With its warm days, the changing leaves, and the perpetual chill in the air, Fall is heralding the coming change in weather. There is a certain energy to this change. Maybe its the crisp air, the bright blue sky, or more practically, that you are no longer sweltering under the hot summer sun. Whatever the cause, I find this season perfect for deep cleaning rabbit hutches. Why not during the traditional “Spring Cleaning”? One very simple factor… babies.
February through May are prime times for baby bunnies, called “kits”, to be born and raised. While it is possible to deep clean around them, it may not be safe depending on the cleaners you are using and the kits age. Further, while others have great success with fall litters, so far, I have not. I’m not sure if this is because of something I’m doing or if it’s my does fault. Either way, fall litters haven’t worked well for me. Therefore, fall is when I deep clean rabbit hutches.
Tips on Deep Cleaning a Rabbit Hutch or Cage
There are hundreds of ways to deep clean a rabbit hutch. Ask however many people you like and you will get that many sworn by, “this way or you risk your rabbit’s health” methods. I’m not going to say my way is best. I am always striving to improve, so I’m sure there will be some changes in the future as to how I deep clean rabbit hutches. What I want to do is share my current method, give the reasons for it, and hopefully help you get an idea of where to start for deep cleaning and sanitizing your bunny’s house. Here is my method.
First, I do my best to keep all my cleaning and sanitation as economically and environmentally friendly as possible. This is my supply list: 1 gallon White Vinegar (find it in housewares and it’s cheaper than from the food aisle, but it’s still the same kind of vinegar). Large Spray Bottle with adjustable spray, Rags, 1 gallon bucket, Enzyme Based Cleaner (I use Only Natural Pet, or my favorite, Absolutely Clean Multi-surface Cleaner). Scraper this could be a stick, piece of wood, an old spatula, anything you can use to get to the tough spots. Scrub Brush, Small Animal Bedding this is the second most expensive item on this list. Torch (not something for seeing in the dark, but a hand held, propane torch. Found in the soldering section of your local hardware store.) Large Trashcan 32 gal or similar, 32 gal. Lawn and Leaf Bags and A Nice Sunny Day.
Second, after moving the rabbit into the play yard, and dumping/scraping the dropping tray in the trash, spray the tray with a solution of 1.25:1 vinegar and water and let it dry in the sun. While waiting on the tray to dry, take everything out of the hutch and scrub all the urine buildup off the wire floor with a scrub brush and the enzyme cleaner. If your hutch has a solid bottom, you can still do this. Once your finished, move the hutch outside to an area away from your bunny and use the torch to burn off any leftover hair and dried urine. Make sure you torch both the outside and the inside of the hutch. Please note, torching can not be done with a wood or plastic hutch, as they will burn. Leave the hutch outside to cool and wash the feed and water dishes and any hides or nest boxes with the vinegar solution and set in the sun to dry.
Third, if you don’t have urine guards on the hutch, sometimes even if you do, you will need to wash the walls and floor around the rabbit hutch with the rags and bucket with vinegar solution. You may need to use the scrub brush if the rags are not working well. Then, once everything is dry and the hutch is completely cooled off; put the hutch back inside and all the dishes and any hides/nest boxes back in the hutch. Put in just enough small animal bedding to cover the bottom of the dropping tray and lightly mist it with the enzyme cleaner. Then place the tray back in its place and put the bunny in their newly deep cleaned rabbit hutch. I repeat this process for each rabbit hutch in my rabbitry.
Now for the reasoning behind my deep cleaning method. I like to use vinegar as the smell is not as strong nor does it stay around as long as bleach. This is better for humans and the delicate respiratory systems of rabbits. The small animal bedding and enzyme cleaner help keep the ammonia smell down to almost non-existent between regular weekly cleanings. The torching of the wire is very important as this is what actually sanitizes the hutch and kills any bacteria and parasites that may be living there. You only need to do this once per year as long as you regularly worm your rabbits and practice good rabbit bio-security. As always, if during your deep cleaning, you see any thing that concerns you about your bunny, contact a rabbit veterinarian for their advice. Here is a link to help you find a rabbit veterinarian. Until next time, Happy Hopping!
Laughing Lapins 