bathe

[mvmdlg]

I saw in my local pet store (big chain) bunny shampoo.  I thought they didn’t need baths ect.  Yes/No

[Beka27]

in general, they don’t need baths. they are very clean animals, and as long as they are in good health and not overweight, they can clean every area that needs cleaning. some special needs (or overweight) rabbits will need “butt baths” sometimes b/c they are unable to clean that area as easily. another reason they might need a bath is if they actually got into something that made them very dirty or if they were sprayed by another rabbit. most of the time, even if that happened, you would not need any shampoo, just warm water…

[KatnipCrzy]

Bunny shampoo is just a marketing ploy to get you to buy un-necessary stuff for your bunny.  A mild pet shampoo would be fine- or even no shampoo at all.  I have had to give a few butt baths and I used warm water only.  Cotton hated the bath, but needed to be cleaned, and I am glad that I did not use shampoo as that only would have extended the bath/rinse time necessary.

There are a lot of companies out there that are making pet products that don’t have a clue!  I HATE, HATE, HATE that there are so many products- such as vitamins and treats that are labeled for rabbits AND guinea pigs- just because they are small pets about the same size they get lumped together marketing wise.  And guinea pigs and bunnies have some quite different dietary needs.  They do the same with hamsters/gerbils.  Companies don’t care that they are from different areas of the world and different habitats- they lump them together by size! 

Typical pet store, in my opinion- 90% of the bunnies supplies are garbage- either un-necessary, too sugary (treats)/not healthy, worthless (small litterboxes), too expensive (wood pellet litter compared to wood stove pellets), inappropriate (small bunny cages), etc….

Companies make this stuff because people will buy it- but people buy it because that is what is available and cost-effective to them.

Gee- and you thought you were just asking about bunny shampoo- and I go off on a pet store tirade.  Sorry!  But really, you asked a great question and the answer is to trust yourself and your research more than the companies products for your pet!

[mvmdlg]

i thaught so. just questioned when I saw that.

[Bunnies4ever]

That is so true KapNip Crzy! I’ve seen no many products on pet store shelves that are totally needless and potentially dangerous to rabbits. The treats are the worse! I’ve never had to bathe my rabbits, only a damp towel rubdown when it’s a heavy molt is the most I’ve done.

[Sarita]

I totally agree Katnip! It’s crazy.

As for shampoos – if I bathe my rabbits dirty butts I just use water and nothing else.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

I do have to do occaisional/regular baths with Rupert and Chuck, Rupert needs a bum bath about once a month, as he dribbles on his legs. Chuck does the same but less and has only needed two quick bum rinses since July. I use ‘tear free’ dog shampoo as I’ve read that as long as it’s a gentle pet shampoo it’s OK to use, but Definitely never to use soap or your own shampoo. The dog shampoo is about twice the size of the ‘rabbit shampoo’ and half the cost, I use tearfree even though I’m doing their bums as I *know* how much soap in the eye stings (oh man I’m a clutz, I know very well how much it stings LOL ) and I don’t want them to have that ever happen!!

But very true, it’s generally not necessary to bathe your bunny. They are excellent at keeping themselves clean. I think of them as cats rather then dogs, they don’t need regular baths, only if they get dirty for some reason

[kralspace]

Plain warm water has always worked for us too. Lola is white and she’d get the big ugly cecal wad stuck to her behind. I’d draw about 2 inches of warm water in the tub and put her in on a towel. Sometimes the wad would be so hard it would take a while to soak it and soften it but I always managed to finally get it loose with just my fingers (eau) and she would come out snowy white. Pissed off, but clean….lol

Kathy

[mvmdlg]

the only thing’s I get are Timothy Hay and dry food. other than that you are right CRAP. they really don’t have to much available for small animals

[Beka27]

ditto ditto ditto on the petstore rant!

when we got Meadow, i did purchase an XL Marchioro cage at my local store. it’s the largest commercial cage i’ve ever seen (2×4 feet) and it’s a wonderful quality cage… but at just over 100 bucks, i could’ve bought an xpen as well as other supplies for the same price… and gotten more use out of it.

the toys too… they charge crazy prices and most of those things are not even appealing to bunnies (or safe). you can get two willow toys for the price of one chew thing at a petstore, and the willow toy will actually be used…

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