The Leaders here can direct you to the links on diet and care soon, but offhand I believe you should limit the pellets to a measured daily amount and have unlimited hay, frequently refreshed (add a bit of new to it) to encourage the hay consumption.

What kind of a bun do you have? The long haired bunnies are washed differently I think than those like the mini rex I used to have.

With him, I never really got his head and ears wet at all. They clean those themselves with their paws. (Very cute). Baths are pretty much just as needed. I would put some warm water into a plastic dishpan or the sink, only about as high as his ankles if he were standing in it. Support his chest to raise up his head out of the way and to hold him firmly and gently wash with a soft cloth and very, very mild soap or shampoo. (Like fragrance free or products for babies that have no scents or additives. He’ll be licking himself later.) You can rinse the cloth and rinse him off with it, or run the water very, very low and gently rinse off his back end quickly. If he doesn’t have poopy butt it should be quick and easy. Then make a bunny burrito with a towel (plop him into the middle of one and wrap him up with head poking out) to dry. You can probably sit with him in your lap to towel dry more. Expect a cranky bunny who wants to get away. I’m probably the most conservative and cautious bunny washer here, but my bun was disabled for a long time and I had to be extremely careful. Good luck!

if he will eat pellets forever then i would limit the amount to make sure he doesnt get fat, you should be feeding a set amount dependant on the size of the bun, if he isnt eating much hay try stuffing some in a cardboard tube as he may find this more interesting, also if you give him handfuls regularly they tend to eat more than if there is just a load in one corner, also with bathing you could try just rubbing down with a wet towel and using a comb instead of giving a bath with shampoo and stuff because they dont like that really, unless the bun is absolutely filthy.

Too bad you don’t live closer to me, I”d pop round and show you how! I am the MASTER of animal bathing especially after the long bout of poopy bum I just went through, and now having a ‘special bun’ who needs a maintenance bath approx. once a week.

Here’s what I do. I have a shower head that’s on a hose, so it’s detachable, but that’s new. I either use that (unattached) or just run water from the bath tap. I get in to shorts and tank and expect to get wet. I have the water running but I don’t fill the tub (I find that turns my bunny into a non-stop angry frog and I can’t keep them in the tub ). I put them in, get them wet, lather them up, rinse them well. Turn water off, throw towel on bunny make bunny burrito. Take burrito to couch and cuddle bunny under a blanket (for warmth, and a blanket I don’t mind having holes in!).

TIPS: Keep one hand on the bunny at all times, tricky yes, but if you don’t your bunny will launch out of the tub or onto your neck (I”m not even kidding) and can hurt himself or you. Use bunny shampoo or at least an animal shampoo. Your shampoo will irritate their skin. Rinse well!! Keep your bunny warm until he’s completely dry. You can blowdry but ‘finger comb’ the entire time so you know you aren’t burning their skin.

Good Luck!!

personally, i would avoid a bath if at all possible.  i would try to groom him everyday and see if that starts to help clean him up.  afterwards, take a damp towel and give him a good quick rub with it.  how filthy is he?

i thought that rabbits had to have specific rabbit shampoo as cat or dog shampoo could be fatal? im sure i read that somewhere?

in that case, i’d try just giving him a foot bath with water and a towel.  again, i’d really suggest that you not completely immerse him if at all possible.  urine stains will eventually come out if he’s kept in clean conditions form that point on. 

yea i had to give hopscotch a wash when i first got him, basically i filled the top end of the bath with like 1cm of water with the other end dry and i just sat him in that side and rubbed him all over with a wet flannel and combed because as he was new he was too nervous to be around let alone immersed in water.

I would avoid immersing them in water as well. If it’s just his paws, do just his paws.

Sometimes the rescue I volunteer for gets bunns in pretty filthy condition. Unless you are talking a serious matt and bug problem, I think grooming them everyday is all you really need to do. Sometimes our volunteers will pat problem areas with organic baby wipes (not harmful to the bunns) if real filth is involved, but for the most part, the bunn grooms themselves clean. And the bottom of paws will always carry a bit of discolouration.

I find that even the filthiest bunn will groom himself sparkling clean – often they just need to feel good enough about themselves. We just recently got a lot of bunns from a meat farm and they were beyond disgusting. This was probably because their previous enviroment was one where it was difficult for them to groom properly (cramped quarters) and dirt and filth was just such a constant, daily grooming seemed pointless. But once out of that environment and into a safe and happy one, we noticed they started grooming themselves again.

There is specific rabbit shampoo, but talking to my vet, as long as it’s shampoo meant for pets it’s OK to use. Human shampoo even baby shampoo she said no to. I have the tearless kind; I don’t do their face but just in case, I don’t want their wittle eyes stinging, I know I hate shampoo in my eyes!!

The urine stains will not wash off – you can wipe his paws to help keep them dry and make sure you get the correct litter for him when he uses his litter box and change it frequently.

Best not to wash your rabbit if possible – I only do butt baths on mine when they have dirty bottoms or urinary problems.

pee does stain the fur actually and you will not be able to wash it off entirely.  it will eventually grow out.  my girl had pee-pee bum and i would gently rinse her under warm running water in the bathroom sink while holding her under her chest with one hand.  the othe hand fingers supported her lower back & i used my thumb to gently move the fur around her genital mound.  i did this to try to keep pee from her skin but it would never wash out entirely.   i would have a towel there & waiting already & then gently rub / pat her dry.

this upset her enough that i actually switched to giving her sponge baths.  instead of putting her under / in the water i’d have her on a towel on the counter, fill the sink with warm water, soak a facecloth and use that to wipe her with.  this method may be a better option for you to try.  also it helps you & your bun get used to feeling around his paws which will help for nail cliping.  my vet also told me that any soap for cats would be fine for rabbits.

I have heard that the reason that bunny’s paws are yellow is because they sweat through their paws and that the yellowness is normal…is this true? i also heard that you can wipe them down with baby wipes—safe??

Washing the bunny isn’t such a big deal.

My dog usually does it for me.

But seriously, all you need is bunny shampoo, they’ll sell it at your local pet store. Then put him in a sink with the water running very gently.
Make sure that the bunny stay put. I avoid shampooing the top of his head and his ears, so that it doesnt get in his eyes. Avoid at all costs
water getting in the ear, bunny ears dont drain very well. Then wrap him up and give him a good long hug. Beware they’ll try to wiggle free.
I wash my bunny at least once every 2 weeks. And keep the cage clean.
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Loving owner of lenny the mini lop

Weird I found one thing that said they sweat out of their feet, and a couple things that said they have sweat glands around their lips. Another few sites said they don’t have sweat glands at all…Hurmph…so much disinformation out there!!

Anyone know for sure!?

I also would not recommend a full bath for a rabbit. You should be able to spot clean with a damp wash cloth, which is much less stressful for the bunny.
Also changing her box more often may help cut down on the yellow staining.