Rabbit urine can be removed from most surfaces using pure white vinegar or a diluted white vinegar solution. Tough or dried stains may need some time to soak, or they will require the use of stronger chemical cleaners.
The most effective way to remove yellow urine stains on rabbits is to rub corn flour powder into the fur and tease the fur gently with a comb. If the fur is urine-soaked and smells of ammonia, your rabbit will need a wet bath. This can be performed at home or by a vet.
Whenever your rabbit pees or poops outside the litter box, you want to make sure you thoroughly clean it up. Sweep or vacuum up the excess poops, mop up the pee, and use a pet-safe cleaner to disinfect the area.
A stronger deterrent can be to keep a water mister to hand and when you catch your bunny being naughty, spray a mist of cold water over them. Never squirt or spray water directly at them.
Rabbit pee can have a strong smell, and unaltered rabbits (especially males) will sometimes emit a skunk-like smell during mating season. A sick or disabled rabbit will also need a little extra care to keep them clean and smelling good.
The beauty of it is that rabbit urine has no expiry date as long as it is kept covered after harvesting to preserve ammonia.
If your rabbit is pooping/spraying pee everywhere, this is probably due to your rabbit marking his territory. It's a good idea to get your rabbit spayed/neutered in order to ease territorial feelings. Sometimes rabbits deliberately pee on your couch or bed because they're showing you who's Top Bunny in the house.
How often should you clean out your rabbit's litter box? Your bunny's litter box will need to be cleaned every 1-7 days.
Sludge will make the urine look cloudy and murky. When dried, it will have a rough, grey, chalky residue and may even have the consistency of sand. The sludge will often leave traces on the rabbits fur around their hindquarters.
Other causes of unwanted urination
Rabbits may urinate when picked up as a result of fear or stress. Rabbits are prey animals, and getting picked up can stimulate the feeling of being caught by a predator.
Add bedding and hay.
We recommend using CareFresh (a rabbit-safe pet bedding that does not contain any pine or cedar products) and fresh hay to prepare your bunny's litter box. Spread one inch of clean CareFresh covering the bottom of the pan, then add a big handful of hay.
For rabbits, use litter made from aspen shavings or recycled paper. Pine and cedar shavings can be unhealthy for rabbits so they should be avoided.
Help… My Rabbit Stopped Using the Litter Box!
Your rabbit's potty habits can be thrown off by a change in routine, new scenery, unfamiliar humans or animals, an issue with the litter box itself, a medical problem, or even a new life stage.
Urine from a healthy pet, or any animal, shouldn't be harmful. However, if the animal is infected with an illness or bug, it can be dangerous. A common bug that pet rabbits suffer from is Encephalitozoon cuniculi – a microorganism that can cause neurological disease.
The best way to prevent your rabbit from pooping everywhere is to get them spayed or neutered. This will reduce the territorial instincts that cause the rabbit to scatter their droppings. You should also make sure they have a welcoming and easy-to-reach litter box available at all times.
Normal rabbit urine will vary from a pale yellow or clear colour, through various orange and brown colours, right up to a deep red colour. Rabbit urine may also look cloudy due to the presence of calcium carbonate being excreted within the urine.
Private space. Apart from eating these droppings, rabbits are extremely clean animals and like to have their own 'bunny bathrooms' - dedicated areas in their hutch for sleeping, eating and toileting.
Healthy rabbits excrete excess calcium salts via the renal system, and this can give the urine a chalky or opaque appearance. The urine will often dry to a white, chalky residue. Unless the residue is thick, pasty, and the color of mustard powder, this is normal, and should not be considered “sludge.”
As their twitching noses indicate, rabbits sniff a lot. Try sprinkling dried sulfur around or on your plants. Rabbits also dislike the smell of onions, so try planting these around your garden to further deter the furry creatures. To discourage pesky rabbits, try dusting your plants with plain talcum powder.
It's not that rabbits themselves are all that smelly, but for house bunny owners, living spaces can end up a bit stinky. An RHH (Rabbit Hole Hay) fan recently brought it to our attention that there aren't always great resources out there on the topic of reducing unwanted odors from living with rabbits.
The best kind of litter to use for rabbits is a paper based, unscented litter. This has the best absorbency and odor control while also being safe for a rabbit's digestive and respiratory systems.
Rabbits will naturally want to munch on the hay while going to the bathroom. Place the litter box in a corner of your rabbit's cage. Larger cages and cages with multiple levels will need more than one box. If your rabbit is already peeing in one corner of her cage, put the box there.