provide your rabbit with feeding pellets, you can salvage the ones and place them aside while you wash the food bowl and place them back into the clean bowl. However, you should get rid of any feeding pellets that have been spilled.
You should also empty and wash the water bottle, using a bottle brush with hot water and dishwashing soap. Water bottles are a great and cost-effective way for your rabbit to have access to water at all times. You can refill the water bottle when you’re done cleaning it. However, if you use a water bowl, you can wash the water bowl as you would the feeding bowl.
You should also clean any messes such as urine clumps and water spills, remove any soiled or wet litter with a scoop, and add more if necessary.
How To Do A Thorough Clean Of A Rabbit’s Cage Weekly
It would help to pick the same day each week to perform a more thorough clean of your rabbit’s cage and make sure you stick to it!
It is essential for your rabbit’s health to do a deep clean of its cage. It involves several things, such as removing your rabbit from its cage, disinfecting every nook and cranny, and replacing the bedding entirely.
However, the once-a-week rule could depend on several factors, such as the size of the cage or enclosure and how well your rabbit has been litter trained.
Additionally, it may also be good to note that if you have more than one rabbit, you may need to deep-clean the cage more often. Also, if your rabbit isn’t particularly messy, you can also choose to do a deep clean once every two weeks, with daily spot checks in between.
When you do a deep clean of your rabbit’s cage, make sure you place them in a secure place where they won’t be able to escape or be harmed by other animals that might be close.
Remove all your rabbit’s accessories and toys and wash them thoroughly using soap and warm water. Next, you have to disinfect your rabbit’s cage thoroughly.
You can make use of vinegar to help remove any stubborn smells or stains of urine. If you have a cage smaller in size, you can even take it apart and rinse it with a garden hose outside or place it in your bathtub.
However, remember that any disinfectant you use on your cage, toys, or accessories should be rinsed well! Also, disinfectant cleaners are unsuitable for wooden cages, as the wood could soak up the chemicals if it has not been adequately sealed.
A good disinfectant option would be one part bleach to ten parts water; you can use this for any of your rabbit’s supplies.
Allow the cage and any other items of your choice to soak in your bleach solution for half an hour, and remember to rinse everything well!
You should also remove and wash any fabric bedding and replace it with clean and fresh bedding before placing your rabbit back into its cage.
However, if you use blankets, sheets, or any other fabric as bedding in your rabbit’s cage, you should wash it in your washer and never hand wash it.
Using hot water and an unscented detergent for sensitive skin will ensure your rabbit’s delicate skin isn’t exposed to harsh scents or chemicals.
Also, washing your rabbit’s bedding at the highest temperature will effectively remove any stains, kill bacteria, and prevent illnesses caused by lingering moisture.
Lastly, you should also pay attention to cleaning around your rabbit’s cage or enclosure. Rabbits could be messy, even in the areas around their cages. Make sure to wipe down any soiled spots on the floor and walls.
If you want to go the extra mile, you can also vacuum the general habitat to promote cleanliness and prevent any bacteria in the area around your rabbit’s cage!
Conclusion
A good way to make sure you clean out your rabbit’s cage regularly would be to establish a fixed routine. Find the time of day that suits you and try your best to stick to it. Your happy and healthy bunny will thank you for your efforts!
