Rabbit Hole Hay's Blog

8 Best Tips for When Your Room Smells From Living With Small Pets

Loving small pets is easy to do, just look at how cute they are! What's hard to love is the occasional odors that come from living with them. It's not that rabbits, guinea pigs, and chinchillas themselves are all that smelly, but for small pet owners, living spaces can end up a bit stinky.

An RHH (Rabbit Hole Hay) fan brought it to our attention that there aren't always great resources out there on the topic of reducing unwanted odors from living with small pets. That's why we put our heads together around the warehouse and came up with our 8 Best Tips for When Your Room Smells From Living With Small Pets, find some you like and try them out!

rabbit and guinea pig together

#1 Storing Hay

Hay will always have a smell - at least it should. There's no way to get rid of the smell of the hay. Store your hay in a cool, dry place that's out of reach of your nose. You might try the laundry room.

#2 Try Litter Box Training

This will help keep the odors in one place and allow for easier ongoing cleanup. It will also train your small pet to “hold it" rather than being an ongoing poop/pee machine.

#3 Try Using Our Ultra Premium Food Grade Bedding

Food Grade Bedding is one of the best litters you can choose for your small pet! Not only does it feel fluffy like a cloud, but it can also help to keep those bad odors contained. The bedding is super odor fighting while also being healthy and safe for you and your small pet. In fact, our bedding is good for all pocket pets as well!

Ultra Premium Food Grade Bedding

  • Super Odor Fighting - Our Super Absorbent Quick Action Odor Protection means you’ll smell less of whatever was left inside.

  • Healthy and Safe - We know you worry about your small pet’s health and safety, that’s why we made sure our bedding is Dioxin Free and 100% Environmentally Friendly. Our FDA approved Food Grade Virgin Paper is safe if your small pet or pocket pet ingests it.

  • Ultra Absorbent - Constantly changing out bedding is annoying, that’s why we focused on maximising its absorbent capabilities. You can now go longer between changes as it absorbs 6 times its own weight!

  • 99.9% Dust Free - Contains no sand, dirt, or grit.

  • Soft and Nestable - We made our bedding as soft and nestable as possible. Life is better for your small pets and pocket pets when potty time is just as comfortable as nap time.

  • 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed - We provide the finest bedding with industry leading customer service.

#4 Air Fresheners

Use a mild air freshener or deodorizer. Try to look for something natural, that way it doesn't smell like you are masking the odor with a strong perfume.

#5 Clean The Cage & Give Ventilation

When you clean the cage, make sure to clean all of the surfaces really, really well. Ammonia can build up on surfaces and crystallize causing an almost untreatable odor. It's also important that your small pet's cage has enough ventilation as an enclosed cage will smell more than an open and well ventilated cage.

#6 Small Pet Specific Issue

Rabbit's pH Level

Balance pH in your rabbit with a drop of apple cider vinegar in your rabbit's water (1 drop per 8 ounces). This helps keep the pH in balance and reduce the strong scent in the urine.

Guinea Pig Grooming

Grooming your guinea pig daily can help to keep the strong scent of urine from adding up. The urine can soak into their hair, especially near their bum, and build up the overwhelming smell of ammonia. Daily checking of your guinea pig's bum and a brush through, then regular trimming and washing will help from urine soaked hair to build up.

#7 Change Their Diet

Cut out fruit and any processed treats from your small pet's diet. Instead, replace those foods with grass hay. Sometimes the smell is because their little bodies aren't getting the necessary nutrients needed to work properly.

Grass hay is an important staple in the diet of rabbits, guinea pigs, and chinchillas. For rabbits 7 months and older and guinea pigs 6 months and order, grass hay should make up 80% of their diet. For chinchillas older than a year, grass hay should make up 75% of their diet. The long strand fiber helps to keep their digestion regular and functioning properly.

#8 Replace Toys

Cardboard toys can harbor smells because they can't be cleaned. If your small pet likes them, make sure to dispose of them regularly and replace with fresh toys.

Follow these simple steps and you'll keep your nose and your small pet's nose happy.

Get all the hay, bedding, or chew toys you need all in one spot - our store! We pride ourselves on supporting a community of small pet owners who care deeply about providing happy and healthy lifestyles for their pets.