Depending on where you live, gnats might be a real problem for your rabbit’s cage.
There are things you can do to eliminate gnats, including removing uneaten fruits and veggies, hanging fly tape near the rabbit’s cage, securing entry points in the house, keeping the rabbit indoors, and creating a homemade trap.
Why Does My Rabbit’s Cage Have Gnats?
The main reasons for gnats accumulating around a rabbit’s cage are leftover fruits and veggies. Gnats are attracted to sweet smells, and if leftover food is starting to rot, it’ll smell even sweeter to gnats.
Rotting and molding vegetables may be disgusting to you and your rabbit; however, gnats absolutely love them.
When a rabbit’s cage accumulates gnats, it can be very frustrating for pet owners. This’s especially true for indoor rabbits as the gnats can reside in the pet owner’s home. Luckily for rabbit owners, there’re many ways to prevent a gnat infestation.
How To Get Rid Of Gnats In Rabbit A Cage?
Here are some steps to help get rid of gnats:
Now that the gnats are in the rabbit’s cage, but how do you get rid of them? Follow the five steps below to learn the different ways to rid your rabbit’s habitat, and home, of gnats.
Quickly Dispose Of Any Uneaten Fruits Or Veggies
The most common culprit of gnats in a rabbit’s habitat are uneaten fruits and vegetables. There are several reasons your rabbit may be leaving leftovers.
Rabbits can sometimes be picky eaters when trying new fruits and veggies, creating food waste. Additionally, a rabbit will often not eat any fruits or vegetables that they sense are starting to go bad, as it can make their stomachs sick. A vegetable that looks fine to us may not pass a rabbit’s standards.
The best way to prevent gnats, fruit flies, and house flies is to remove any uneaten fruits and veggies a few hours after feeding. This not only keeps your rabbit’s cage clean and fresh but can avoid ever attracting gnats in the first place.
Using Fly Tape
Purchasing fly tape is one way to eliminate gnats and other flying insects from the area around your rabbit’s cage. It’s important to know that you shouldn’t hang a fly tap directly above a cage where it might fall in or in any place where a rabbit might come in contact with it. Rabbits are curious creatures and will try to chew or interact with anything new that comes into their vicinity.
Note that fly tape on its own isn’t a complete solution for a gnat problem. Fly tape is a great way to kill some of the gnats and capture other bugs, but it’s not a fix-all for a gnat swarm dilemma.
Secure Entry Points
If gnats find entry into your house, search for entry points that the gnats could be using. Gnats are tiny insects that can enter your home in surprising ways.
If an open door is their primary way of entering the house, try to limit the amount of time you take before closing the door. In a home with children, it might be advisable to stress the importance of walking in and out of the house only, when necessary, not leaving the door open for an extended amount of time.
Make sure that the screens in your windows and doors are not torn in any way and that they’re appropriately caulked. Caulk windows or install new screens in areas where you suspect gnats might be creeping in. Some gnats are sure to get through regardless of your endeavors, but limiting entry points is a good way to avoid a gnat infestation around your rabbit’s cage.
Keep Rabbit Indoors
If your rabbits live in an outdoor cage, then fruits and vegetables will immediately begin to attract gnats and other insects regardless if they’re starting to rot or not. It’s impossible to keep gnats and other insects away from a rabbit’s cage when they’re outdoors. Rabbits that are kept outdoors are also susceptible to flystrike.
Homemade Traps
There are various styles of homemade traps that you can use to get rid of gnats quickly and without needing to spend lots of money. A simple homemade trap can be made using water, dish soap, and sugar or honey in a bowl.
Vinegar can also be added to this trap. The gnats will be attracted to the sweet smell of sugar and drown in the bowl.
Will Gnats Hurt My Rabbit?
A question that many rabbit owners when they see gnats around their rabbit’s cage is if gnats can cause harm to their rabbits. Gnats, though they may be extremely annoying, are mostly harmless to rabbits. Most species of gnats are unable to bite, therefore they’ll show a much larger interest in the leftover fruits and vegetables than your rabbit.
Gnats can still cause stress and irritation to your rabbits, so they should be eradicated as soon as possible. Rabbits are susceptible animals and can be easily stressed by an unwelcome guest in their environment. Following the steps above will defiantly help to stamp out a gnat problem.
Conclusion
A wide variety of insects, including gnats, flies, mites, and lice, find rabbits attractive. Gnats can best be prevented and eliminated by disposing of uneaten fruits and vegetables, using fly tape, securing entry points in your home, and making homemade traps. Overall, the best solution to limit contact with insects and your rabbit is to keep their cage clean.
