Hi JP There are a few of us out there with OCD and one of them recently mentioned feeling the need to wash her hands after she pets her bunny. I’ve been a hand washer for a long time and I think that’s perfectly natural. But then I’m not so normal. But who of us is??
Anyway, I can’t help but think that somewhere in our lives we were predisposed to this. You may have others in your family with other conditions, but I think it can all be related. I actually work in an Elementary school, a haven for nose-picking and abismal handwashing. I don’t know how many kids come out of the bathroom and I say, “Did you use soap?” I learned simply asking if they washed their hands isn’t enough because they think a spash of water counts. Many of them do a 180 and return to said bathroom. That’s my exposure therapy. But I was actually way worse when I worked as a vet tech and saw all the yuckier sides a pet ownership. So maybe your volunteering has contributed to this, along with that karaoke.
I’m not a therapist, but I’m pretty sure what people call germophobia is either the OCD or I’ve seen it referred to as being a hypochondriac (sp?) but it’s not like I’m running to the doctor every second, which is what I thought a hypochondriac does.
Don’t worry about washing after petting your bunny. Who knows, as you age, if this will progress. Dear Abby would recommend therapy, and the therapist might recommend meds, which could help, but if simply washing your hands makes you feel better and it isn’t interfering with other things in your life, it seems like a small glitch. :But then, I’ve never worked too hard to overcome my OCD.
I think I’m talking in circles, so I’ll shut up and simply say you aren’t alone in your handwashing. There are some pretty big names on TV coming out about their obsession with hand washing. Anyone wonder why Sheldon on The Big Bang has red hands? You got it!

I think that’s me Megabunny, ha ha ha….. Thanks to my OCD I can’t even rub Henry with the knuckle of my finger above his nose without having to wash my hands, lol! As long as I have soap and a tap available, my OCD doesn’t really bother me to much anymore, especially as I have become (much) older and I have become more accepting of ‘myself’. It also helps that it has become more acknowledged within our wider communities (so I’m no longer looked upon as a major weirdo anymore, though my family would still disagree, ha ha!). And seriously what’s wrong with hand washing? I hate it when my hubby has been eating chippies and goes to touch me knowing he hasn’t washed his hands first. YUCK!
Go wash your hands JPetrucci84 and be happy!!!!!!! Cheers.

t’s a problem if it is a problem, f ex if you scrub the skin off of your hands or develop rashes and sores from excessive exposure to soap and/or water or if there’s lots of stuff you can’t do because there’s no tap and soap available. Then you probably should seek medical attention, because life is too short to stay at home and wash your hands all day so to speak.

I think I have a pretty normal hand-washing pattern. I hope I do. I don’t wash my hands after touching the buns but before I do sth else.

Yup. Scrubbing your hands raw would definitely fall into the “interfering with normal life” category. Fortunately, I don’t think rabbits carry much of anything we can catch. And if they do, PLEASE DO NOT TELL ME!!!
Hey, I just picked up Gus and went back to my pizza. Now I don’t know if I’m gross or OK. Whenever I don’t fall back on my phobic ways, I obsess whether I’m getting too sloppy. Ha Ha It could be so much worse. Definitely have to wash after my poopy Gracie, though. But she’s getting better!

I actually go to the opposite extreme . . . I wash my hands *before* I touch my bunnies, before I make their salads, before I do their water bottles each night, etc.  I’m more worried about germs I may have picked up getting them sick than germs from them getting on me!  How weird is that.

Funny how backward that seems to me, but you’d say the same back. Very interesting and so nice to hear so many of us just have our little quirks. Guess that’s what makes the world such an interesting place. Now I’ve gotta go wash my hands. Ha ha

I… only wash my hands if I am doing something like cleaning their litter boxes, not just petting them. If I end up getting some bacteria from them for not washing my hands after handling them, oh well. Not gonna kill me. Powders fur is all over everything in the house anyway – I was eating the other day and ended up with white fur in my mouth. lol

I don’t wash my hands every time I handle them, only when cleaning up poops or the litter box

But, Lucky now bites me if I pick him up after having held Rodan…he gets so angry or he smells Rodan on me. Who knows. They’re little jealous bunnies. So, I try to be careful about that!

Oh gosh, ha ha hah…. I’m not quite that bad, lol. Luckily I have never been at the extreme of washing/scrubbing my hands red raw (and I genuinely feel awful for anyone who is compelled to do so), and my OCD has never restricted my life where I can’t leave the house. If anything, once I get home from grocery shopping and pushing a trolley around, I just tend to wash my hands as soon as I get home. Another thing I am big on is clean bench/counter tops and before introducing Henry into our home – the floors. Not anymore!!!!! I can’t keep up and I actually got over it??? WOW! Something funny though, a tradie came to our home and went to take his shoes off. I told him to leave them on cause his feet would get dirty! Ha ha ha….. Cheers!

PS – Oh, and I really don’t like anyone touching me if ‘I know’ they have dirty hands….. go figure? LOL!

I have OCD as well, and I really don’t like people germs… I always wash my hands after holding hands with someone or after being in a public place. But my bunnies, I only wash my hands after dirty tasks like cleaning litterboxes, etc. I don’t know how I manage it! Sometimes I even let them eat off my spoons… maybe it’s just that I know where they have been?

Petrucci LOL!

When my Yohio was a newcomer here he’d wash himself for 20-30 minutes after I’d touched him. Now, there’s germophobia for you!

Now he’s either accepted my germs or just plain given up =)

This has been a great thread. So glad people shared. It’s been therapeutic!!

Knowing that the majority of us are slightly insane makes me feel so good!

Posted By bam on 02/17/2014 04:15 AM

When my Yohio was a newcomer here he’d wash himself for 20-30 minutes after I’d touched him. Now, there’s germophobia for you!

Bahahahah Chester does this to me! He’ll ask to be petted, but as soon as I stop he grooms himself for a solid 5-10 minutes. I’m definitely not that careful with washing my hands when I pet him, except when he’s shedding and I get hair stuck all over. 

Ellis insists on 20-30 minutes of love-worship, especially scritching his face, neck, ears, etc. If I move my hand away, he noses it back up onto his head until he decides I’m done. Then he spends almost as much time washing his face, ears, neck, whiskers, etc. I guess he’s trying to get my scent off of him?

I don’t wash as soon as we’re done playing, but I do wash my hands, face, and any other skin he’s been around, at least once/night. I’m allergic to him, esp where he scratches me, and I heal slowly, so I try to take extra care with the fur, dander and scratches. But the psychological benefits of having him far outweigh the medical risks, so he’s staying.

Good on you JP! We’d love to have you join us too! ha ha ha….

Yup As long as we have the buns to stare at while we’re in our strait jackets

as they chew away on our restraints……. LOL!

Posted By bam on 02/16/2014 10:53 AM

t’s a problem if it is a problem, f ex if you scrub the skin off of your hands or develop rashes and sores from excessive exposure to soap and/or water

I do that sometimes. Lately it hasn’t been as bad but Hubby still gets annoyed with me for wasting so much soap . My OCD was a lot worse than even washing my hands sore when I was in my late teens. Meeting Hubby has made me a good bit better though.

Concerning the bunny, I wash my hands almost anytime I touch him, unless all I did was give him a quick nose scratch. I also do the same as JackRabbit and wash my hands before handling Oscar or his food.

OCD patients unite!! Funny how many of us can get past it enough to enjoy these wonderful creatures.As I look at the fur stuck to my keyboard, I remember I really should clean the house while I have the week off from school.