Male rabbits - stinky?

nessar · Jan 14, 2011

This following on from something said on another thread about a rabbit smelling unneutered but I didnt want to hijack the thread so thought Id make a new one.

I wasnt aware that male unneutered rabbits had a different smell, can someone describe it? Is it their wee or poo or just them?

The reason I ask is that Barney REEKS. If I know people are coming over I do the litter trays an hour or so before and then open the windows. His actual body smells okay although his back end (yes I smelt my rabbits bum :lol:

) smells a bit but not noticably unless you smell him.

Its his wee and poo, mainly wee. I can clean out his litter trays at 12 (night) and by morning my room stinks of wee. Then again some days its much better.

If he does piles of poo, sometimes outside the trays, sometimes its super stinky then too! I have a feeling these might be caceotrophs (sp?) though as they can be covered in mucus and are only stinky when theyre fresh.

I use megazorb so its pretty good at soaking up.

I thought it was just part of keeping a rabbit indoors (never done it before barney) but maybe Im wrong? Do your rabbits (male or female, neutered or not) smell this much?

marmitesmum · Jan 14, 2011

I know my males' wee has seemed to smell more. Especially before neutering and maybe a bit more than the female after too.

Think it's all to do with the musky sent marking/spraying in the wild.

I've always used wooden cat litter. Tried the other options and never seemed to get on with them.

Indy · Jan 14, 2011

Indy is nearly 6 months old and doesnt smell at all

I have noticed that the shed does smell veeeeeery slightly but its not noticeable. His littertray does smell a little but i use shavings under hay which seem to soak up well.

BinkyBun · Jan 14, 2011

Bunnies do naturally wee a lot. But from what you describe of his poo being covered with mucas, I really would take him to a vet as soon as possible.

jackfinn · Jan 14, 2011

hi, my rabbit a male was a house bun and had been nuetured. he really didnt smell at all. i used newspaper then the cat litter pellets in his tray. used to empty it every day as he did wee a lot!!! but i never ever noticed he smelled.

nessar · Jan 14, 2011

BinkyBun said:
Bunnies do naturally wee a lot. But from what you describe of his poo being covered with mucas, I really would take him to a vet as soon as possible.

Maybe covered was the wrong verb, I mean only very lightly, so they are slightly shiny and if you pick them up they are a little damp. I thought they were excess caceos because they reduced a lot after I reduced veg and pellets and got him to eat more hay (before I came on here he had way too much of both) and it seemed to fit the description of them given in my rabbit book - should I be worried?

nessar · Jan 14, 2011

marmitesmum said:
I know my males' wee has seemed to smell more. Especially before neutering and maybe a bit more than the female after too.

Think it's all to do with the musky sent marking/spraying in the wild.

I've always used wooden cat litter. Tried the other options and never seemed to get on with them.

Is there a particular smell it smells like?

susie bun · Jan 14, 2011

Spenser is an unnetuered buck (over a year old) and I've only noticed a smell from his basin, not him, and only once he has peed or done loads of poops. I wouldn't say it's a particularly strong smell. It has to be said he is not noticeably hormonal, which is one of the reasons why I've not had him done yet.

Hugo's There · Jan 14, 2011

nessar said:
Is there a particular smell it smells like?

Male bunny hormones always smell like someone smoking strong cannabis to me. And I only know this because one evening I was walking down the street when I said a little too loudly to Steve can you smell bunny hormones? and he told me to shut up as we were passing a parked car with 2 people inside smoking naughty stuff

:lol:

BinkyBun · Jan 14, 2011

nessar said:
Maybe covered was the wrong verb, I mean only very lightly, so they are slightly shiny and if you pick them up they are a little damp. I thought they were excess caceos because they reduced a lot after I reduced veg and pellets and got him to eat more hay (before I came on here he had way too much of both) and it seemed to fit the description of them given in my rabbit book - should I be worried?

No that doesn't sound like mucas - it would be a jelly like substance in white covering them. It does sound like you have it under control if you are no longer finding them since you cut back on food.

As for the smell, I find megazorb is the best to soak it up. Maybe try putting a bit more of megazorb in the litter tray to mask it. Some buns do have smellier wee though, I don't know why.

William · Jan 14, 2011

I think Jack does smell more... it's hard to compare though because I haven't had a girl rabbit, or girl house rabbit, in over 3 years. I don't think my nethies pee smells that bad though. All 3 were neutered back in Oct. Jack's pee may smell not as bad now he's neutered. :? It's hard to tell and I don't really notice, so I'm guessing Jack isn't very stinky :lol:

But they do have a bad smell sometimes when their butt rubs against my arm or something it has an icky smell on it. Like musky?

Elena · Jan 14, 2011

Smudge smelt before his neuter, oh he reeked. Sometimes now he has that smell if he feels like, erm, getting it on. But most of the time neither he, nor any of my others, smell at all. Definitely sounds like something isn't right.

nessar · Jan 14, 2011

Hugo's There said:
Male bunny hormones always smell like someone smoking strong cannabis to me. And I only know this because one evening I was walking down the street when I said a little too loudly to Steve can you smell bunny hormones? and he told me to shut up as we were passing a parked car with 2 people inside smoking naughty stuff :lol:

haha :lol: at least they wouldnt know what you were on about anyway. Being at uni and this being a uni town I know what it smells like... but Ive always thought it smelled like oregano! I smelled some raw once and it smelled very much like strong oregano... so weird. I dont think Barney smells like oregano though...

Gemmapookie · Jan 14, 2011

Before my bun Max was neutered he gave off a smell that was alot like really strong B.O. :shock:
Totally stopped a week or so after his neuter though and now he doesnt smell atall

So id advise getting him neutered if possible :wave:

KoShiatar · Jan 14, 2011

nessar said:
Maybe covered was the wrong verb, I mean only very lightly, so they are slightly shiny and if you pick them up they are a little damp. I thought they were excess caceos because they reduced a lot after I reduced veg and pellets and got him to eat more hay (before I came on here he had way too much of both) and it seemed to fit the description of them given in my rabbit book - should I be worried?

If they look a bit like blackberries, they're caecotrophs and you seem to have them under control. It's normal to find one or two once in a while.
Unfortunately other than neuter your boy, keep clean etc. there is little you can do to reduce the smell. Unneutered males of most mammal species use odor markings to mark territories, be found by females, etc.
It's the hormones that make his urine smell so. It's natural, albeit not vey pleasant.

marmitesmum · Jan 14, 2011

nessar said:
Is there a particular smell it smells like?

It's just a stronger wee smell really. It's always been the trays/litter that has smelled though and not the buns.

It may be that they don't smell as much, but just like to spray it around a bit more before they're neutered!?

nessar · Jan 14, 2011

Gemmapookie said:
Before my bun Max was neutered he gave off a smell that was alot like really strong B.O. :shock:
Totally stopped a week or so after his neuter though and now he doesnt smell atall
So id advise getting him neutered if possible :wave:

Come to think of it he did smell a little like B.O. sometimes, although he doenst tend to now but now I do clean out his trays more often. (was every 2/3 days, now every day normally)

He is neutered, was neutered late November/early december I think, cant remember. I was just thinking it might be something that hasnt quite gone away yet. Sorry probs should have mentoined that in my original post

marmitesmum · Jan 14, 2011

Hugo's There said:
Male bunny hormones always smell like someone smoking strong cannabis to me. And I only know this because one evening I was walking down the street when I said a little too loudly to Steve can you smell bunny hormones? and he told me to shut up as we were passing a parked car with 2 people inside smoking naughty stuff :lol:

I wonder if it's because they eat grass/hay...and they must call the naughty weed grass for a reason. I think it's related to hemp which is a grass. The little bunny drug addicts, they're always up to some kind of mischief! Lol

Gemmapookie · Jan 14, 2011

Oh ok sorry

It could be some residual hormones then, Max definatly gave off the BO smell when he was...erm...rambunctious

Come to think of it my doe Tilly gave off the exact same smell before she was spayed too. And it wasnt their wee or poo it was actually THEM that smelt :shock: So I dwfinatly think it myst be hormones :wave:

nessar · Jan 14, 2011

marmitesmum said:
It's just a stronger wee smell really. It's always been the trays/litter that has smelled though and not the buns.

It may be that they don't smell as much, but just like to spray it around a bit more before they're neutered!?

I never noticed any puddles that I didnt clean up but he was normally quite good with that anyway... I assume I'd notice if he was spraying or are they quite sneaky? I always thought he'd look like a spraying dog if he did it.

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