Do you bathe your bunny?

[SeaTurtleSwims]

Hi! Tolliver Sprout is three years old now! W00T! He has managed to escape a bath for the entire time! (And yet strangely, still a handsome boi). Lil dude has funk, and not the dancing kind. I’m not one to bathe things that don’t naturally need it, but perhaps once every three years is due a wash. Do you wash your house rabbit? If so, do you prefer to soap and water bath or the pet wipes? Basically, I would like to use soap and water vs the wipes because I already have pet shampoo for cats and dogs, but I want to make sure his coat will dry safely. Not sure if it can be fully saturated? He’s a Holland lop, not a fiber bun or anything like that.

Thanks  

[JLH]

I have a Holland lop, I have been told too never put her in water and wash her. My bunny doctor has also told me this, if my bun get’s a dirty butt I use non scented baby wipes. my bun cleans herself anytime she is awake, she is very clean and never smells bad.

[LBJ10]

If you feel he has a “funk” about him, you could give him a dry bath. Cornstarch (kind for babies) and a fine tooth comb will remove any dirt in his coat. Just be careful not to let him inhale the powder directly. It’s harmless, but you don’t want to irritate his lungs.

Honestly though, he probably doesn’t need a bath. Rabbits generally aren’t bathed unless there is a problem (poopy butt, they came in contact with something harmful, etc.).

[jerseygirl]

My four rabbit are now all over age 7 and have never been bathed. Rumball (now passed away) was almost 12 and never had a bath. They still smell like lovely hay.

I recently shampooed Goosey’s front legs as they were snotty and he isn’t able to groom them very well. He sometimes gets a yeasty smell as there are wet areas under his mouth due to his facial contraction and some dental issues he recently had tended to. But I wont bathe his face as it would make things worse.  

Ive only ever bathed a rabbit (just the back end) when looking after some poorly ones that were either sopping wet with urine or had messy poop caked on their butt. As mentioned, the dry bath method can be effective. I used it once on some light urine staining and it worked well.

[SeaTurtleSwims]

It is weird! I appreciate everyone’s input, I had never heard of water bathing so wanted to check on it first. I keep cornstarch on hand for doggo and bunny just in case I ever quick one while trimming nails. I’ll use some of the pet corn starch for a dry bath.

He seems to get a dirty butt when he’s over fed and the smell has kind of lingered. If I’m gone for a weekend for example, I’ll feed him enough for the trip and he’ll have had not quite right droppings along with a dirty butt when I return (I’m guessing because he eats 3 days worth of pellets and veggies on day 1 and miserably munches hay they remainder of the time lol). I brush and comb out the mess out, but will try corn starch to help nip the smell in the bud. He loves to hang out in his litter box too which has never been a problem before so it’s a mystery

Thanks!

[Kiki]

Bunnies have pretty finicky digestive symptoms. I wouldn’t really recommend that you leave him for more than a night or so by himself. He is gorging himself, which is throwing off the digestive system which is why you’re dealing with the poopy butt and such. Do you have any one that can stop in and check on/spend time with him if you’re gone for more than one night ?

[Bunny House]

I agree, buns shouldn’t be left alone, they should be boarded or baby sat as bunnies can get sick very quick and die fast if not being looked after. They aren’t like cats that can be left alone for a day or two

[My Pets World 101]

i don’t think you should bathe your bunny because they groom themselves but you can wipe them with a damp cloth..

[Sirius&Luna]

I’m sorry, are you saying that you leave him entirely unsupervised for 3 days at a time? Of course if you leave a bunny with 3 days worth of pellets they’ll eat them all in one go. You’re lucky that he hasn’t got gas or stasis from doing that and died with no one to look in on him for 3 days.

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