Most of us love rabbits because they are cute, adorable, and affectionate too. But, this quiet-looking animal leaves a lot of mess behind. The rabbit owner has to clean up hay, poop, and fur lying here and there in the house every now and then. It becomes their full-time job. Because most of this mess looks dry, the first thought that comes to everyone’s mind is to use a vacuum to clean everything. But, using a vacuum is the best option you have got? What happens when you clean a rabbit’s poop using a vacuum?
While using a regular vacuum to clean up rabbit poop, there is a high probability that it will clog. Instead of using an average vacuum, it is better to go for ShopVacs. It is because they have both dry as well as wet suction capabilities that work effectively and cost-efficiently in keeping your home clean and vacuum clog-free from any bits of fur, hay, and poop.
The traditional style of cleaning using the broom and dustpan is a rabbit owner’s fail-safe. But, cleaning the little pieces of rabbit’s droppings time after time makes it a frustrating task. So, having a vacuum that is quick, reliable, and cleans efficiently is definitely a lifesaver.
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What Factors Should You Consider While Looking For A Good Rabbit Vacuum?
If we talk about the usual household vacuums, their design mainly allows us to deal with dust and dirt. Things like strands or hay or rabbit droppings are not something that they can handle. However, there are many high-rated brands that offer powerful vacuum models to ease the work of rabbit owners, but they can cost you hundreds of dollars.
It is fitting to say that such vacuums work nicely in cleaning rabbit droppings, but they are not ideal for handling every situation. The number of rabbits you own and how much mess your rabbits make define your preferences and needs for a pet vacuum. So, let’s take a look at some of the factors to be kept in mind while choosing a good rabbit vacuum.
Suction
The first quality that you should look for while getting a pet vacuum is the suction capability. To suck up all your rabbit’s mess, you will need a vacuum with strong suction capability. The higher the power of the motor, the higher will be the suction capability of the vacuum.
So, for optimum suction, one of the best options you have is ShopVacs which are cost-efficient, heavy-duty, and can easily suck up large particles like rabbit droppings and fur. However, these vacs are not the best ones when it comes to containing and managing dust and is therefore not a good option for a person with allergies.
Canister Size Or Bag Size
If you go for a big canister, then the stretch of time will increase to clean your vacuum out. But, do keep in mind, it is not favorable to keep rabbit droppings in a vacuum bag for an extended period. Because of the vacuum’s heat, due to continuous usage, and lack of light inside the bag causes the growth of bacteria, and the canister starts stinking.
Ease In Cleaning The Vacuum
Another vital factor to consider is the ease or convenience in cleaning out the vacuum. The more the convenience, the better it is. If we are dealing with rabbit leavings, a bagless vacuum with a dust chamber can work great, as all you have to do is pull it out and toss the chamber’s content. On the other hand, it will save you from the cost of buying several vacuum bags for a rabbit whose mess is to be cleaned every now and then.
In addition to these factors, consider the fact that if your vacuum gets clogged, how much will it take to unclog it. Will it be easy to unclog the vacuum and knock out all the content?
Things To Avoid While Vacuuming
Several rabbit owners use beater bars to clean the droppings, but most of them realize that it isn’t as effective as using the hose. When you use a beater bar, most of the time, the droppings get caught and chewed up instead of getting sucked into the vacuum. So, a hose is a better option than a beater bar while vacuuming rabbit poop.
People think that a high-power vacuum can suck up anything, even the entire piece of straw and hay. Well, that’s not the case at all. If you vacuum long pieces of hay and straw, then it is highly probable that they can get stuck in the tube. Vacuuming a lot of such long straws can form a clog. Small pieces usually don’t create any problem, but still, try to avoid them.
Cleaning up your little bunny’s play area with a broom and dustpan feels like a curse and can be burdensome in the long run. Even if your rabbit has a small play area like a rug or carpet, it can still give you a headache to firstly pick the dropping and then cleaning the strand of hay and straw. Vacuuming saves your time and effort by making the cleaning work easy and convenient for you.
Additional Ways To Clean Up Your Rabbit’s Mess
Accidents can happen, your vacuum may stop working sometimes, and your little bunny’s poop isn’t the culprit every time. In such a situation, if your rabbit is still undergoing litter training, don’t worry. There are several other ways to easily and safely clean up your rabbit’s mess.
The thing that you need to know is that a healthy rabbit poop doesn’t smell much. It is even much easier to clean than you think. Even if you accidentally stepped on it and got a stain on the carpet or floor, you can easily clean it without using any harsh chemicals.
The thing that your need to worry about more than the poop is the rabbit’s urine. It has a strong smell, and a simple solution of soap and water isn’t going to remove the scent altogether. Even if it is not much smelly, it doesn’t mean that you don’t clean it properly. A slight patch of it can easily be detected by your rabbit, and it can develop lousy litter habits.
Carpets
In order to remove stains and get rid of foul odors, all you need is white distilled or apple cider vinegar along with water, baking soda, and a spray bottle or any other container. If you have hydrogen peroxide, it is also good; however, it is optional.
- Finding it: If you are able to find the stain when it is fresh, it will be easy for you to deal with it instead of discovering it when it is dry. Finding the stain quickly and cleaning it will probably save you the trouble of doing this process multiple times. However, it isn’t always possible to immediately discover the stain, so our cleaning technique also works well on dry stains too.
- Creating water and vinegar solution in the ratio of 1:1: You can simply make this solution and fill it in a spray bottle, or you can also mix it in some other container. A spray bottle is a good option because it allows you to easily control the amount of solution and cover the whole area adequately.
- Cover the stain with the solution: Use enough solution to soak the complete stain area and potentially rehydrate it.
- Putting baking soda on the soaked area: Properly sprinkle the baking soda on the soaked stain so that you can hear the classic fizzle of popping bubbles. It will help you in getting rid of the foul odor.
- Leave it for 20-30 minutes: It will completely eliminate the odor and lift the stain.
Vacuum the baking soda.
- If there is any remaining moisture, blot it up: If after this also, any stain remains, repeat the process again until the stain lifts and refrain from any kind of rubbing or scrubbing.
- Use Hydrogen Peroxide: If after completing the whole process any smell remains, spray hydrogen peroxide over the affected area and blot it up. It will kill any bacteria over the area and obliterate it completely.
(NOTE: Refrain from using any dangerous chemicals such as ammonia or bleach. Such chemicals are powerful and can cause harm to your rabbits.)
Hard Floors
For Cleaning Tile And Laminate
For sanitizing the whole stained area and removing the stain:
- Scrub or blot the mess using paper towels.
- After that, you can spray and soak the area with the above-mentioned diluted vinegar solution.
- Once you have done that, wait for a few minutes and spray Hydrogen Peroxide on the affected area.
- Let it do its work for a few minutes and then wipe up the whole area clean, and you are good to go.
(NOTE: Remember, never create a premix of vinegar and Hydrogen Peroxide. Such a solution initiates a chemical reaction that can be fatal and poisonous for you as well as our rabbit. It is even not that effective as a sanitizer.)
For Wood Floors
Wooden floors sure look beautiful, but it is a bit difficult to take care of such beauty when you have pets in your home. The best thing to protect your floor is to discover the mess early so that it doesn’t leave any stain. Find the mess before urine gets soaked into the flooring, and it becomes difficult for you to get rid of it.
In the case of wood floors also, all you have to do is use the 1:1 diluted vinegar solution on the area. Wait for around 10 minutes to allow the solution to work its magic and then wipe up the area. Even after that, if any damage remains, use sandpaper to sand down the area and refinish it.