• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.
  • Please Note - Medical Advice

    Please keep in mind that posts on this forum are from members of the public sharing personal opinions. It is not a replacement for qualified medical advice from a veterinarian. Many illnesses share similar symptoms but require different treatments. A medical exam is necessary for an accurate diagnosis, without which appropriate treatment cannot be given.

    You should always consult your vet before following any suggestions for medication or treatment you have read about. The wrong treatment could make your rabbit worse or mean your vet is unable to give the correct treatment because of drug interactions. Even non prescription drugs can do harm if given inappropriately.

    We are very grateful to members who take time to answer other members questions, but please do be clear in your replies that you are sharing personal experience and not giving instructions on what must be done.

    Urgent Medical Advice: If you need, or think you might need, urgent medical advice you should contact a vet. If it is out of working hours phone your vet's normal number and there should be an answer phone message with instructions on what to do.

bathing dirty bun

busterbunny

New Kit
hi i'm new to this so i'd like to introduce myself 1st:wave: i have a mini lop who is home bred and is now 6years old. he is an uneutered male (i'm bad i know i should have neutered him but i dont want to put him through that now).

the reason for my post is i want to know peoples thoughts on if i should bathe him as he is very dirty around his bottom and his chin. He has always suffered a dirty bottom and the only time this was controlled was when feeding D & H Rabbit Royale (i love this) however after losing weight i realised his teeth are virtually useless to him he only has one front tooth and his molars do not meet properly so have changed him to D & H pellets so i can soak them, (he's not keen) so consequently he has become dirty again, although i have used soaked cotton wool balls to try to get this off its not enough. The chin is because vet advised feeding complan to build him up, which i have been putting with a rusk as well with soya milk). i read somewhere to give oats as well for help putting weight on, any way he now laps his mixture from a bowl but gets it in his fur i try to wipe clean with cotton woll and water again but its a bit of a loseing battle so it gets all sticky and he's not happy with me doing it. i think he's put enough weight on to stay on normal food only now so hopefully shouldn't be a problem.

I'm sorry to post such a long post for a first but i had to give you the overall picture so you understood why i wanted to bath my rabbit and didn't think i was a raving loone who was going to blow dry and purfume the bun as well (although you probably think i'm a raving loone anyway now :oops:)

Any way hope to get some good feedback. BTW i now have a spare outdoor hutch as my bun has moved indoors for closer monitering and with winter underway i couldn't risk his health any further so if someone needs a small bun rehoming or fostering i could be of assistance let me know (could strech to medium if necessary in my opinion)

Cheers claire and buster
 
Have you tried using baby wipes to clean him up rather than bathing him. I do bath my rabbits if absolutely necessary and I cannot get it off by combing or using wipes but I would only bath the specific area and not to get him to wet. Make sure you keep the rabbit inside until he is completely dry if you go down this route.
 
Hiya, welcome to RU :)

I wouldn't bathe a bunny unless absolutely necessary. You can buy grooming wipes which I believe are a bit like wet wipes, I figure these would be less stressful for the bunny.
 
is the poos solid or fluid-soft form? 1 of my bridge bun, Little Happy, didn't eat hay. As such, his poos quite often is fluid-soft. A bun should have a diet composed of 90% hay, timothy hay is my 1st choice. How much hay is he eating?

Pellet is only meant for a few teaspoon, and composed of the remaining 10% of diet along w/ fruit, green, treats
 
my old girl can get a dirty bottom, i am a mean mummy and have shaved all of her bottom! in with the baby wipes no poop stuck on hair :)
 
:wave: Welcome to the forum

If its really bad and wipes etc don't work then i would bath his bottom end only in a washing up bowl with just enough water to wet his bottom and use some rabbit shampoo, gorgoues guineas do a special one for bunnies if you google it the shop should come up. :)

ETA: If he is a long haired bunny i would also trim his fur around his bottom so its easier to keep on top of.
 
I agree with thrimming or shaving the area as much as possible, it makes it easier for wiping. I had the same problem with a New Zealand White I had years ago. That was fun bathing a 14lb rabbit:lol: I found he hated sitting in water it sent him nuts but sitting on a towel in the sink or bath being gently washed with a manual shower attachment (one that goes on the taps) kept him calm, well until he would run like a loon all over the house wetting whatever he came into contact with:lol::lol: He was a genle giant really and loved a luke warm hairdryer.

Good luck.
 
as others have said grooming trimming wipes cotton wool soaked in warm water then soaking the area, failing that if you HAVE to do bathe, ive found the best way is in bath put a towel in the bottom so they dont slip put the shower on low and warm like rain hold buns front paws up so his bum is just gets wet its a bit of a fiddle on your own, but ive had to do this twice now and found it least stressfull than sticking straight into a bowl of water, talking in soothing tones helps a big deal too and make sure you have everything ready before hand so its within easy reach, i had to do this for one of honeys babies as he got oil on all his feet and nose, so i trimmed off what i coould then used a gentle shampoo rinse well and lots of cuddles in a warm towel and big treat ready for after,
 
Back
Top