Helllllp – nasty, strong musky smell from my rabbit

[hattie&bear]

helloooo every body, this is my first question so I hope I am putting it in the right place! 

I have two rabbits, a lion head mini lop called Bear (boy, neutered) who i’ve had since 15 weeks, he’s now 2.5 years. He’s reluctant but begrudgingly accepts grooming like nail cutting etc, he’s very affectionate and loves being stroked. Then about a year and a half ago I rescued Lulu from an animal shelter, they think she is roughly the same age but she was abandoned in her carry case with no information. The shelter neutered and rehabilitated her and she and him are adorably bonded. She is happy with my company but she HATES being handled. I hang out on the floor with her every day and she likes to groom/lick my face and hair so I think she is very comfortable with me, but she never lets me touch her. The most I can get is a gentle stroke of her hind quarters if she is distracted while eating. She HATES being picked up, which is obviously sometimes necessary although I avoid as much as possible. She pants, which I have never heard a rabbit do before, she struggles, she beats her feet agaist my chest and she is fairly big and strangely strong. None of this would be a problem if I have found a way to groom her / check around her for cleanliness, but she has this really strong musky smell. I notice when she comes into the room because it’s so obvious, and her little poos always smell hugely musky too, it’s not a totally disgusting smell, but it’s not very pleasant either. Bear never smells bad at all. I don’t know what to do – I have done a lot of research and it says muskiness should go once they’ve been neutered, but she has been for nearly two years so I don’t understand. I’ve also read about scent gland cleaning but obviously it’s quite impossible to handle her … does anyone have any idea A) why she smells so yucky and B) what I could do about it??

Any suggestions for how to correctly handle her would be hugely appreciated. I was told by someone (a groomer) to scruff her but I DO NOT want to do that, it seems sooo mean. The burrito/towel thing I’ve heard is also bad, but it really is the only way I can securely hold her. Any improvements on this I would welcome!! 

Thanks so much! 

[LittlePuffyTail]

It could be her anal glands. Do you have a rabbit savvy vet you could bring her to who could clean them?

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Sounds like anal glands-its definitely a weird musky smell. Since she’s difficult to handle, can you get your vet to clean them? Then work on handling (counter conditioning-by small attempts to touch followed by food) so you can do them next time-

[JackRabbit]

I’m with the others on the scent glands. Some buns do better than others at keeping them clean, and it sounds like your girl could use a helping hand. We ran into a little of that with Kieko at one point — her scent glands had gotten a little clogged and the dried stuff was stuck to the skin inside the glands. The vet cleaned them out and Kieko has taken good care of cleaning them since (we check them at each nail trim). The only other time we have the pleasure of that smell (!) is when something startles our bunnies and then it smells like a skunk walked through the room!

[emm_renn]

I’m going to agree with the rest and say check the anal glands. But if her poops are smelling as well, it could be what she is eating. I fed my rabbit kale quite a bit, but when I switched to other veggies, her poops stopped smelling.

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