How to Clean a Rabbit Cage or Habitat - Rabbit Care for Your Bunnies

Keeping your furry friend healthy and happy starts with a clean habitat. A rabbit’s enclosure can quickly become an unsanitary place strewn with waste, uneaten hay, and shed fur if not properly cared for. While it may seem like an overwhelming task, cleaning your rabbit’s cage doesn’t have to be a nightmare. With some helpful tips and the right cleaning products, you can keep your bunny’s home fresh and tidy. This comprehensive guide will walk you through daily and weekly cleaning tasks for all enclosure types. You’ll learn WHEN and HOW to clean each element of your rabbit’s space to make it a clean, cozy place they’ll love. Let’s hop to it and get that cage sparkling!

Daily cleaning tasks for all enclosure types

Regardless of the type of enclosure you use for your rabbit, there are a few daily cleaning tasks you should perform. Scoop out any soiled bedding, uneaten hay, and waste at least once per day. Spot clean any urine or feces throughout the day to keep odors at bay. Provide fresh water daily and make sure heavy ceramic bowls cannot be tipped over. Refresh hay as needed, avoid allowing it to get too low. Sweep up any stray pieces of hay or bedding. Doing these simple daily cleaning tasks will keep any rabbit enclosure clean and healthy.

Enclosure 1: Pet exercise pen

Exercise pens made of metal panels make great rabbit enclosures. They are easy to clean since there are no small corners or crevices for waste, hay, and hair to hide. Sweep or vacuum the floor of the exercise pen daily to remove hair, hay, bedding, and waste. Mop the floor with a pet-safe cleaner weekly. The walls can be wiped down as needed with an animal-safe disinfectant. Make sure to fully dry the pen before allowing your rabbit back in. The exercise pen should also be disassembled and scrubbed thoroughly with soap and water monthly to prevent odors.

Enclosure 2: Fully covered hutch

Fully covered hutches or cages have solid wooden sides, roofs, and bottoms. The good coverage makes these enclosures warm and secure for rabbits. However, the solid sides make cleaning more difficult. Daily cleaning involves removing any soiled bedding and waste that is accessible from the cage door. The slide-out plastic tray will only catch some urine and limited waste. The entire hutch should be scrubbed down weekly. Take the rabbit out of the cage and remove all items. Scrub down the floor, walls, hidebox, and platforms with pet-safe cleaner and allow to fully dry before replacing bedding and supplies.

Why the slide-out tray is useless

Many store-bought rabbit hutches come equipped with a slide-out plastic tray to catch urine and waste. These trays sound useful in theory but are rendered virtually useless due to poor cage design. Rabbits urinate in corners and the tray does not extend fully to catch this. Feces also often misses the tray entirely or gets kicked over the tray edge. The slide out tray ends up doing little to ease cleaning. It is better to spot clean waste daily rather than rely on a poorly designed tray system.

Cleaning a fully covered hutch

Here are the steps to fully clean a covered rabbit hutch:

Remove your rabbit from the enclosure.
Remove all supplies – bedding, litterboxes, food dishes, water bottles, toys.
Use a small handheld vacuum to remove all hair, hay, and debris from inside the hutch.
Use soap and water to scrub down the entire interior surfaces. Pay special attention to corners and floor.
Rinse away all soap residue.
Allow the hutch to fully dry before replacing bedding and supplies.
Add fresh bedding, hay, and reattach water bottle.
Return rabbit once hutch is dry and ready.

Repeat this deep clean weekly.

Enclosure 3: Hutch with removable top

Hutches with a removable top portion make cleaning much easier. The top lifts off to allow full access to the interior. Follow the same steps for cleaning a covered hutch but take advantage of the open access. Thoroughly scrub the floor and all corners with a pet-safe cleaner. Lift out any solid bottom pieces to scrub beneath. The removable top allows you to get the hutch much cleaner than a fully covered design. Be sure to completely dry the interior before returning the rabbit. Still do daily spot cleaning but the removable design cuts down on frequency of deep cleaning.

How often should you clean your rabbit enclosure?

Here are some general guidelines on how often to clean different elements of your rabbit enclosure:

Daily – Spot clean waste and soiled bedding, replace hay as needed, refresh water.
Weekly – Thorough scrub down of all interior surfaces, disinfect hide box, litter boxes, platforms etc.
Monthly – Clean behind/under enclosure, launder any fabric items, deep scrub water bowls and litter boxes.
Every 3-6 Months – Toss out old bedding, replace with fresh material. Get into those hard to reach spots.
As Needed – Immediately clean up any urine, feces or vomit to prevent odors or sticking.

Finding safe cleaning products for rabbits

It is important to use rabbit-safe cleaning products. Avoid anything with strong chemicals or fumes. Good options include:

Vinegar – Natural cleaner safe for rabbits. Dilute with water to make spray.
Unscented Baby Wipes – Safely wipe down surfaces.
Newspaper – Can use to pick up waste or line bottom of cage temporarily.
Pet-Safe Cage Cleaners – Look for non-toxic enzyme cleaners for small animals.
Diluted Bleach – No more than 1 part bleach to 32 parts water. Rinse thoroughly.

Always spot test cleaners in a small area first to check for skin reactions before using in the full enclosure. Ensure cleaners are fully rinsed away and dry before letting the rabbit into the space.

How to make cleaning a rabbit cage easy

Here are some tips to make cleaning your rabbit's home a breeze:

Use bedding that is highly absorbent like aspen or recycled paper. This picks up urine and controls odors.
Spot clean throughout the day. Don't let waste/soiled bedding accumulate.
Use a hand vac to quickly suck up hay, hair and debris between full cleans.
Choose an enclosure with easy access like a pen or hutch with a removable top.
Use litter boxes in corners to contain waste in one spot.
Add mats or rugs that can be shaken out or laundered as needed.
Wipe down surfaces with cleaning wipes for a quick refresher.
Clean when your rabbit is most active to minimize cage downtime.

Cleaning hay

Hay is an essential part of a rabbit's diet but it can make a mess around the cage. Here are some tips for cleaning up hay:

Use a litter box with a hay feeder attached so loose pieces are contained.
Place mats, rugs or towels under hay racks/feeders to catch fallen bits. Shake these out daily.
Use a handheld broom and dustpan to neatly sweep up hay.
For small amounts of hay, use a handheld vacuum with a brush attachment.
Pick out hay pieces from bedding when you spot clean.
Remove and replace soiled hay in litter boxes daily.

Regularly removing stray hay will help keep the cage tidy. Provide fresh hay in feeders daily.

Disposing of rabbit waste

Properly disposing of your rabbit's waste helps control odor and disease. Some tips:

Scoop litter boxes daily – use a slotted scoop to sift out waste clumps.
Empty scoop or soiled bedding directly into the trash – do not compost rabbit feces.
Line the bottom of waste receptacles with newspaper or bags for easy emptying.
Take the trash out frequently to prevent smells.
Use horse stall pellets, newspaper pellets or gelling litters to solidify urine.
Allow litter boxes to dry fully between uses – rotate boxes to permit this.

Always wash hands thoroughly after handling waste. Close ties on waste bags securely. Follow your local waste disposal guidelines.