Dirty and dry hind legs

[Cookie]

Hello,

I’ve just adopted two rabbits from a friend who was unable to take care of them. Both are about 8 months and are male rabbits. They’ve got white fur and red eyes.

Their hind legs are pretty much very dry and and dirty and they dont look normal. Their fur is also yellowish. It seems like it’s because of sitting on the pee. He said it’s normal but it doesnt seem to be normal. Can you guys please suggest what should I do to get them cleaned completely? Because I don’t have a hair dryer to dry them up just in case if I give them a wet bath. Please suggest.

[kanin]

If their legs do look really dirty and it doesn’t just look like they’re tinged a light green from hay, you can try getting a damp washcloth and gently wiping off as much as you can, then patting them dry with a towel. Hair dryers should never be used regardless, and full-on baths should be avoided as well. As for their bodies, if it’s just tinged yellow and not matted or caked with urine, you can just brush them and over time they will clean themselves and it will go back to its normal color. If they were outside then I would check them for fleas as well, and if possible taken to a rabbit-savvy vet to check for ear mites or other issues.

[Bam]

Thank you for adopting these rabbits!

You can give a butt bath to a very dirty rabbit. You can also do a dry bath with corn starch. Here are some instructions from a trusted source, although I have some additions I’d like to make:

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/buttbath.html

My additions would be: You only need very little soap or shampoo. Preferably sth organic and un-scented. I use a tiny bit of of dog shampoo.

I prefer giving butt baths in a basin placed on the bathroom floor. This is to prevent accidents if the bun decides to jump out of the basin mid-bath.

(You can use a hair dryer on a low setting, all the time ruffling the butt fur with your free hand, in order to make sure it never gets to warm and that the fur dries through and through. Some buns really enjoy this and can fall asleep in your lap.)

Since you dont have a hair dryer, I recommend a micro fiber towel for drying the rabbit. Micro fiber towels, or micro fiber dust cloths or car polish cloths are a lot more absirbant and easy to work with than cotton towels. It is important to get the bun mostly dry, although in summer temps and indoors, some moisture can be left to dry of it self without risk of the bun getting cold. It is only the butt and back legs that are supposed to get wet, most of the bun will not get water on it.

It’s a very good idea to take the buns to a vet and get an anti-parasitic for them, in case they have fleas or mites etc. Revolution and Advantage II can be used with buns. As you probably know, but we still always like to repeat: Never use any compound containing fipronil on a rabbit. It is a common product for use with cats and dogs, but its deadly toxic to rabbits. Its sold otc under many brand names f ex Frontline.

Are the rabbits neutered? If they are not, they should be, preferably as soon as possible, or they will get into bad fights.

Please keep us posted!

 

 

[Cookie]

Thank you so much for the reply, I’ll try to wash their legs with a damp cloth and cornstarch. I am checking about nearby vets in my city who can actually treat rabbits.

[Cookie]

Thank you Bam, I’d be honest they dont seem to be neutered and they were fighting but they have got along together pretty well and they cuddle and sleep together now. As I mentioned in the above reply, I am actually looking for a vet and the cost of neutering them so that I can save and get them neutered as it is pretty hard to litter train them. They do use the litterbox but they dont pee in it and when I get them out of their cage, they pee almost everywhere in the house.

[Bam]

It is wonderful of you to take them in. Maybe you could ask shelters/rescues in your area what vet they use? Here is the HRS list of rabbit vets, per US states:

https://rabbit.org/vet-listings/

They are marking their way through your home now, much like male cats would do. Be very vigilant, if they get into a bad fight they can hurt each other considerably, and what is almost equally bad, they may become enemies for life, even after they’ve been neutered.

I understand you are doing this out of the goodness of your heart, we will be very happy to help you with all questions and concerns you may have along the way. 💗

[tobyluv]

It was so nice of you to adopt these rabbits.  If you wanted to give your general location, you may get some vet suggestions if there are people who live in your area.

Even though you say the rabbits are cuddling and happy together, it would be best to separate them until they have been neutered and have gone through a bonding routine afterwards.  There is a good article on bonding on this site. Rabbits can be very content and happy with each other, then suddenly fights will break out, and severe injuries can occur. You aren’t able to watch them constantly, so it’s best to keep them apart for now.  They can be close, where they can see each other, but not where they can physically interact.

[Cookie]

I’m so grateful that I asked for help from such a helpful and understanding community..☺

I’ll keep you guys posted about them..<3

[Cookie]

**UPDATE**

Hey guys,

Thanks for helping me out the last time, I cleaned one of their legs, it looks better but I noticed the other one losing fur from its tail and leg, is it normal? Please let me know if you want me to upload pictures to see how to looks like to have a better idea.

[Bam]

We’re always happy for pictures, of course. Losing fur can be normal, some rabbits shed that way naturally, but it depends on how the skin in the area looks. If the skin is irritated, if there’s lots of “dandruff” or if there are sores, sth other than just shedding is going on. Rabbit skin should be soft and smooth.

Dandruffy skin, often, but not always, with skin-colored “scabs” that can be felt rather than seen, indicates fur mites. The typical areas that mites occur on is at the nape of the beck and the root of the tail (where the rabbit has difficulty grooming itself). Another cause for scaly, irritated skin is fungus.

[Cookie]

Here are the pictures, the first image is of his tail and the 2nd image is of his hind leg and this what the inside of his legs seem like, I didnt wash him with the rabbit shampoo yet because I was scared to take any step.

[Louiethebunny]

Oh, it’s good you didn’t clean that area with soap yet, it might burn or be very irritating. that looks pretty bad? I’m not experienced with injuries but that might need a trip to the vet?

[LBJ10]

This is normal with fur that was consistently wet (at least at one point). The fur will actually loosen and become detached, leaving a bald area. They were probably suffering from some scalding and now that they are being kept in clean conditions, the area dried out. You will likely still lose some fur, but it should eventually grown back once the area is healthy again.

[Cookie]

Oh, okay so I guess I shouldn’t wash him right? And do I need to do anything else for him?

[LBJ10]

You can still wash him. I don’t think it will hurt anything. Just keep in mind that any additional lose fur will probably come off.

[Author]

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