Hello all!

I need some advice. We just recently got a beautiful Holland Lop from a breeder. She is a gorgeous show bunny and an absolute sweetheart! She couldn't be more outgoing and friendly! She is a year old.

We are new bunny owners. We have had cavies in the past, but never bunnies and so this is a new adventure for us.

Our sweetheart is an indoor bunny. The problem is, when we picked her up from the breeder she had been sprayed by a male bunny and covered in urine. We of course gave her a bath, which greatly helped. But, we have noticed that her fur by her bottom tends to get "yellow" from her own urine. I am constantly trying to clean her up. Unfortunately, bathing her did not remove all the yellow.

Does anyone have any suggestions? I would really like my white bunny to be white. As far as her cage goes, it gets cleaned twice daily so it isn't like she's sitting in filth! I am a bit of a germ-phobic (as it relates to keeping a clean house) LOL

Thanks for any suggestions you might have!

If your cage has a floor that allows the urine and droppings to pass through to a lower level or tray you won't have this problem.
My rabbit stays nice and white with this set up.

Thanks for your response! Right now it doesn't. We have the extra large Marchioro cage with the plastic bottom. We are looking into having a custom - comfort grill made for it. She does have a "litter" pan in her cage that works on the same principle you suggest, unfortunately, she likes to use that for her nesting box instead of its intended purpose.

Anyone have any suggestions on how to make her "white" again besides installing the above mention grate, which we plan to do? I.E. Any special shampoos that have worked for you in the past, etc.

Thanks again for your help!

I am trying to remember all the tricks we used when we showed rabbits in 4-H.

The open floor with 1/4 hardware cloth is part of the key. Just leave them a little board to stand on at times.

You need to use a mild shampoo to clean her. But make sure she is totally dry before she is put back in the cage. The cage should be cleaned at that time also.

I would check with the local county extension agent or rabbit breeders to get some more information.

Richard

REPLACE HIS HAY EVERY 3 days - straw is so cheap. also introduce a small tray of kitty litter in his cage - he will poo in it and not every where else.
Regards
Magic Mike

Woolite and a little Clorox bleach in cold water, gentle cycle - tumble dry on low heat.

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Okay, okay, I'm dorry.

I use yesterday's news for litter and have a litter box in the corner of each cage. I also replace the bedding every 4-5 days and the litter every other day.

'Rabbit wipes' work well to bathe them since mine don't like the bathtub. The wire floor isn't totally necessary; I have 2 rabbits in cages that don't contain them and I haven't had any trouble keeping them clean. I'm not sure if this is because my guys are litter box trained or not, but they seldom use the bathroom outside of the litter box.

Usually only the bottom of their feet get 'dirty', but the wipes do a good job of removing it. Have you tried different bedding and does your rabbit have something to play with? I wonder if he sits in the litter box or if you have an area set up for him where he will feel secure and relaxed. My smallest rabbit used it sit in the litter box until I put a 12" cardboard tube in the cage. Now he plays with the tube and hides inside it instead of the litter box.

Good luck!

Do not use newspapers as the ink will come off on the feet.

Richard

Color safe bleach might work

I would not want my rabbit ingesting the ink on newspaper either.

Watch out on the kitty litter too. You should not use anything that is aromatized for keeping rabbits. Especially don't use cedar chips. This can cause respiratory problems in your rabbit.

Krantis, straw is OK for bedding but I don't think I would use hay. There is a difference.
I use aspen wood chips with excellent success, including in the litter box.

I hope no one takes Ross's suggestion of Clorox bleach seriously! Use mild baby soap.

Hi everyone and a great "thank you" to everyone!

I'll give you a little more info on our beautiful little girl! As I said before, she is a Holland Lop and a year old. Her coloring is supposed to be rare because she is white with gorgeous blue eyes. Her full brother was also a "champion" bunny so she comes from good blood lines. She had some medical problems a few months back when trying to deliver a litter and almost died. Because of that, she could not be sold as a "show" bunny because anyone that paid her original price tag of $250-300 would want to breed her. So, the breeder had been looking for a family that would be willing to provide her a good, loving home. We were the lucky family that got to bring her home (and at a much more reasonable price)!

Her outgoing, friendly personality is wonderful! She is such a love. The next day after we brought her home, my daughter was carrying her around like a little baby doll and our bunny was loving every minute of it!

I think she is still underweight from having problems. She is only 2 lbs. 6 oz. and I am in the process of slowly switching over her feed to Oxbow Bunny Pellets. If anyone hasn't tried Oxbow's products, they are excellent! I purchase both their pellets and hay for my cavies. She gets fed twice a day with pellets and timothy hay. For treats, she gets small bites of baby carrots sliced up, a couple of cheerios a day, and Oxbow's Papaya treats.

As far as her cage goes, I bought unprinted newsprint paper from the art supply section of my local office supply store. I line the bottom of the cage with that. It gets changed twice a day. In her litter boxes (two in total) I put in Carefresh. Hubby is trying to make a grate for her cage now. If he is unsuccessful, I will purchase a custom grate from KW Cages for her existing cage. She currently has one of their litter boxes (which unfortunately she uses as a nest) and loves it.

She has free run of our large utility room that adjoins our kitchen through a large archway when we are home. I use a dog pen to block the archway. During the day when we are gone, I attach the pen to the cage so she still has a large "play" area so she is not stuck in her cage. When it is "bedtime" she pouts when I close off the playpen. Its pretty funny to see!

So that is a little more about our girl. Keep the suggestions coming! I know that not only I will appreciate them, but any new bunny owners out there as well!

Thanks again!

Yesterdays news is a brand of pellets and was suggested by the breeder and other magician's that I have spoken to on the Café. My guy's don't eat it and the rabbit's don't get any color on them from the litter.

Magic4ewe:
I have the same cage, here is what I did, and it worked well.

You can pick up a Corner Litter Pan made for rabbits at a place like Petco. First she will just sit in it, but soon she will use it as her first choice to pill and pee. If you get something like “Yesterdays News” litter filler (also sold by Petco) it will absorb the urine. But, you should know that she will sit on the litter pan as a resting place, this is normal.

After a few months, she will use the pan for all her pilling and pee. She will make very few “mistakes” in the rest of the cage. The “Yesterdays News” will wick most of the staining urine away from her so do not be alarmed by her sitting there.

When you clean her up for a show, be advised the there is some “deposits” at her anus that is supposed to be there and it is normal for her to ingest it. Cleaning it off for a show will not harm her.

The litter pan has the extra benefit that when you have her out of the cage, she will not pill and pee and will wait till she gets back to her cage and litter pan.

Bob

Theres a dog shampoo out in the market specially made for dogs with white coats, it claims to make them whiter, I used to use this on my poodle (god bless his soul)(btw the shampoo didn't have anything to do with...) I dunno if this will work with rabbits though as they have finer fur?

With all do respect, this is the WORST way for a bunny. I have heard from friends and on websites that it can really hurt rabbits paws. Just something I want to throw out there. Just make sure you regularly clean AND wash out your cage, that way your bunnies happy, and your house smells.....happy.


If all else fails, just pour bleach on it, that should keep em white and smellin fresh .

Evan

If you will go to the local farmers' coop or equestrian shop, there is a product called "Show White". There are several brands available. It is really for touching up the white markings on show horses. Sometimes the horses have to match. (Think of it a WhiteOut for horses!) The spray cans work best on feet. Don't spray the rabbit’s face or bottom!

The supplier we use for Lucy’s live unicorns is Jeffers Equine 1-800-Jeffers

The stuff works for doves with yellow tails from rusty cages too.

(Yes, it will wash off! Don’t get it on your clothes. Drying time is short but VIP.)

Bob
Magic By Sander

I only use wood shavings in the hutch. she is always clean, try not to let rabbit eat grass.

why?