8 Cleaning Tips For Indoor Rabbits

Rabbits can be messy pets, especially when it comes to their hay and fur. While you don’t have to deep clean your rabbit’s habitat every day, it is still important to maintain a base level of cleanliness to prevent the buildup of bacteria, odors, and overall mess.

But, cleaning a rabbit area is not always as easy as it seems. Not only are fur and hay notorious for clogging vacuums, rabbits can also be territorial and some will try to bite if you touch their stuff. Hopefully, these tips will help you have an easier time cleaning your rabbit’s area and overall keeping your home clean while living with a pet rabbit.

1. Keep lint rollers everywhere

Indoor rabbits shed fur a lot, creating a need for constant cleaning. If it seems impossible to clean up all that fur every day (it does to me!), then keeping lint rollers around can help you manage the to keep your clothes and couches clean much more easily. 

Place lint rollers in key spots like the living room, near the rabbit’s play area, and in the car. Keeping them accessible ensures you can quickly remove fur from furniture and clothing.

You can also use lint rollers on various surfaces, including couches, carpets, and bedding. This helps in maintaining a somewhat fur-free environment or at least have a modicum of control over all the fur.

2. Sweep up hay before vacuuming

If you try to just vacuum up hay, it will clog up your vacuum cleaner. However, if you have carpeted flooring, vacuuming is really unavoidable. This means there are added steps to the cleaning routine to try to prevent vacuum clogs.

1. Start by giving the area a rough sweep with a regular brush and dustbin to get the bigger piles of hay
2. Then I use a mechanical sweeper to get the majority of the hay that’s stuck to the rug. Something like this one (it seems like it shouldn’t work, but it does!)
3. Only after you’ve swept most of the hay away is it time to vacuum and suck up the rest of the dust and hay pieces from the carpet. Use a vacuum with a removable tube (this is the one I use) because it can still get clogged up even with these precautions. Being able to remove the tube makes it way easier to unclog the hay and that gets stuck there.

3. Hardwood floors are easier to clean

I currently live in a place with carpeted floors. There is no avoiding it, I have no control over the flooring situation. But I’ve lived with hardwood flooring in the past and I can say with certainty that they are so much easier when you have rabbits. If you have a choice for hardwood (or even tile) flooring, do it!

You can place area rugs, foam mats, or flattened cardboard boxes on the ground to give your rabbit’s feet some traction. Not only can these be more easily replaced if necessary, but you can also easily lift them up and shake them off, making the vacuuming process so much easier.

Sweeping hay is just so much easier than trying to vacuum it.

4. Make sure you have a pet-safe all-purpose cleaner

When cleaning around your rabbits, make sure to choose a cleaner that is safe for pets. Common household cleaners often contain chemicals that can be harmful to your rabbits.

Look for cleaners labeled as pet-safe or non-toxic. Ingredients like vinegar, baking soda, and mild dish soap are typically safe options, while products with strong fragrances, bleach, or ammonia should be avoided.

You can also make your own pet-safe cleaner with simple ingredients. Simply mix one part white vinegar with one part water into a spray bottle and shake it to mix it together. This works surprisingly well at cleaning everything from urine stains to rabbit dishes and litter boxes.

5. Scoop your rabbit’s litter box every day

The best way to prevent the buildup of rabbit smells is to scoop their litter box every day. Now, you don’t have to completely clean out the box daily, but at least scoop out the soiled urine sections and poop. 

I keep a small diaper waste bin in my rabbit area to scoop out the litter boxes and keep the urine smell contained without using a new plastic bag every single day.

6. Use area rugs strategically

Area rugs can help protect your floor from damage caused by your indoor rabbit. You can use them over top of carpet or hardwood flooring. This can prevent your rabbit from digging into the floor underneath, and it can prevent urine stains on the carpet.

This has been especially useful for one of my rabbits who has the habit of peeing all along the sides of his enclosure to mark the edge of his territory. I place puppy pee pads underneath an area rug to catch any urine and prevent it from ruining the floor underneath. With the area rug on top, my rabbit can’t dig or chew the pee pads out of place.

7. Give your rabbit places to hide while the vacuum is going

Rabbits can be sensitive to loud noises such as the sound of vacuum cleaners. This means they can panic when the vacuum is going, so you’ll want to make sure they have a safe space where they can hunker down until the vacuuming is finished.

This can be anything from a hidey house, to a cardboard box, or even a cat tunnel or the space behind a couch. Places to hide can make cleaning slightly less stressful for your rabbit.

If your rabbit seems particularly scared, you can consider bringing them into a separate room altogether while you do the vacuuming. Give them a couple of treats or toys to keep them occupied.

8. Make sure your rabbit isn’t in the enclosure while your cleaning

When cleaning your rabbit’s habitat, ensure your rabbit is not inside. This is something I’ve learned from cleaning out rabbit cages at the animal shelter. Many rabbits will get territorial and try to swipe or bite you if you try to clean their home while they are still inside.

Because of this, I will generally let them out to roam around the rabbit room while I clean. This gives them exercise and gets them out of the way so I can clean the enclosure faster and with no fear of being bitten. Letting them roam freely in a safe area reduces stress for your rabbit and makes cleaning more efficient.