Cleaning Clean cage tips I learned from owning rabbits

Nicolene · Jan 22, 2013

I haven't been on this site in a while, but while I was gone I picked up some tips that I thought might help the piggy owners out there too. We've owned piggies much longer than we have our indoor rabbits, but we've picked up some strategies for keeping our cages clean since we got them.

One is a special litter box I bought online. My rex rabbit has bald feet (sore hocks) and can't use the similar cat litter box, so I found this terrific invention at https://www.rabbitlitterbox.com I've been able to use cat litter instead of yesterday's news (saves money and has excellent odor control), feline pine etc since they can't "reach" the litter. I place a paper towel between the top part and the litter so there are no dust issues. This would be a great box for piggies that like to lie in their hay all day but get messy.

Which brings me to our second new find. The Shop Vac. Duh. I don't know why it took me so long to figure it out, but we now spend 5 min a day cleaning both our rabbit and guinea pig cages. I have a powerful 5hp/16 gallon one, so I only have to clean it once a week. It sucks all the poops and hay out of the rabbit litter boxes and everything off the floor. We leave the monster out between the cages and only roll it into a closet when we expect company. It has saved my sanity. I read a lot about people not wanting to use vacuums around their animals because it scares them, believe me, they get used to it, I have to shoo my pigs away now, because they want to inspect the vacuum hose.

foggycreekcavy · Jan 22, 2013

I already have a regular box filled with litter (wood pellets and/or shavings) and hay and my bunny lies in it often and never gets manure or urine stains, and she's a white bunny.

As for the shop vac, I've been using a 2 gallon one for years. The problem is that if you don't empty it daily it will start to smell and mold/rot. You may be able to go a couple of days, but any longer than that and it really starts to smell bad, and the filter smells bad and every time you use it the whole room smells bad. I also have the problem of the powerful vac sucking up the fleece.

SammichBros · Jan 22, 2013

I'm not sure if I need to start a new thread for this question, but it is related to this post. I do In fact have a shop vac, but I'm currently in the process of working with my cavies to be less timid and I don't want to traumatize them with it. I was hoping for some advice on a small handheld vac to clean up the poops and whatnot daily to start out (so I don't want to put in a ton of monies) and then I will eventually use my shop vac. Any suggestions or advice about what you use?

foggycreekcavy · Jan 23, 2013

I'm sorry, I didn't mean for my previous post to sound so abrupt.

I have a Shark cordless hand vac, specifically for cleaning after pets. It works okay. It has a really small container, though, and I need to empty it at least once while cleaning the cages. It's easy to rinse out, though.

To tell you the truth, I like using a whisk broom and dustpan the best.

Inle_Rabbit · Jan 23, 2013

Just thought I would point out... rex and mini rex rabbits are prone to the hair wearing down on their pads because their hair lacks the long, tougher guard hairs that other rabbits have (which is also what makes their fur so darn soft). It isn't necessarily sore hock unless there are open wounds, redness or swelling. The rabbit will develop a callous there and be just fine. I personally have never met an adult rex or mini rex with hair on his back pads. Even my mini rexes which spent their whole lives in the comforts of an awesome, carpet lined cage lacked hair on their back pads.

That litter box you found would be a good option for those rabbits that dig in their boxes and make messes. I like it because it does not have a wire grate which is the usual way to stop diggers from making too much mess.

SammichBros · Jan 23, 2013

I did decide to go for this vac to get the poops up for the in-between cleanings. Amazon.com: Eureka Hand-Held Vacuum, 71B: Home & Kitchen

2198lindsey · Jan 23, 2013

I used to use just a small hand broom/dustpan. My dad cleans out repo-ed houses for a living, like after people die in a house, and a couple weeks ago he found an old handvac that he kept for me. The noise isn't terrible, considerably smaller than my shopvac, and it's got an okay-sized container. I still have to use the hand broom for under the hay rack because it can't pick up large hay strands, but I'm liking this whole vacuum thing.

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Cleaning Clean cage tips I learned from owning rabbits

Nicolene

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