Many rabbit owners are worried that their beloved pets may smell bad. And sometimes, this even prevents potential owners from adopting a rabbit in the first place. After all, who wants to bring a pet into their home that may smell bad? I get asked this question all of the time, and I’m finally going to put the rumors to rest.
So, do house bunnies smell? Rabbits themselves actually do not smell. However, their urine and feces may smell. In order to keep your bunny’s cage from smelling bad, you should regularly clean the cage out to keep the area smelling fresh. Neutering your rabbit may also reduce the smell of its’ urine.
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Do Rabbits Really Smell Bad?
You may or may not be surprised to hear that rabbits themselves don’t actually stink. In fact, rabbits tend to keep themselves very clean by nature. People often spread this harmful myth that rabbits are inherently smelly. Unfortunately, this keeps many people from bringing bunnies into their homes as pets. This myth leads to increasing numbers of rabbits in shelters, and it also causes many people to keep their rabbits outside instead of inside as house bunnies.
Normally, the smell that you associate with rabbits is probably their urine or feces. But if your rabbit suddenly has developed an unusual and offensive smell, you may want to take it to a veterinarian. It may be a sign of an ear infection or another disease.
What Types of Illnesses Make a Rabbit Smell?
If your rabbit suddenly smells very bad and unusual, they may have an ear infection. You may also see drainage coming from their ears, and the bunny may scratch at its’ ears a lot. And if you believe that your rabbit may possibly have an ear infection, do not try to treat it by yourself at home. If you think your rabbit has an ear infection, take it to a vet as soon as possible.
Other things that may make your rabbit smell very bad include diarrhea, parasites, or a urinary tract infection. If your rabbit is exhibiting any abnormal bathroom habits, then speak to your veterinarian as soon as possible. Keeping your indoor rabbit healthy and happy is a good way to keep it from smelling bad!
Is Cleanliness Good to Keep Rabbits From Smelling?
When you’re trying to keep your home from smelling like rabbit, the best way to do that is by keeping its’ cage as clean as possible. This is because most of the time what you smell about a rabbit is its’ urine and feces. When you clean the cage and change the bedding on a regular basis, you will minimize how much you smell a rabbit’s presence in your home.
Litter box training your rabbit can also help minimize the smell of urine and feces. Having your rabbit only eliminating in one general area will help with both ease of cleaning, and reducing the amount of area your rabbits will eliminate in.
Do Male Rabbits Smell Worse Than Female Rabbits?
Some people may believe that male rabbits smell worse than female rabbits do. This is actually true; the urine of bucks will smell worse than does. And unfortunately, unneutered male rabbits may sometimes pee inappropriately in some places to mark their territory. Male rabbits may be more likely to urinate in inappropriate areas if there are unspayed females around.
If you have a male bunny, and you worried about their pee smelling bad, you may want to look into having the rabbit neutered. This may also reduce the frequency that they will urinate in an inappropriate place in order to mark their territory.
Do Rabbits Need Baths to Avoid Smelling?
You should seriously avoid bathing your rabbit. Generally, rabbits will keep themselves clean, and they do a good job at it. But bathing your rabbit can be dangerous to its’ health. If you submerge a rabbit into water, you may notice it becoming very still. Some people interpret this as their bunny enjoying a bath. But rabbits will often become motionless when submerged in water because they are terrified and going into a state of shock.
Bathing your rabbit could even lead to a fatal condition. Because a rabbit’s wet fur may never completely dry on its’ own, they could easily develop skin irritation. And this irritation for your rabbit could lead to parasitic infection. Your rabbit could also have any number of fatal toxic reactions to being bathed. Rabbits can even die because of the traumatic shock of being bathed. This is especially dangerous if your bunny is very old or very young.
What Should I do if my Rabbit is Dirty?
You may be wondering what you should do to keep your rabbit clean if you can’t bath it. Normally, rabbits groom themselves like a cat would, and they keep themselves very clean. But if your rabbit becomes usually soiled, or has feces trapped in its’ fur, you may want to know what to do in order to clean it.
Try wetting a wash cloth with warm water and soap that is friendly for a rabbit’s skin. Gently clean the areas of your rabbit’s fur that are soiled. Then, make sure you use a towel to get your rabbit as dry as possible afterward.
If a Rabbit Smells, Should I Keep it Outside?
Your rabbit is very social and it wants to live inside with you, as a member of the family. Rabbits who live outside in hutches usually feel abandoned by their owners. They also may suffer from a lack of affection at best, and attacks from predators, bad weather, ticks, fleas, and diseases at worst. If you feel like a rabbit will smell and bother you inside the home, you should consider not having a rabbit as a pet. Otherwise, you could try either having your rabbit neutered or trying harder to clean its’ cage.
Can I be Allergic to a Rabbit’s Smell?
If you are allergic to a rabbit, chances are you are allergic to its’ dander. Dander is tiny little flakes of skin that are shed on a regular basis. Rabbit allergies can sometimes be curbed by taking allergy medication. But if your allergy persists, you may want to consider finding your rabbit a new home instead of placing it outside in a hutch.
You may want to consult a doctor if you believe you are suffering from allergy symptoms associated with your rabbit or other pets. In addition to taking allergy medication, you should vacuum your home regularly and keep it as clean as possible to reduce the level of allergens.
Are Rabbits Easy to Litter Box Train?
Many people train their rabbits to use a litter box in order to help reduce the smell of their urine. This is because litter box trained rabbits are less likely to eliminate in inappropriate places. Litter boxes are also easier to clean on a regular basis. If you use baking soda in your rabbit’s litter box, it will also reduce the smelliness of your rabbit’s urine and feces. However, you should not use scented litter in your rabbit’s box. This is because scented litter may be toxic to your rabbit’s health. Rabbits may also not like the scent, and therefore they may not use the box.
Is Neutering Effective at Reducing the Smell of Urine?
There is good news if you were already thinking of having your rabbit neutered: neutering and spaying rabbits will help to reduce the smell of their urine. In males, neutering them also reduces the hormonal impulses that males have to pee in inappropriate places in order to mark their territory. Their urine may still smell after neutering, but the smell will be much less obvious.
Conclusion
Today, we discussed whether or not house rabbits smell bad. We’ve also discussed rabbit allergies, training them to use a litter box, and whether or not you should bath your pet rabbit. If you have any insight about rabbits and whether they smell or not, be sure to let us know in the comments section below.
Related Questions
Do rabbits like to be bathed?If a rabbit goes completely limp when submerged in the bath, this does not mean it likes being bathed. Rather, this is usually a sign that your rabbit is going into a state of traumatic shock. Do not submerge your rabbit in water or give it a full-body bath.
What do rabbits smell like? Generally, rabbits do not have a smell to their fur. When you are smelling the presence of a rabbit, it is usually their urine you are smelling. You can reduce the urine smell by keeping your rabbit’s cage and litter box clean.
Are rabbits the smelliest pets to own?Some people may be more sensitive to certain smells of certain animals than other people may be. The only way to determine what you think the smelliest animal is will be to spend time around a variety of pet varieties.
