Giving your rabbit a bath??

[Jenner]

 Hey everyone!

When I adopted Odom a couple of weeks ago, he was pretty dirty…just generally dusty and his bottom looks a little messy. He has a longer and thicker coat than Jenner does, so it may require different care. For Jenner, I’ve only given her a bath once which was after I got her from the pet store and her feet were very yellow.

I didn’t want to frighten Odom with a bath right away, so now that he’s more settled in to his new home, I am thinking he should get a bath. Is it okay for me to bathe him, what should I use, and any tips?

Thanks!

[Monkeybun]

Only bathe bunnies if it is a health related issue, like poopy butt. If he is a bit dusty and has dirty feet, just give him a good brushing, and wipe off his feet. His messy bottom may be because of his longer fur, and things getting stuck in it. If that is the case, you may need to trim his fur down there to get the icky out. Or use a warm damp washcloth.

But only do a full bath if it is really really needed. Yellow feet will get better over time as fur sheds

[Jenner]

Okay, so I should just wash off his bottom with a wash cloth and then trim the fur? It’s just really messy…he had some pieces of poop stuck in his fur the other day that I had to take out. I’m just not used to it with my other bunny’s fur being really short.

[Mr.Buck]

Are baths bad? I don’t understand why she can’t just clean him off? Some videos I’ve seen on YouTube are rabbits jumping in the pools. I guess I’m just curious if it’s dangerous or just because it can stress them out? Mine goes in the bathtub all the time and I was thinking about introducing water by just having and inch or two so he can test it out.
I actually bought some bunny shampoo that smells really good like a baby.

[Elrohwen]

I agree with MB – full on baths are a very bad idea, but you can certainly clean up his bum area a bit with some water and a cloth. Some have success with cornstarch too – just put it on and comb through and it can get out some of the stuck on stuff. He’ll clean up the rest of his body himself as rabbits are fastidious groomers.

Mr.Buck, full baths for rabbits can be quite bad. Rabbits don’t like water and are easily stressed, so just submerging them could cause them to go into shock. It is also hard to get them really dry and remaining damp around drafts is bad for their health (and hair dryers generally aren’t recommended as they have such sensitive skin and the hot air can burn them). They’re such good groomers and keep themselves so clean that it’s really unnecessary to introduce that kind of stress.

[Monkeybun]

Don’t judge what is good for bunnies by youtube videos

yes, baths can be bad. They don’t need them. they can keep themselves clean overall without them, and bathing can cause skin irritation, high stress, and a damp bunny can end up being a dead bunny in a hurry. Do not use any kind of pet shampoo on them if they DO need a bath.

Just don’t do it unless it is a poopy butt issue.

JandO, yes, just use the damp cloth to loosen up any stuck bits, and comb it out. If it won’t comb out, then trim

[Rei]

I’ve heard that if bunnies get wet and don’t dry off enough, they can get really sick. When I was younger I had a bunny who we kept inside for a little while, then my dad made me put him outside (this was many years ago before I knew much about rabbits, or else I would have fought my dad over the issue more than i did) Well the door of the hutch got broken and flung open one night, and he escaped. (another reason bunnies should be kept indoors!!) We found him the next day, but he was wet from the rain, and he passed away that night…. (R.I.P. Jasper… ) He didn’t get soaked, but he was wet enough that he got sick, and couldn’t make it. Bunnies clean themselves very well, so baths really aren’t needed. And hair dryers can be too hot on their skin. Just avoid the bath. Use a wash cloth to clean the fur. Poor bunny will make much less fuss over being “petted” by a wash cloth lol

[LoveChaCha]

^Hypothermia is likely

I have a friend that is a volunteer at the humane society. She had to bathe a rabbit but it was a life or death situation – the bunny came from an abused home. She was very careful and he is now at a forever home.

[Rei]

Posted By LoveChaCha on 02/17/2012 09:59 AM
^Hypothermia is likely

I have a friend that is a volunteer at the humane society. She had to bathe a rabbit but it was a life or death situation – the bunny came from an abused home. She was very careful and he is now at a forever home.

 

I know feel bad for him…hypothermia is probably what caused it. At least I’ve come a long way since my childhood of having bunnies as outside pets…and now I can help educate people who still think bunnies should stay outside

[KytKattin]

While it can be done (and I have done it before) a good daily brushing for about a week goes a lot further towards overall grooming.

What I love to do now is: get a spray bottle with pure water (IE, the bottle has never been used for anything but water!!!!). Get a boar brush or another top layer brush (like a fur grabbing mitt). Lightly spray your bunny. That is, what they would experience from morning dew drops (and mind the ears, no water in them!). If you were to push the hair back the skin and most of the fur would still be dry. Only the very top layer is wet! I cannot emphasis enough how it is only the very top! Brush, brush, brush, with the fur, not against. Wipe your bunny off with a towel (again, with the fur, like your are just slicking him/her down). And now you are done, but chances are your bunny will start grooming. This is good, especially if you have a bunny that is lazy about grooming.
This is basically another version of getting your hands wet and slicking down your rabbit (again, with the fur, not against).

I did this daily when my bunny was super dirty, and now I do it about once a week (ha, no, lazy me. Only once a month). Keep in mind, if you have a hairbuster, you need to use that first. It does not work well with wet hair. This should be the last thing you do when grooming.

This is only for indoor bunnies.

[Jenner]

Thank you for all of the information and tips, everybody! I will let you know how our little grooming session goes tonight!

[Jenner]

I used a washcloth with warm water to wipe his fur on his bottom and I also just wiped it over his back. Then he took over and started cleaning himself. He looks much better now!

 

edit:  Oh, I need to get him some sort of brush/comb….what kind is best to use?

[KytKattin]

The hairbuster, sold on this website, is amazing for getting extra hair off. I also use a boar-hair brush, though I don’t know if anyone else does. I like how it makes the coat shiny because it distributes the natural oils through the hair. However, it cannot be your only brush (hence the hairbuster comb), as it really only smooths the top. I don’t find much luck with slicker brushes, so I would just save your money and avoid those entirely. If you do get one though, make sure you get one made for cats that doesn’t have any sharp points. If it isn’t comfortable rubbing over your skin, it is going to be too harsh for a rabbit’s delicate skin.

And if for some reason you have the skin of an ox, maybe test it on a more delicately skinned friend.

[Malp_15]

Bunny hair does take forever to dry!!!! With Nate I had to give lots of bum bathes when he was super sick and even with towel drying he was still damp 4 hours later!

[Monkeybun]

Yeah, after giving a bun a bum bath, make sure he/she is kept out of drafts and kept in a warm place for 24 hours. No open windows/door near them. It takes sooo long for them to dry completely, another reason why to not give baths.

[Les huit scaroles]

I always wondered why people on Youtube videos think it’s normal to give a rabbit a bath : no one would ever think about it with a cat, and they behave the same about cleaning themselves and going to a litterbox … that’s strange. Poor rabbits.

It makes me think about the video of a rabbit “relaxing” in a swimming pool … yeah of course, it’s not because it’s affraid that it doesn’t move …

[Jenner]

Thank you for the brush/comb suggestions, KytKattin!

Thanks for the tips from everyone else, too!

[Pandorachik]

I wish you luck on grooming! lol

[KytKattin]

I have a dirty, dirty cat. He totally gets baths because he rubs in dirt, grass, mud, etc (and then my pillow!). For some reason it just doesn’t seem as wrong to give a cat a bath. Many cats like water and actively seek it out (mine is one of them). They also don’t get hypothermia as easily as rabbits do, and their fur dries faster. Many people bath cats for shows, but you never, ever hear of people doing that with rabbits.

This video is a great example of a proper cat bath with lots of tips. Keep in mind that scruffing is not appropriate for rabbits under any circumstance, but is still widely accepted by many dog and cat owners. Their skin is not as thin and delicate as a rabbits and they(dogs and cats) can be very accepting of it if started at a young age.
http://youtu.be/kuMYdTH_qIo

[dollyandfrank]

Hello! I’m new here. I’ve had rabbits for about 5 years – mostly older rabbits we adopted from shelters in their twilight years to give them a happy, secure retirement.

We now have a 6yo bunny named Dolly. At the end of last year she had a nasty EC episode and has since been largely incontinent since. We’ve been advised by our vet to start giving her butt baths, and we did for the first time last night. The bath went fairly well, but the drying is another issue. We are able to use a hairdryer on her fur on a low temp, which she tolerates alright. But there is a large fold of fur/skin just above her tail that is proving impossible to dry, mainly because it’s a fold. It’s been about 16 hours since the bath and she’s doing fine, if a bit annoyed with us – but this fold/around her tail is still a little damp and the fur matted. I’ve texted our vet for advice, but can anyone help in terms of how to dry these tricky areas? She’s impossible to hold unless she’s in a burrito or upside down (which we won’t do and have never tried to do as I know its traumatic for them) so towel drying isn’t a good option.

[jerseygirl]

Welcome dollyandfrank!

I can’t think of anything that would dry her faster other then what you are already doing.  An alternative would be to get a sanitary shave done. This will prevent the fur from holding urine altogether and you can protect the skin by applying a layer or barrier cream. It will also cut down on the amount of bathing you’d need to do. You could probably clean her up with wet wipes then, or doing the “dry bath” techinique using pure cornstarch. 

If you’d like to start a new thread about Dolly, click HERE and it will take you to a page to begin a new topic. This tread was originally started in 2012. We do ask that members do not reply to thread older then a few months. Otherwise, really old topics come back up amid the current ones and it can become confusing. 

I won’t lock this thread just yet, so you have a chance to respond.

[dollyandfrank]

oh thank you so much Jersey Girl! I’ll start a new topic

[jerseygirl]

Great. You can just cut’n’paste your post from here, if it makes it easier.
I’ll lock this thread now.

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