Bunny Moments, Tips, Trending
Best Way To Clean Rabbit Pen
Posted on
April 4, 2023
by
The Bunny Mama
There are numerous methods to clean a rabbit pen and free roam area most of the ways I have seen definitely work. I will show you hoe to do it in 4 easy steps and the supplies I use are less than $100 all together. I actually get it clean in 3 steps becuase my rabbit is older and used to where we live. My method is definitely best for me and I think it can really help all bunny parents and future rabbit owners. My methods are low effort and in my opinion low cost as well, with my method I only have to clean once per two weeks, and sometimes that is shortened or stretched based on what’s going on in my life. I love my baby and will do anything for her but I am also lazy and prefer to work smarter & not harder. This article will go over the supplies I use, the cost of the supplies in total, the method I use and the effects or hiccups I have ran into along the way.
Method
Disclaimer & Insight into my situation.
Let’s go over the general method and why it works for me. I have a small space where me and my rabbit currently stay at the time of writing this post, which is 8 x 9ft (72sqft). I live in a 2 story home with my parents that mostly has wood and tile, and my rabbits home base has a rug and blankets of course for her feet but my room is all wooden flooring. Hay and poop will occasionally get outside my door and be tracked by my feet so I do end up cleaning other areas of the house with these methods. However, mostly I really need to pay attention to my room which is where me and my currently single rabbit smores live. She is free roam in this area and once she started free roaming is was nearly impossible to keep her contained in NIC grids, she will just lift them up to get out and with desperately try to get out of any enclosure. The only other way I could keep her away from where I was cleaning is to lock her in her carrier. I didn’t want to do that either which is why my method also doesn’t require your bunny to be removed unless you are mopping. Also because my space is so small and my room which is where I primarily do most of my work I don’t have the time to mop it and wait for it to dry, It’s also crowded by a lot of my stuff making it harder to clean. In general I usually clean her home base, the open floor area of my room and under my bed & tables. Because Hay does get everywhere and can be dusty, I will have to occassionally dust or wipe my surfaces in my room as well. This is why my method is rabbit safe, noninvasive for your rabbit and easy if you have a crowded space.
Steps & Supplies:
1. Gather Supplies
In order of importance for my situation You will need:
1. Broom/ Dust Pan & Brush/Mop
I use a Swiffer to gather debris and remove dust & an Electric broom for everything else.
2. White Vinegar, Water & Towels/Napkins.
This is a deep clean item for me. To save money I suggest to buy a large vinegar bottle and microfiber cloths becuase the microfiber cloths can be machine washed and reused. Also it’s also better to buy in bulk when it comes to cleaning solutions. I don’t even need a spray bottle I will just mix the water and vinegar in a bowl or cup and pour or dab onto the area needed with a cloth. I honestly do not have to bring this out often as Smores is 4 years old and doesn’t have accidents anymore, she has actually always been good at peeing in her litter box. Also I double line her litter box with trash bags, I do not recommend this becuase your rabbit can chew and ingest the trash bags, I have just trained smores not to do that and entice her with toys so that she has other things to chew on. DO NOT USE ANY ARTIFICIAL OR SCENTED CLEANERS AROUND YOUR RABBIT!. Trust me vinegar and water can clean anything even fabric, and most of all is SAFE.
3. Replacement Items for litter box
This can include:
1. Hay
2. Pee Pads
3. Litter Bedding
4. Trash bags (don’t use scented ones)
4.Replacement Rugs or Blankets (if u got em)
I honestly never remove her rug unless it’s soiled and I only remove/ replace her blankets during a deep clean or if they are soiled as well.
5. Trash Bags & or Trash Containers
Tip: I will keep the bag from the soiled litter box in my room to use as a general trash bag while cleaning and/or I will use a hidey house box I plan to replace that day.
You need trash bags to throw things away and in my case I also use it to line her litter box. So I usually have 3 or 4 with me. Two to line her litter box, one to throw debris in and if my double lining has a leak then one to bag up the litter contents with the leak.
6. Gloves or Mask
It’s totally normal if you don’t want to touch your rabbits dry poop and or wet poop, and it’s useful for taking out the litter box. If you haven’t taken out the litter box in some time it may really stink so maybe you will need a mask.
2. Prepare The Area: Clear Furniture & Toys
I do not remove my rabbit from the area. I work in three sections and will always remove the items from her pen first and put them in the open area in my room. This includes:
1. Toys
2. Hidey tunnels
3.food & water bowls
4. Blankets or Rugs (I only remove stuff like this during deeper cleans)
5. Anything else big that you think can’t be swept up.
This way Smores can still eat/drink, use the bathroom or hide/relax if she needs to.
If you have the ability to put your rabbit in another safe space with access to food, water, a hidey house and a litter box then that is most recommended. I am not allowed to put smores anywhere else really so I don’t do that. If you need ideas I used to set up a mini pen for her in the bathtub while I was cleaning lol. Of course please make sure to keep the toilet closed and that your bathtub/ bathroom is rabbit proofed. Smores never jumped out of the tub when I closed the curtain but Smores is not your rabbit and she definitely had the ability to. Also she could of ate the curtain.
So basically you are removing any big stuff that is like a permanent fixture in your bunnies’ area. This does not include debris from your rabbit shredding things but of course you can pick up anything you think won’t be swept up at this step too. I personally do not remove any of my rooms actual larger furniture like beds, tables or bookshelves unless I am doing a deep clean, which I don’t have to do often if I am cleaning with my method at least once per two weeks.
Instead I work in about 3 sections, which was mentioned earlier, her home base/pen, the open area of my room and under my bed.
If I am doing a deep clean: then I will also remove items from my surfaces and place them else where.
3. Cleaning!
Now You just Clean! This is how I do it:
I start off with her pen area, clean under my bed and then lastly the open area in my room:
1. Take out Old litter/ Put in New Litter
The area around the litter box is usually the messiest and most prone to mess. This is the first thing I do because I only use 1 litter box, my other one is huge and takes up too much space, this means that Smores only has access to one litter box so I want to make sure she doesn’t loose that access for long. Also taking out the litter box can spread more hay or poop on the ground that needs to be cleaned up. Since I also use trash bags I may run into leaks from holes in the bags which will require further cleaning. So I spot clean the box with vinegar and water or I just put in new bags, bedding and hay.
2. Sweep/Dust!
Now I bring out my Bissel Perfect Sweep Turbo and my Swiffer. I will use the Bissell to remove any hay, poop or fur in one pass♥ on wood, tile, carpet or rugs. Then I will use the Swiffer to gather any of hay, poop or fur that I may have missed/ can’t reach with this Bissell. After it’s gathered, another pass with the Bissell. The Swiffer also dusts so it’s usually the last tool I use on the floor for a final pass, then the floor is clean. I also use my Bissell to quickly clean her pet beds and any thing else that is a flat low pile soft material that Smores uses.
If I am cleaning surfaces like tables I will do that before I do the floor.
3. Spot Clean with Water & Vinegar or Mop if Bunny is not in area.
This is an extra step I don’t need to do often becuase Smores is so good with using her litter box. The ratio of the water to vinegar doesn’t matter much when you are cleaning up rabbit messes like pee or wet poop. You can do half & half or 70% vinegar & 20% water. I would say just use a more vinegar based solution than a water based solution if you are trying to neutralize odors.
If you are mopping just make sure your rabbit is in another rabbit safe are becuase you don’t want them interacting with that wet area and their fur can stick to the wet floor making it not clean obviously. You can mop with the Swiffer I mentioned using the wet pads again if your bunny is not nearby.
4. Sweep/Dust again if needed
Once your wet areas are dry you may need to sweep or dust after.
4. Replace/Return furniture and toys.
There isn’t much to this step just put your rabbits stuff back and if a toy has outlived it’s use then give something new to your rabbit to explore. This is also a good time to slightly re-arrange your rabbits home base to give them something new to explore. Don’t over due this, you don’t want everything in your rabbits pen to be new or out of place. This will make them feel like they have a new territory to claim again and will likely cause them to start peeing and pooping outside the litter box to reclaim their territory. So make sure that the majority of the things in their pen are things they are used to and carry their scent.
Help & Conclusion:
That’s Honestly all I do usually since I don’t remove her from the area, I don’t need to mop often, I really only spot clean any stains with the vinegar and water. I also don’t need to vacuum becuase the Bissell picks up everything on all surfaces & the Swiffer handles the dust. My bunny is never irritated or mad after cleaning she is actually quite happy which is why I believe in my method. It’s really easy and perfect for someone like me who doesn’t have a lot of resources and wants to be as hands off with cleaning as possible. If you have any comments, questions or concerns please feel free to leave a comment under this post. Also let me know if you found this post insightful, terrible or anything else with a comment. If you enjoyed this post and found it useful please share it.
One Response
I was pretty pleased to discover this web site. I want to to thank you for your time for this fantastic read!! I definitely really liked every bit of it and I have you book marked to see new things on your web site.