How To Keep The Smell Of A Rabbit Carrier Under Control

Ug… that smell! You know the one. That car was full of rabbits after a 3hr trip one where half of them decided to take a leak after the first 30 minutes.

Being a rabbit shower, not 🚿 shower, show-er where you enter your rabbits in a contest… Anyway, the point is you are in a car full of rabbits more often than the average bear. Traveling can bring with it A LOT of not-so-awesome smells.

I always felt bad having people come with me because of that.

Rabbit Travel Cages

Before I can get to the methods I use to keep the smell down let me show you some of the best travel cages to help with this.

If you are traveling by yourself with a rabbit or any animal for that matter. DO NOT let it free roam your car, honestly, you shouldn’t let them do it even if you are with someone. Having an animal loose in your car is dangerous and you will cause an accident. They could get under the foot peddle or even cause you to swerve.

Here are two different types of carriers of which I will get to the pros and cons of in a sec.

Rabbits take a leak whenever they feel like it. They are not like dogs where they will hold it and wait to go outside. So if your rabbit is on a flat bottomed cage or carrier they are going to get covered in their own waste.

And when you are traveling there are not many good places to stop and clean up the mess. So you will want to When it comes to showing we don’t want to see any stains and certainly not any fecal matter on them to show.

This first rabbit carrier you can see here is the type I use in my rabbitry and you will see if you get into rabbit showing.

And here is why I think these are the better way to go.

Here is a typical travel carrier that you will find at a pet shop and it is fine if you are willing to deal with the mess.

I also like this one because it is a “top loader” or allows you to get the rabbits out from the top instead of the side which can prove very difficult.

Steps to control the odor

No matter how clean the carrier is when you first started on your trip it only takes a few hours until your car is smelling like a rabbit toilet.

I have finally found a combination that will stop the odor from overwhelming you and your passengers.

Even though I said it does not matter how clean you make the tray it won’t stop the smell it will still help your supplies to last longer and you will get more trips out of one application

Clean your carrier tray out well. Hose them out if possible because any urine residue left on the carrier floor will eat away at the material especially if it’s mettle.

Once they are cleaned well you won’t have to do it every time.

Add a thin layer of wood pellet bedding. <—- THIS IS KEY.

These can be found at your local feed supply or hardware store. Most often are for a horse stall. I saw a major difference in the smell in the car by just using these wood pellets instead of pine shavings.

1. The wood pellets will swell and turn to a crumble after they have absorbed the moisture in the tray. The wood shavings really don’t absorb all that much they just slow it down. 

Next, add a few drops of Lavender or Geranium Rose essential oil to the carrier tray. These oils are calming to the rabbits as well as humans and they make the car smell great. One tray is good for about three car trips depending on how long they are in the carrier.

I do this combination every time we go to a show and believe me your passengers will thank you for it. You can use this method for any animal you are traveling with.  Not just rabbits or small animals.