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hutch cleaning in snow/rain

susie bun

susie bun

Wise Old Thumper
Spenser's upper hutch is due its weekly clean. Usually I apply pet spray then wipe it over 2 or 3 times with a damp cloth, but I will not get it properly dry if I do that today. Interested in what others do in these circumstances - I don't mind getting cold and damp, but would it be OK to give the wood a good rub with a towel and reload it with hay straightaway? :? I actually don't think it would do any harm to leave the cleaning until tomorrow, as long as I do his bowl, so will check the forecast. He does all his wee in the bowl and the rest of the hutch is quite tidy.
 
What is pet spray? A desinfectant? It's not necessary to use that every time you clean the hutch, I hardly ever use it and I think too much of it is actually bad for bunnies. Do your bunnies use litter trays? I would brush out the hutch and then fill it with hay and straw again.

Edit: just saw that he uses a "bowl", so I assume the actual hutch floor does not get wet? So a quick brushing out will be fine.
 
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Yes, it's a disinfectant. I thought you're were supposed to use it weekly? I don't use it much, but do always go over with a damp cloth afterwards. Spenser is a very clean bunny (especially considering he has not been neutered yet) so perhaps using it weekly is excessive. :?
 
I use the spray in Bramble's litter tray every day, but only occasionally in the hutch when I do a HUGE clean out. Bramble is very clean like Spenser, so you may find you don't need to use it all the time. I will do a 'patch' if Bramble has piddled somewhere other than the littler tray!
 
susie bun said:
Yes, it's a disinfectant. I thought you're were supposed to use it weekly? I don't use it much, but do always go over with a damp cloth afterwards. Spenser is a very clean bunny (especially considering he has not been neutered yet) so perhaps using it weekly is excessive. :?
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I am not a fan of too much antibacterial stuff and other chemicals. Not in my house, either. I have never used them much for any of my pets, and they didn't get ill. I am sure once a month will be often enough, and anything more than that is just beneficial to the producer of the bottles.
 
Thanks both. Spenser is my first pet, so I'm afraid my inexperience has led me being a bit overzealous on this. :oops:
 
susie bun said:
Thanks both. Spenser is my first pet, so I'm afraid my inexperience has led me being a bit overzealous on this. :oops:
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I think most pet owners are confused about what is right an what is wrong. I can just say what my thoughts are, but am sure others will disagree and insist on daily chemicals. Most of these sprays are made to smell nice to humans, but I am not always sure whether the animals enjoy them.
Also, when it is cold, bacteria take longer to multiply, so if the bad weather makes you miss a day of cleaning, it won't be so bad. Just make sure Spenser has a dry place to sleep in.
 
Our hutches are lined with lino so each week the get a quick spray and wiped with kitchen roll :)

Litter trays a sprayed everyday if they are soaking wet, which a lot our with their liver and kidney problems, if not every couple of days :)
 
I clean my rabbit cages out weekly and disinfect monthly and the guinea pigs get cleaned out and disinfected weekly but only because they smell more and the disinfectant covers the smell for a while and i only do it weekly coz our housemate doesnt like the smell of guinea pigs ( i cant complain to much he doesnt like any animals really and i basically live in a zoo lol)
 
:wave:I don't have an outdoor hutch but I would line it really well with newspaper and then straw then hay, personally I would only go for the 'spraying' thing in the summer the rest of the time I'd be inclined to have some warm soapy water and a cloth and wipe and rinse like that to not soak the hutch - in this weather I'd probably go for dry wiping with kitchen roll only - as you say otherwise the hutch will be damp. By the time you pack it out with newspaper and straw and hay it will be well away from the bun - worth maybe trying to train the bun to use a corner litter tray so you can clean that daily much easier - still need to clean out proper once a week but, it won't be wet.
 
I only use disinfectant spray in the litter tray and at that just every now and again - esp in the winter :oops: Maybe I'm too relaxed about the cleanliness!!! Twice a day I sweep the floor of the shed (run is full of hay and they don't pee in there - I check periodically to make sure of this!) And once a day I take out the soiled hay from the litter tray, scoop out the peed on woodshavings and replace with clean stuff and fresh hay on top. Then now and again (no fixed time span) I empty all the litter trays and give em all a spray and a wipe and fill them with fresh woodshavings. The hay gets put on fresh when I put the new tray down. Maybe when I get some binbags (run out) at the weekend I'll empty all the trays and clean them - now that you've reminded me!! :shock:
 
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