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The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet.  It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

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Forum DIET & CARE Filthy, stinky baby bunny –What is the safest way to clean the fur?

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    • Ava
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        So. I have a friend that unexpectedly gave me a baby rabbit today. He said he got it from his friend, who I guess had two rabbits and an oops litter happened, I don’t know. The little rabbit is soaked with urine on it’s feet and underside, the fur just reeks. I have no choice but to give the baby rabbit a bath. Should I just use plain water, no shampoo, or do you think a mild puppy, kitten, or baby shampoo would be ok? I will not be washing the head, I may just rub a damp wash cloth over the head and ears, but the rest is just nastiness and needs washed.

        Right now the bunny is in my bathtub on a towel with food and water, and a cardboard box to duck into if it gets scared, I’m just going to give it time to adjust until I figure out the best course of action to take. I’m definitely going to keep the baby, there’s no way I’m going to let it go back into that environment.

        I’m guessing the age of the bunny to be about five or six weeks old, but it’s hard to tell because of the fluffiness of the fur makes it look bigger than it probably really is. I am not going to introduce the new bunny to Alvin for a long while, maybe a few weeks or so.

         


      • Deleted User
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          Don’t use a cat or dog wash shampoo to use on the bun. I would suggest using cornstarch to rub the bun done with first. And instead of bathing him/her, I would cut away the icky hair. I just feel like if you try to wash the bun while it is that young and has questionable health he/she is more prone to catching pneumonia or something from the wet.


        • Deleted User
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            Do you have a vet visit lined up for the poor bun? I would definitely take him/her in ASAP.


          • Deleted User
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              This is an excellent article that explains in detail the options for good bathing, dry (preferable) and wet. http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/buttbath.html

              Do please get the poor dear checked by a vet, particularly coming from such a poor environment, lord knows what it might have and you don’t want to risk your other rabbit. Also, you wouldn’t want to introduce them to each other until after this one has been spayed or neutered, … that can effect the bonding process which can only be completed once the hormones are no longer an issue.

              So glad you’ve taken him/her in and that he/she can look forward to having a happy home!


            • Ava
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                Thanks for the advice. I never would’ve thought of cornstarch. Would I just rub it in and then brush it out? Do I let it sit for a few minutes or brush it out immediately? I would have to shave the bun if I was going to cut out the nasty stuff, it’s basically soaked in… So, I’d rather not do that. I’ll try the cornstarch route first and see if that works. Will it get rid of the smell?

                I have a problem with vets. I moved from the town my other vet was located in and haven’t found another rabbit savvy vet here yet, and I’ve been looking because I think Alvin’s foot problem might be flaring up again(whole other story there). I wasn’t going to get another rabbit solely because of this issue, I simply don’t trust the vets here to do a neuter surgery (had a cat neutered and he nearly died because of poor sanitary practices) on small animals. I will contact a few people I know who do rescue and see if they can refer me a good vet. I will travel if necessary.


              • Deleted User
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                  The article I posted a link to explains bathing in detail. Using cornstarch is giving a dry bath. I think if you take a moment and read the article you’ll find a lot of your questions have been answered.

                  Good luck in finding a vet, … so important to at least know of one!


                • Ava
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                    Yeah, sorry about that, I was posting during my break at school and was in a rush, so I didn’t notice your link until later. Thanks!


                  • Ava
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                      Finally got some pictures of the little guy(or girl, I dunno). These are all before pictures, I should have some after pictures later. I have to go to the store to find some baby powder made with cornstarch and also other rabbit supplies. The baby decided that the food dish was the perfect litter box, so I don’t think litter training is going to be too difficult. Although I do need to buy a different size food dish that the baby can’t sit in.

                       

                       


                    • Chronicambitions
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                        Aw what a cute baby. I think he might be younger than that. I got my baby Dutch bunnies at 5 weeks and they were bigger than that.
                        I really think you should get him to a vet ASAP. A bunny that young shouldn’t be away from its mother yet.


                      • Chronicambitions
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                          If you scroll down to the bottom this page on rabbit.org explains how to care for domestic baby bunnies.

                          http://rabbit.org/faq-orphaned-baby-bunnies/


                        • Roberta
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                            Looks closer to 3 weeks to me…..That was bout the age of my Pepper and Piglet when they were pulled out of their nightmare…

                            I agree and immediate vet check is in order…

                            A lot of it could also be staing and might just have to grow out. The staining round the nose worries me the most.. Is there any ongoing discharge ?


                          • Julezypie
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                              Poor dirty baby but s/he is very cute!


                            • LittlePuffyTail
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                                What a little angel pie! Poor little baby, being away from Mom so early. I ditto the others, a bunny that young should have a vet check.


                              • Ava
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                                  Well, finally found a vet…kinda different experience, but oh well. This was the first time I’ve talked to a vet without my dad, but fortunately my Chinese is better now and I could actually communicate, sort of. He was confused as to why I needed him to look at the bunny, but I just insisted that he make sure it was healthy, and he finally understood (whew). He declared the bunny healthy aside from being too skinny, so he gave me some rabbit food, some hay (different kind than I have, not sure what kind it is), and then rubbed the baby down with a damp cloth. He doesn’t know the age, guessed at somewhere around 4-6 weeks, which is quite a leap in age differences… He wasn’t sure if it was a boy or girl, so he guessed girl. Time will tell.

                                  There’s no discharge from the nose, I was also worried about that, but the vet said the dirty face was from the momma rabbit’s underside.

                                   

                                  New photo from today, the baby is getting braver! Smells a little better, but not much. I think the urine smell is soaked in too deep. I’ll give the baby another dry bath next week, but I may rub it’s feet with a damp washcloth again tomorrow. Don’t want to overdo it.


                                • Roberta
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                                    The mummy bunny is probably sick and putrid too, I’d say the living conditions are not the best where they came from.


                                  • LittlePuffyTail
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                                      I’m glad you got the vet check. What an adorable little baby!


                                    • jerseygirl
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                                        o.m.g. Dying from the cuteness!

                                        Glad it’s doing ok. The smell might linger. It’s own urine might be bit smelly also. If the skin got irritated, that can produce bit of a smell also. Just better environment now and it’s own grooming will go a long way to having it smell as sweet as it looks.

                                        I notice my rabbits respond well to my petting them when I have slightly damp hands. It must feel a bit like another bunny grooming them. A damp cloth might be good for you to continue doing in lieu of grooming it would normally get from mum. The dry baths too. Nice way to form a bond.

                                        ETA: More “squeeeee” !

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                                    Forum DIET & CARE Filthy, stinky baby bunny –What is the safest way to clean the fur?