How to Clean Rabbit Urine From Carpet

How to blot and rinse rabbit urine on carpets and rugs, what to do about old spots, why rabbits pee outside the litter tray, and how to set up the tray and protect the floor, using what the RSPCA, PDSA, the Rabbit Welfare Association & Fund (RWAF), the House Rabbit Society, the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, Humane World for Animals and the Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI) say.

Blot a fresh spot right away

The CRI's Spot Solver entry for wet urine starts: "Act Quickly! Delaying may cause the spill to become a permanent stain. Blot liquids with a dry, white absorbent cloth or white paper towels." Its cleaning page adds: "Warning: do not scrub or use a brush. Bristles and scrubbing can damage carpet."

Humane World for Animals says to "soak up as much of the urine as possible. Place a thick layer of paper towels on the wet spot and cover that with a thick layer of newspaper. If possible, put newspaper under the soiled area as well. Stand on this padding for about a minute and repeat until the area is barely damp."

Sources: CRI, Spot Solver: Urine, Wet; CRI, Cleaning and Maintenance; Humane World for Animals, How to Remove Pet Stains and Odors.

Rinse and blot dry

Humane World for Animals says: "Rinse the "accident zone" thoroughly with clean, cool water and blot dry." PDSA, writing about rabbits, says: "Clean up any accidents with an unscented pet urine cleaner or biological washing powder and water."

If you use any cleaner, the CRI says "you should still pretest any cleaner on a scrap of carpet or in an out-of-the-way area of your carpet." and "After the spot is gone, blot the area with clear water once or more to remove any remaining product."

On heat, the CRI says: "Don't use a steam cleaner when dealing with urine spots because the heat will set the stain and the smell. Instead, extract the spill with a wet vacuum and rinse with cool water to reduce the odor."

For a rug rather than fitted carpet, see How to Get Dog Pee Out of an Area Rug.

Sources: Humane World for Animals, How to Remove Pet Stains and Odors; PDSA, How To Litter Train A Rabbit; CRI, Cleaning and Maintenance.

Avoid strong smelling chemicals

Humane World for Animals warns:

"Avoid cleaning chemicals such as ammonia or vinegar. Strong chemical odors may encourage your pet to reinforce the urine scent mark in that area."

On strong products around rabbits, the RWAF says "all the disinfectants have a strong smell. This can be unsettling for your rabbit and repeated exposure may irritate the delicate lining of the respiratory system (nose, sinuses and bronchi of the lungs)."

Sources: Humane World for Animals, How to Remove Pet Stains and Odors; RWAF, Disinfectants.

Old or dried spots

The CRI's technical bulletin is frank about limits: "Because of these variations, some urine stains may not be removable." and "When urine spots develop slowly and are noticed after much time has elapsed, the dyes and carpet fibers may be permanently damaged."

For set stains, Humane World for Animals says: "Consider renting a carpet cleaner from your local hardware or grocery store." It adds: "Your job will be more difficult if urine has soaked down into the padding underneath your carpet. In some cases, you may need to replace portions of carpet and padding."

More on this: How to Get Old, Dried Pet Urine Stains Out, Pet Urine in Carpet Padding: How to Tell and What to Do and, if the smell returns, Pet Urine Smell Came Back After Cleaning: Why and What to Do.

None of the rabbit welfare pages we checked describe what colour rabbit urine is or how its stains look, so this guide does not cover that.

Sources: CRI, Technical Bulletin: Pet Urine and Carpet; Humane World for Animals, How to Remove Pet Stains and Odors.

Why rabbits pee outside the litter tray

The RSPCA says rabbits use scent to communicate: "Scents, such as chin secretions, urine and droppings, are important communication methods for rabbits." On toilet areas it says: "Usually, they naturally choose a specific area to leave their droppings, away from where they sleep. They may also scatter droppings around their living space as a form of territory marking."

On males, the RWAF says: "Uncastrated male rabbits often spray urine like tom cats over their territory, their possessions (including their rabbit companions) and very often over you, too." The UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine handout says: "Sexually mature intact rabbits may begin urinating and defecating outside of their litterbox as a way of marking their territory."

Other changes matter too. PDSA says: "Your rabbit might stop using their litter tray if you have moved it, changed the litter type or had some other change in the environment. Make sure you are cleaning it frequently." UC Davis says: "Certain stressors may disrupt litterbox use such as illness, fear, or the addition of a new pet." and "Please consult with your veterinarian if you have questions."

Why a spot keeps drawing repeat visits: Why Do Dogs and Cats Keep Peeing in the Same Spot?

Sources: RSPCA, Rabbit behaviour; RSPCA, Creating a Good Home for Rabbits; RWAF, Neutering, castration and spaying; PDSA, How To Litter Train A Rabbit; UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, Litterbox Training Your Rabbit: The Basics (PDF).

Neutering and marking

PDSA says: "Any rabbit can be trained to use a litter tray but neutered rabbits are usually easier to teach because they are less likely to urine mark." The RWAF says "neutering reduces unwanted behaviours like spraying of urine, aggression, false-pregnancies and excessive mounting. The younger the rabbit is neutered the better, preferably less than six months of age." UC Davis says: "The best solution to this behavior problem is to spay or castrate your rabbit."

The RWAF also notes the limits: "the majority of neutered rabbits will continue to show some sex-specific behaviours because neutering doesn't remove all of the sources of these hormones. Neutering can reduce the severity of unwanted behaviours and prevents unwanted litters."

Sources: PDSA, How To Litter Train A Rabbit; RWAF, Hormonal behaviour in neutered rabbits; RWAF, What causes sex specific behaviours in rabbits; UC Davis, Litterbox Training Your Rabbit (PDF).

Litter training and tray setup

PDSA's steps:

"First, use barriers to temporarily reduce your rabbits' living space. This limits the areas where they can toilet and makes training easier."
"Add some of your rabbits' poo and urine-soaked bedding to the litter tray to show them it's a toilet."
"Put fresh hay in or near the tray, as rabbits like to eat and poo at the same time!"

For the tray, PDSA says to use "A large litter tray with one low side so that they can get in and out easily." The RSPCA says: "If you provide litter trays, use newspaper, hay or straw, shredded paper and/or paper-based, non-clumping, non-expanding cat litter." and "Clean toilet areas every day." The RWAF adds: "Make sure the tray is kept clean and there is hay to eat while they are in there, but do not bleach it clean or you will remove the smell and they will be less keen to use it."

UC Davis says "you must remain patient and never punish the rabbit for accidents, rather use lots of positive reinforcement (praise, affection, treats) whenever the litterbox is used!"

For guinea pigs and hamsters, see Guinea Pig and Hamster Urine Stains: Cage, Bedding Area and Floor.

Sources: PDSA, How To Litter Train A Rabbit; RSPCA, Creating a Good Home for Rabbits; RWAF, Indoor Rabbit Housing; UC Davis, Litterbox Training Your Rabbit (PDF).

Protect the carpet in your rabbit's area

The House Rabbit Society says: "Protect carpet/flooring by laying a sheet of vinyl flooring below the blanket of the pen". Its shopping list suggests floor coverings such as "Fleece blankets, washable dog pee pads".

The RWAF says: "As long as your rabbits aren't carpet chewers, you can give them mats." Humane World for Animals notes: "Some companies are now making washable area rugs, making clean-up much easier for pet parents."

Sources: House Rabbit Society, Housing; House Rabbit Society, Rabbit Shopping List; RWAF, Indoor Rabbit Housing; Humane World for Animals, How to Remove Pet Stains and Odors.

Using P-Cleaner

P-Cleaner is the Pet Stain & Odor Eliminator Foaming Liquid from Pet Cleanup Kit. The product listing says: "Our rinse-free, water-based formula tackles the toughest stains and odors from urine, feces, vomit, and other organic messes on carpets, rugs, upholstery, and hard surfaces." It also says: "Works on carpets, upholstery, tile, and more.", "No scrubbing necessary" and "Odor-Free & Residue-Free". Test it on a hidden spot first, as the CRI advises above. Follow the directions on the product label.

Buy P-Cleaner on petcleanupkit.com

Quoted from the petcleanupkit.com product listing.