HELP—SMELLY RABBIT!!!

[LauraBunny]

I got a new bun today! She’s 12 weeks old and REEKS of urine. When I went to pick her up, I noticed that both her and her sister had a strong terrible odor. The woman had brought her and her sister in a basket without any litter/newspaper/etc….When the woman opened the door to her car—YIKES! The smell almost knocked me down! I put our new friend in a brand new clean cage but her fur still reeks. I know baths aren’t good so what can I do? We all stink after we hold her 

Thanks!

[JackRabbit]

I’ve used unscented baby wipes on mine, followed by damp paper towels. I’d start with just damp paper towels and see if that helps. Make sure bunny is good and dry though!

Our vet ok’d the baby wipe/paper towels when we were dealing withblots of poopy butt from coccidia when we first got them.

[Standard_Procedure]

Wipes won’t cut it. You’ll need to give your bun a bath. Don’t fill up the sink and put the rabbit in it hoping she won’t drown. Fill up a large bowl of warm water, place rabbit in the bathtub without plugging it in, hold rabbit’s ears up so they don’t get wet. I’d pour the water slowly over her body, add some rabbit shampoo and rinse it off. Make sure to dry with a towel.

[LauraBunny]

Thank you so much for the quick responses! I will try the wipes first. Standard_procedure are you sure it’s ok to give her a bath? I’ve read it’s bad for them…although I used to bathe my guinea pigs every once in awhile and then dry them with a hair dryer on low.

[JackRabbit]

I’m sure bunny parenting is different for everyone just like child parenting. Only my opinion, but if the child stinks, toss him in the tub. With a bunny, baby wipe followed by damp paper towel or a dry bath are all I would do without a rabbit savvy vet’s instruction. Some of the smell may linger awhile, but bunny’s own grooming will also help with that.
Aside from it not being recommended, your bunny is is a brand new environment, with lots of scary new smells, noises, etc. You don’t want to stress the poor little girl any more than is absolutely necessary. I’d gently clean what you can, give the little girl some quiet time to settle in, and take her to a rabbit savvy vet as soon as possible for an overall health check (always recommended when you get a new bunny). In the mean time, read everything you can to learn about the best way to care for your new bunny — this website has a bunch of great info in the bunny information section with links to other resources as well.

Again, just my opinion!

Happy bunny parenting!

[Roberta]

I’d avoid bathing this soon after bringing them home… It could be very stressful for them… You could try a cornstarch bath… Basically using pure cornstarch baby powder or similar (no talc) and rub it into the fur and brush out thoroughly….. Some breeders stack cages which means the buns on the lower level get pee’d on… or she could have been sprayed by a bunny in a neighbouring cage… My Lady De Nomnoms managed to pee on Pipi’s head through the Xpen one time… It was not helped by the fact the urine was bright red from craisins and parsley…

[Stickerbunny]

I wouldn’t give a rabbit a bath, them getting soaked through can make them sick if not kept very warm and dried off quickly. Plus, their skin is very sensitive. I would only bathe a bun if it was something dangerous to them on the fur. The urine smell will go away on its own in a few days, but you could use a damp cloth to get the worst of it off. When I first got Stickers, she actually peed ON herself (she laid flat on her belly and peed and it soaked her belly) but she cleaned it up on her own.

[LauraBunny]

Lol Stickebunny! Thanks everyone! I did the wipes and wet paper towels. Hopefully, being in a clean cage and her own grooming will take care of it soon….My first thought was that she had been sprayed but the stacking of cages would make a lot of sense.

AND I got my first battle scar from my Laura Bunny! I had washed my arms and hands after taking care of the new rabbit but I hadn’t changed my shirt. I don’t know if it was the smell of the new rabbit or because it was late in the day and I hadn’t let her out to play yet but Laura did NOT want to be picked up. She gave me a big long scrape up my arm with her back foot. My other bun did the same. Jealousy or hitting adolescence?

[JackRabbit]

Could be both. If you’d been holding the new bunny, you probably smell a little like stinky bunny! Always change your shirt if you’ve been “cheating” with another bunny who’s wearing yet a third bunny’s pee!

[LauraBunny]

I did feel bad for cheating ((embarrassed))

[Stickerbunny]

Yes, rabbits do not appreciate you coming in with another bunny’s perfume on your clothes. It’s as bad as lipstick on the collar!

[JackRabbit]

[LauraBunny]

I love your puppy’s bows JackRabbit!

[JackRabbit]

Thanks. She didn’t particularly care for them! The groomer usually puts a bandana on her (which fits her personality bettet), but that one time they did the bows. I thought she looked adorable! It was kindof like putting girly bows on a tomboy, and she looked embarrassed. Have to admit, I did buy bows to try on my girl buns just for a picture but haven’t tried yet!

[LauraBunny]

I can’t wait to see a pic of the bunnies in bows! I love that idea!

UPDATE: Lapine is already back to smelling like a regular bunny (which to my nose, means smelling like nothing)! It’s amazing what a clean living space can do. Poor girl! I can’t imagine what she was living in before!

[JackRabbit]

Glad your bunny isn’t stinky anymore!

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