Do a quick clean of the hutch every day. Rabbit hutches should be cleaned every day to ensure that your rabbit lives in a clean and sanitary environment. Soiled bedding material and old food can easily create an unclean hutch. Plan to take a few minutes every day to tidy up your hutch.Make sure to :
- Give fresh water
- Wash food/water bowls
- Put in hay
- Check that no accidents have happened
- Sweeping up any poo that hasn’t made it’s way into the litter box
Take your rabbit out.
Place your rabbit in a temporary holding pen, rabbit run, or another place where he/she will be safe while you clean the hutch. Be sure to give her/him some food, water, and a litter box, along with a couple of toys that they enjoy.
Remove materials from the hutch.
Take out old and unwanted food. Remove soiled litter, hay, and fur from the hutch.
- You can wear gloves if you want to. Place them in a garbage bag after disposal.
Leave one small corner alone.
Rabbits mark their territory with scents. They can become stressed if they are reintroduced to a hutch that does not have any familiar scent. When you empty out the hutch, leave one small area untouched. Don’t leave this corner untouched forever, as it may grow mould, get wee in. Maybe put a towel that smells of them.
- The next time you clean the hutch, leave a different area alone. Make sure to clean the area that you skipped this time.
Assess your rabbit’s health.
As you empty the hutch, use this opportunity to check your rabbit’s health by observing how much food and water is being consumed. Is your rabbit eating a good amount of food and drinking a good amount of water?Also check the quality of droppings left by your rabbit.
Check the condition of the cage.
Inspect the cage for damage, holes, and other problems that might compromise the safety of your rabbit. If it is wood, make sure that they haven’t chewed any of it. If it is plastic, try to see if any liquid has soaked into the plastic.
- Throw out any toys that are damaged or frayed. Put some new toys in. Maybe even grab a card-board box, or loo roll tubes.
Clean out the drop tray.
Many wire cages have a tray underneath that catches droppings. Dump out all material that has collected in this tray. After you have finished, make sure to put on lots of soft blankets and towels, as wire cage bottoms really hurt rabbit’s feet.
Replace soiled bedding material.
When you’ve finished cleaning out the hutch, replace the materials that line the bottom of the cage. Make sure there is enough material to cover the entire bottom of the hutch.
Put your rabbit back into the cage.
Allow your rabbit back into the hutch. Be sure to close the hutch door securely.Maybe stay with it while it looks around again, or to see it play with some new toys.