Any way to reduce musk smell?

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dandeliongirl75

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I just got an English angora. Partly for fiber but also for a pet.
He lives in my house, he is mostly litter trained and very sweet in general.
However, every time I walk into my house all I can smell is that musky ferrety smell - the main reason I never wanted ferrets.
I figured out how to clean his scent glands and did that but he still stinks.....
I feel like an idiot for not knowing it would be like this.....it is driving me crazy....
Will neutering help? He is currently 4 months old.
Is there anything else I can do?
I know it is not the litter box as I change it twice a day to be sure (and smell it)....it is definitely the rabbit :(
 
Neutering him would be the best help. But there is other way you can get rid of the smell!

For my rabbits I use wood pellets that can be found at any farm store and it works great to absorb the smell and any urine.
 
Animals have a scent, their food has a scent, and their bedding has a scent. If you don't grow up with animals that can bother you. Many people who have never had animals say they can smell it as soon as they walk in a house even if the animals are all clean. My stepdad used to complain the same day I cleaned the guinea pig cages and he was always nuts about the cat litter box. I think he sifted that litter 20 times a day. It may just not be possible to eliminate scent as much as you want. Wood pellets and daily spot cleaning should be all it takes to keep things clean. I doubt neutering will make a difference. It can reduce urine sprayed out of the cage instead of into the bedding for some rabbits but they still pee and poop and have their own scent just like each person has a scent. All I can really suggest aside from keeping things clean is a hepa air filter.
 
Thanks, I am sure it is not the bedding / urine etc. I have stuck my nose in all of that and it has an odor but is kind of what I expected and is fine (kind of no worse than the cat litter...in some ways better as I like the hay smell)....it really is the rabbit. I can smell it on his body and when I cleaned his scent glands it was super intense......
I will get him neutered and see how it works out...he is such a sweetie.....
 
I've had an intact angora buck inside my house, and yeah, they smell pretty musky. I have never had a neutered one for comparison. The v-lop buck doesn't smell as strongly as the angora did. Maybe just because he has a lot less fluff to catch and carry the scent?
Neither sprayed, or they wouldn't have been in the house. Bucks do smell more strongly than does.
I think...I just like the smell of animals. I like the smell of the hay and pelleted pine bedding too.

Not having carpets or fluffy furniture where scents can accumulate probably helps too. That way I only have to deal with "fresh" animal odors. I feel that "old" smells are worse.

Does your bunny frequently contact anything that could pick up and carry scent, like a carpet, or even a towel in his cage? Washing those frequently might help. Keeping him trimmed around his backside might help too.
 
Neutering will make a males odour less pungent but he will still smell like a rabbit :) so i suggest you sniff a does litter box to see if it will make a enough difference to spend the $200 for the surgery (or more if complications or even possible death under anesthesia)
 
His litter box smells just fine when I smell it away from him...definitely not a problem.....I am used to cat litter which smells way worse....
It really is his smell....

I will talk to my vet....he is a local rabbit expert apparently...

No soft things that need washing in his cage...just cardboard things which I change out if they get manky and fake hardwood floors.....

Cleaning the cage every day at this point.....

I really do not normally mind animal smells...that is what is weird about this....it was super intense when I cleaned his scent glands though....so i am pretty sure it is hormones..... :( Poor hormonal bunny....I can relate a little......

He is so sweet otherwise....other than chewing through two $89 apple mac laptop cables....no other cables....just the expensive one....which fortunately is low voltage.....

Oh - and I trimmed his underside today...in the hope that will help a little.....
 
Glands smell horrible to clean all the time. Even in neutered clean animals. My spayed female dog has released horrible anal gland smell on occasion and it was always fun cleaning male guinea pig butts, neutered or not. There is a very small chance there is an infection you didn't get rid of. Otherwise maybe you are just sensitive to rabbit scent or that particular rabbit. The long fur could contribute some. I grew up with everything smelling like horses and a bedroom full of whatever various rodents I was raising at a given time. Plus having a good sense of smell I've learned to ignore most things and healthy animal scent is normal. For some reason I can't stand dog scent on my blankets though. I never sleep with dogs and every time my akita steals my blanket I have to go wash it.
 
The smell may just be clinging to his fur, or maybe his fur is dirty (especially if you have a solid-bottomed cage or a litterpan in the cage).

I know that when my male buns spray, the whole area smells. Hopefully your buck doesn't spray. :)
 

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