Scent Glands

[EmilyL]

 Hello everyone!

When do you know that your bunnies need their scent glands cleaned out? I catch little whiffs of that horrible smell every once in a but I don’t see much there. I saw a youtube video demonstrating how to do it and gobs of brown wax came out of this bunny, I don’t think my bun’s is that bad. I always just use a tissue because I’m scared I’ll hurt her with the q-tip and oil that they have in most instructions. I’m scared the q-tip will go to far or something. Should I just have her vet do it? How often does it need to be done?

Thanks!
Emily and Abby Bunny

[peppypoo]

If you’re unsure, it’s definitely a good idea to have a vet or vet tech do it first and teach you.

Scent glands vary a lot between bunnies, and are usually less active in spayed/neutered ones…I’ve actually never cleaned the glands of my bunnies.

[Danceteach]

Its not that hard we’ve done ours a few times. mostly the unneutered Buck. He lives at his own house. He is a very sweet and trusting bunny. Don’t be afraid maybe watch the video some more but use oil and the q-tip. Its a gritty substance and may be hiding down deep. You’ll know when you see it. We checked our 2 neutered buns and they have no sign of need or smell. Just our buck.

[Huckleberry]

In my opinion, if you have the ability to pay someone else to do it, do that! When I cleaned Huckleberry’s, I wanted to die. I felt so sick from the smell. She was not very happy about it either and treated me like I had raped her for a few days. She would barely even come to me for treats. She doesn’t get that miffed about nail trimmings or brushings, so clearly I crossed a line haha.

[EmilyL]

Lol Huckleberry. I know what you mean about the smell. It is TERRIBLE. I guess I’ll just call her vet and hope they have something open on my one day off!

[LittlePuffyTail]

Ditto the smell. I’m going to wear gloves next time I do it because the smell sticks on your hands even after you’ve scrubbed super well with soap.

[Pandorachik]

Oh man, I didn’t have to clean Panda’s but you could smell them!!! xD

[EmilyL]

Ok, I made her an appt for tomorrow and I’ll let them show me how to do it. I’m going to try to avoid having to have them do it every time because it is EXPENSIVE. It was almost twenty dollars!

[KytKattin]

My vet did it for free the last time I was in. I felt so spoiled. Though I have done it myself. It isn’t terrible, and growing up on an urban farm, I have done things that are so much more gross. The biggest problem for me is not having a second person to hold her while I do it. I can do her nails just fine by myself, but the angle for the scent glands is difficult. I could probably try, I just haven’t really. lol.

[Author]

Messages