Without any doubt, Rabbits are one of my favorite pet animals. Their tenderness and affection are remarkable. But, when dealing with animals, you have to consider health issues for you and your family. Especially if you have young children or Family who suffer from repertory illnesses or skin conditions.
Questions have to be asked before purchasing your next pet like:
Is rabbit urine harmful to humans? Rabbit urine is not harmful to humans unless you have a condition in where your immune system is not working properly, or you have been exposed to large quantities of urine. Also, open sores and skin conditions should not come into contact with rabbit urine.
Rabbit’s urine is alkaline; it contains varying amounts of calcium carbonates and a pH between 6.5 and 8. Unlike other animals, rabbits only evacuate excess calcium through their urine.
It’s true that the rabbit’s urine is more concentrated than other domestic animals, due to its particular functions and also to its high level of hormones.
But how true is it that rabbit urine is harmful to humans? Or that it causes sterility?
Well, there’s always doubt, because we have heard it from people, television and even some vets.
But what is certain is that the urine of any animal, including humans, in large quantities can affect our health, it can irritate the respiratory tract and affect our quality of life.
But I’m talking about excessive amounts of urine and feces and poor hygiene (which implies abuse). For example, in factory farms, you may find this type of issue.
I haven’t found any reliable or scientific evidence that could warn us of any danger. (Except in the extreme case of E. cuniculi at the kidney level and immunosuppressed people, for example, by HIV).
You should know that rabbit urine has had several uses in human history, from fixatives for perfumes to producing organic urea for agriculture.
So, no, rabbit urine is not harmful to humans.
Table of Contents
Does Rabbit Urine have Ammonia?
If you own a rabbit, you know how bad is the odor caused by the accumulation of urine. But why is that? Well it’s called ammonia, so yes, rabbit urine has ammonia.
Ammonia is a chemical produced by both humans and nature. It consists of one part of nitrogen (N) and three parts of hydrogen (H3).
Outdoor Space
One of the best ways to ensure you don’t come into contact too much with rabbit urine is to provide as much outdoor space as possible. A purpose build and safe rabbit run will allow your rabbit to urinate outside.
Then the natural elements like wind and rain, will wash away or dilute the urine and reduce the smell.
We use the Omlet outdoor rabbit runs, they are easy to assemble and safe from predators. Click here for the latest prices
Can You Get Sick from the Ammonia in Your Rabbit’s Urine?
You can be exposed to ammonia through different methods, but the most common is air. Usually, if you are near the rabbit hutch, but even more so when there is no proper ventilation. This can affect our health as well as generate respiratory problems.
But not only you, this can also affect your pet’s health.
All this can be avoided by maintaining good hygiene in your rabbit’s hutch or house.
Is Rabbit Urine Harmful when Pregnant?
In these cases, the best thing to do is to follow the instructions of your physician. But as a general rule, rabbit urine is not harmful unless you have a condition or have been exposed to a large quantity of urine and feces.
But I do recommend you maintain hygiene and wash your hands after handling the rabbit.
How to get Rid of Rabbit Urine Smell?
You can use vinegar or baking soda to remove odor and urine residue. In addition, it will also be useful to remove stains.
Here is a simple cleaning method to help reduce the smell of rabbit urine.
- Simply mix in a spray bottle, half a cup of vinegar or two tablespoons of baking soda and fill the rest with water.
- Spray this mixture on the urine stains first and then the rest of the rabbit’s house, scrub with a rag.
- These two products – vinegar and bicarbonate – neutralize the ammonia in the bunny’s smell. When finished rinsing, let it dry.
What Color Should Rabbit Urine be?
The color of a rabbit’s urine is normally light yellow, although it is quite common for rabbits to produce much darker urine. You may find that your rabbit produces orange, brown, or red urine.
You don’t need to panic every time you notice a color change in your bunny’s urine. However, there are certain signs that you should pay attention to and, if necessary, make an appointment with your vet to resolve the problem.
For example:
- Very dark or very strong-smelling urine
- Urine with blood or hematuria
- Muddy urine or hypercalciuria
- “Milky” or white urine
How to Keep My Rabbit Urine Healthy? And Avoid Any Human Contamination
Keeping the health of your bunny’s urinary tract in top condition and normal-colored means you have to feed it the right way.
In addition to having fresh, clean water all the time, a bunny needs Hay 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to keep its intestines moving and wear down its teeth.
In addition to this, you must provide vegetables.
Your bunny also needs a lot of exercise to maintain the correct weight; obese rabbits are more prone to urinary problems.
Rabbits are very good at hiding their disease, so you should monitor and take good care of their daily food and water intake. Look at his hutch or home to make sure he is defecating every day and be alert to any indication of a health problem.
Why is My Rabbit Urinating So Much?
Apart from urinating as part of their physiological needs or as an emotional response to a very stressful situation, rabbits can voluntarily spray urine on objects, other rabbits, or people.
In this case, the urine emits a stronger-than-usual odor.
While normal urination is directed at the ground, when spraying, it’s directed at vertical surfaces and is similar to a spray.
This behavior is usually carried out as a marking. Like many species, these tender animals have a highly developed sense of smell, so that urine is often used as a form of communication.
This marking behavior is often carried out frequently to leave their scent and communicate to others of their species that what they have marked belongs to them, meaning their territory, valuables, and even us, since we are the ones who provide food and security.
Although it may seem strange to us, during the courtship period, the males usually spray the females with urine as a sign of love.
In the same way, when we introduce a new companion to our rabbit; it could be another rabbit, a cat, a dog; it could be that they welcome it by spraying it with urine to mimic it with the smell of the group.
As with other animal species, such as cats, this common smell transmits security, confidence, comfort, and, ultimately, well-being and balance.
Finally, it should be noted that although marking is a natural behavior in these animals, excessive marking is usually an indicator that something is wrong and is generating insecurity in your animal.
For example, if you have recently taken in another pet and the rabbit has not adapted adequately to the change, it may display behaviors like this.
Conclusion: Is Rabbit Urine Harmful to Humans?
As previously mentioned in general, rabbit urine is not harmful to humans unless you have a medical condition.
But if you keep the rabbit’s health, consequently, you will keep your family’s health.
Rabbits should always have hay and water at their disposal.
They appreciate a regular schedule when it comes to meals; the ideal would be to feed them twice a day at a fixed time.
Rabbits usually eat 150 gr minimum of hay per rabbit + 100 gr of vegetables per kilo of weight + 30 gr of feed per kilo of weight.
I also recommend that you keep your rabbit vaccinated.
And most of all, maintain proper hygiene in the rabbit house. This can dramatically reduce any infection or bad urine smell.
