Do rabbits actually need regular cleaning (on themselves)

[Mocha14]

 I currently live with a 5 month old unspayed female rabbit.

I’m planning to spay her by a very experienced rabbit doctor on the early days of August.

Since it’s summer, I change the litter box frequently since I once read that rabbit poop and pee can be very dirty and smelly, and insects and bugs can live in it. 

I know that many, most rabbits do not like water and do not like baths, and since my bun is not spayed, she’s a bit cranky these days. I don’t want to make another reason for her to stress out and get sick in some way. 

But I’m just worried: is there any thing I can do to make sure my bunny is clean? 

She is currently living in a place like this. I clean and vaccum it regularly, make sure everything is pretty clean. I sometimes mix water and vinegar to clean the stains on the plastic. 

Do any other bunny moms wash her bunny regularly? I’ve seen many videos of how to give a bunny a bath, so I know how to do it, but never did it because my bunny never had a poopy butt or went out side and I thought it was unneccessary. 

[Bam]

You don’t have to bathe rabbits unless they have lots of sticky poop on their rear ends, then you give them a butt-bath. Some older rabbits can become incontinent and pee on themselves and may have to be butt-bathed because of that, because urine can cause sores. In nature, bunnies don’t take baths. They clean themselves much like cats.

You check if your bunny needs bathing by looking at the anal area. It’s easiest if you’re two people, one that holds the bunny and one that looks. If there is lots of sticky poop it’s butt-bathing-time. A little stuck poop can be picked out with your fingers or brushed out with cornstarch. Sticky poop means there’s sth wrong with the bunny’s diet, so that would have to be changed.

But if your bunny looks clean down there, no bathing is needed. Just as you say, it’s unnecessary.

 

 

[LittlePuffyTail]

I agree with Bam. Bunnies are very clean animals and unless they are ill or have a health problem like incontinence, they don’t need any help keeping themselves clean.

[Beka27]

Baths are definitely not necessary for healthy rabbits who are in good shape and can reach everywhere to groom.

I have had my mini rex for 6 years, she has never been bathed once.

We had our lop for 5 years, I had to give him a foot bath his first day home. In the rescue he came from, they were allowed to play in a large outdoor pen in a warren-like atmosphere. His feet were very dirty, so I cleaned him up by putting about an inch or two of water in the tub and manipulating his furry feet to get the dirt and pebbles out from between his toes.

[kamdynandsunshinesmom]

I agree with everyone else baths are not necessary for a healthy rabbit. It seems like you are doing everything fine. I have never had a problem with insects getting in my rabbits litterbox. I clean hers out once a day. I can say if there are flies in your house try to kill them and keep them away from bunny.

[Bam]

Flies and insects in litter-boxes is generally a problem only when rabbits are housed outdoors. Then they can be nasty though, but indoors in a clean environment and since you change the litter-box as often as you do, it shouldn’t happen. Should you suddenly notice an increase in the number of flies inside, you’d have to take action of course, there are sprays etc. If you have your windows open a lot and there are lots of flies where you live, f ex if there’s cattle grazing nearby, you could get mosquito-netting. But if you have cattle or horses nearby, flies would come regardless if you have a rabbit or not.

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