Using white vinegar to clean areas of your home is becoming more and more common. It is a cleaning solution that works well, can be infused with any scent you want, and contains no harmful chemicals.
But is it safe to use around your rabbit? While your rabbit may not enjoy the smell of white vinegar, it is safe to use around them.
Many people use white vinegar to clean their rabbit’s pen, litter box, or hutch, as well as the rabbit themselves.
Keep reading to learn more about how to use vinegar around your rabbit, as well as how to reduce smell, and other cleaning solutions.
Can I use white vinegar around rabbits?
Can my rabbit drink white vinegar?
Your rabbit drinking white vinegar is okay in small quantities. Due to the strong smell, your rabbit will often avoid white vinegar and never want to drink it.
If they do drink a lot of it for some reason, you will want to make sure they have enough water to flush out the vinegar. Make sure your bunny has clean, fresh water to drink.
You can also soak their veggies before giving them to them, or even give them a few pieces of watery fruit like watermelons to help.
Is it safe to use white vinegar around my rabbit?
It is perfectly safe to use white vinegar around your rabbit if you use it often for cleaning.
Rabbit owners often use vinegar to clean rabbit play areas and cages as it contains no chemicals.
Due to the strong smell, your rabbit may try to avoid the white vinegar, but it will not harm them, and you can even dilute it to reduce the smell.
How do rabbit owners commonly use white vinegar?
Pest repellent
White vinegar can be used to keep away many pests that invade your home and your garden.
Animals such as cats, raccoons, roaches, slugs, snails, spiders, flies, and ants are all dissuaded by the smell of white vinegar.
There are three ways you can use vinegar around your home and garden to keep these pests away.
Cotton Balls
Soak cotton balls in white vinegar and place them around your garden.
They can dry out fast, so you may want to place them in a glass jar with some holes in the lid to keep the moisture in longer.
Once vinegar dries, the smell tends to go away, so it is essential to resoak your cotton balls constantly to keep the best effectiveness.
Spray
Fill up a spray bottle with white vinegar. You can dilute it if you want, but for best effectiveness against spiders and ants, it is best to keep it at its natural strength.
Use the spray along the outside of your home, wherever you feel ants and spiders are getting in. You will want to repeat regularly, so the acid from the vinegar is still present.
White vinegar is not only effective at warding off spiders and ants but can kill them as well, so if you find one in your home, you can spray them directly with vinegar as well.
Fly Catcher
To catch flies or gnats, you can use vinegar as well. All you need is a glass, plastic wrap, a rubber band, white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, and some dish soap.
You likely have most, if not all, of these items around your home. Place white vinegar in a glass, about ⅓ full. Add a few drops of dish soap and apple cider vinegar.
Then, place the plastic wrap on top of the glass and keep it in place with the rubber band.
Finally, cut small holes into the plastic wrap to allow the insects in.
Cleaning of rabbit’s pen and litter
Using vinegar to clean a rabbit’s cage or hutch is useful.
Not only does the vinegar help cut through the ammonia smell that often comes with rabbit waste, but it also is effective at cleaning up the stains left behind.
Using white vinegar on your rabbit’s pen and the litter box is easy.
- Dilute the vinegar with water. Usually, a 1 to 1 ratio is best. This helps reduce the strength of the white vinegar so it won’t be too strong of a smell for you or your bunny.
- Spray the vinegar into the cage and let it soak for a few minutes. The longer it sits, the easier it is to clean, but make sure you wipe it out before it dries, or you will have to start all over.
- Wipe with a rag or paper towel.
- Rinse with a wet rag or a hose to get rid of the rest of the vinegar.
And that’s it! If there are particularly strong stains, you can add a teaspoon of baking soda for every half cup of your water and vinegar mixture.
You will want to make sure the baking soda is completely removed from the cage when done, however, as it can be harmful if your rabbit ingests too much.
Vinegar can also wear down softer woods, so it is best used for plastic cages.
Spot cleaning on rabbits
For spot cleaning your rabbit, use a ratio of 2 to 1 water to white vinegar. You’ll want a very fine misting bottle, so your rabbit doesn’t get too wet.
Always do a test spray into the air away from your bunny first to make sure it is spraying fine enough.
Once you’ve sprayed your rabbit, wipe off the mix with a dry rag or towel and make sure they are fully dry before letting them go.
Rabbits aren’t meant to stay wet, and it can cause some issues such as hypothermia or respiratory infections.
This vinegar method is used a lot for show rabbits, as it pulls the urine stains out well and adds shine without leaving a film like some dry rabbit products.
Rabbit-proofing your furniture
If your rabbit keeps chewing on furniture in your home, you can use white vinegar to dissuade them.
Since they don’t enjoy the taste and tend to avoid eating it, they will learn to avoid it if your furniture is sprayed with vinegar.
How to reduce the unpleasant smell from vinegar after cleaning?
Used diluted vinegar
Diluted vinegar, such as you use for cleaning your rabbit or their pen and litter box, is a great way to reduce the smell.
If that is still too strong, you can use a little more water and adjust as needed.
Keep in mind, though, that more water means the mixture will not dry as fast and will leave spots, so you will want to make sure that you wipe down the area to dry it faster.
Wipe with clean water after using vinegar
By wiping down or spraying the area off with water after using vinegar, you should wash the smell out right away.
If it is a porous substance, try rinsing it off quickly to reduce the smell absorption.
Orange peels soaked in vinegar.
Using a citrus peel, such as orange peels in your white vinegar, is a safe way to reduce the vinegar smell. If the scent isn’t strong enough, you can add more peels as needed.
However, it is generally recommended that you only use the peels once. Using them for another round of cleaner tends to make the smell more bitter.
Other citrus peels, like lemon or lime, also work well.
Alternatives to white vinegar for rabbits
Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple cider vinegar is another great one to use with rabbits.
It isn’t as great for cleaning cages, but it is good for a rabbit’s health and keeping away pests that bother your rabbits, such as mites, ticks, and fleas.
All you have to do is add a few drops to their water bowl.
Heavily diluted bleach
If you use bleach to clean your rabbit’s pen and litter box, you will want to use 1 part of bleach to 10 parts water.
Once you spray or pour it over their items, you will want to let it sit for approximately 30 minutes. Beware of cleaning with bleach in an enclosed space.
Rabbit urine contains ammonia, which reacts negatively with bleach.
Soap and water
Soap and water are always great options. You can use it for your rabbit’s food and water containers, but you can also use it to clean the whole cage.
It doesn’t always remove the smell, but it is good for sanitizing the space and getting rid of grime.
Conclusion
White vinegar is an excellent cleaning solution, not only for your home but for your rabbit as well.
Unless they drink a lot of it, it poses no harm and is great for getting rid of rabbit stains and smells.
If you don’t like the smell, there are ways to dilute it or even add in a citrus blend that is still safe for you and your bunny.