Cleaning rabbit housing

How to clean your rabbits' housing will depend on the type of housing you have for them. Get into the habit of checking for any soiled bedding every time you go to check on them.

How often do I need to clean my rabbit's hutch?

You'll need to check your rabbit's environment and bedding every day, removing anything that's soiled, especially in hot weather. Every once in a while you'll also need to give their housing a deep clean.

Flies are attracted to soiled bedding and will lay their eggs on your rabbits. Any maggots that hatch can burrow into your rabbit’s fur and body. This can be fatal and is known as fly strike.

Make sure you also check any food bowls or water bottles every day.

How to clean out a rabbit hutch and run

1. Wait until your rabbit is in their run, or place them in a pet carrier with some of their bedding
2. Take some unsoiled bedding and keep it to one side until you set it back up again
3. Grab the underlying newspaper on the base of their hutch and roll it up with the soiled bedding in it
4. Once this is done, use a dustpan and brush and completely sweep the remaining bits out – sweeping all corners, the sides and the door
5. You'll then need to clean their exercise areas

You're now ready to set it back up.

1. Start by lining the bottom of their hutch with newspaper
2. Add lots of bedding on top
3. Place some of the unsoiled bedding from earlier into the hutch – so it smells like home for your rabbits
4. Pop in different types of enrichment eg houses and tunnels

You'll need to be just as thorough if you have another type of housing for your rabbits, eg a Wendy house. But you can clean around them while they're enjoying some food or playing. 

Deep cleaning a hutch

Once in a while, you'll need to deep clean your rabbit hutch.

• After removing all the soiled bedding, use a pet-safe disinfectant, which you can buy in a pet shop, to spray everywhere in your hutch including the bars at the front of the hutch
• Using a sponge wipe it all down and wash thoroughly with warm water
• Leave to air until completely dry

How can I toilet train my rabbits?

It's easy to litter train a rabbit. 

• Find out where they prefer to toilet – they usually go in the same place
• Place a litter tray there – it should be big enough for your rabbit to fit into it comfortably
• You can then line it with newspaper and some rabbit-friendly pet litter (such as Megazorb or Aubiose)

If you don't want to use a litter tray, place more newspaper or an absorbent bedding in the area to make it easier to clean.