Cleaning Rabbits Bottom? Help

We rescued a little 8 week old rabbit last Friday, he was very thin, not eating, and stools were not the right consistency etc. I thought I will give him 12-24 hrs to eat and drink and get his poop looking normal otherwise I'm taking him/her (still not 100% sure :roll to the vets. His stools are near perfect now, he is eating lots of hay & drinking well and has really perked up (saw his first binky yesterday!). He is loving exploring his new yard and getting more confident each day I - he's never experienced space and exercise before - poor soul. He had alot of dried on poo on his bottom, I have given him the best clean that I could on Saturday but there is still some more and I am worried about fly strike. I can get him into the proper position for cleaning etc. it's just what is the best thing to get it off when its all matted in his fur? Has anybody any experience or suggestions on this? I would be V grateful

I had this problem with a rabbit I used to have. What I did (and maybe I did this wrong but I didn't know what else to do) was get my OH to hold the rabbit under her front paws and sit her feet and bum in the sink with warm water holding the rest of her body out the water and clean her that way. I dried her with a towel and kept her in till she was completely dry.

Mrs Ord said:

I had this problem with a rabbit I used to have. What I did (and maybe I did this wrong but I didn't know what else to do) was get my OH to hold the rabbit under her front paws and sit her feet and bum in the sink with warm water holding the rest of her body out the water and clean her that way. I dried her with a towel and kept her in till she was completely dry.

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Thank You, I may try this - its gonna need alot of warm water! It makes me feel so sad to see them like this .
Did you use any sort of rabbit shampoo and a flannel or something?
It's a tricky one as I know my other rabbits would not like to be bathed so I don't, but if it's only his bottom it shouldn't be to bad. Just dont want to rub to hard he's only a small little thing, bless him

I just used my hands and water it cleans off pretty easy and breaks down well in warm water. Its not nice for the rabbit to have you poking around down there but mine seemed to be grateful after like she knew i'd done it for her and she was also a lot happier with her clean bum. I think it soothes the sore bits too.

Mrs Ord said:

I just used my hands and water it cleans off pretty easy and breaks down well in warm water. Its not nice for the rabbit to have you poking around down there but mine seemed to be grateful after like she knew i'd done it for her and she was also a lot happier with her clean bum. I think it soothes the sore bits too.

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Oh Thank You so much

Will try this and see how we get on - will keep you posted!
Plus I will try & get some pics on of the new little one - he really is cute

I use no more tears baby shampoo, just a small amount, in a clean litter tray with a small amount of water, then i put Inca in and wash her back end.

Hi, why don't you try Burts Bees cornstarch powder, you sprikle the area and work in well and the poo should be easy to remove due to the powder used. It's all compeltely natural ingrediants and does not contain any talc (very safe for babies so should be fine for a bunny). That way no water is used and it will make your bunny smell lovely too.

Thank You for All of your replies they really do help
I have to small children so will look through some of their mild shampoos to see what we have

Well done rescuing the poor little thing, so sad when they are already neglected and in poor condition so young Rather than stress it out or bathing it etc, I would be inclined to pop it along to the vets and let them try and get some of the main bits off - they can also sex it and give it a general health check; it is possible that some of its problems are due to its general health rather than all being specifically down to neglect, so it's worth checking - and the vet can also arrange for the bun to have its first vaccination if it is well enough.

Sad as it sounds, I would also suggest not giving it too much space yet. Bunnies that have been deprived of space have very poor muscle tone and thin bones, and it is important that these are developed gradually otherwise the bun could actually seriously injure itself when exercising.

Good luck, and I look forward to hearing more about the little chap/chappess as he/she grows up

We had a bun that just wouldn't stay still and we were worried about him hurting himself while being washed (yep tried everything - clamping him in a towel didn't work either!:lol::lol. He hated the water.

In the end we very very carefully clipped the pooped up fur.

Good luck.

Mrs Ord said:

I had this problem with a rabbit I used to have. What I did (and maybe I did this wrong but I didn't know what else to do) was get my OH to hold the rabbit under her front paws and sit her feet and bum in the sink with warm water holding the rest of her body out the water and clean her that way. I dried her with a towel and kept her in till she was completely dry.

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This is exactly what I've just done to one of mine. Yes it is ok. They get wet in the rain anyway don't they?

Kermit said:

I use no more tears baby shampoo, just a small amount, in a clean litter tray with a small amount of water, then i put Inca in and wash her back end.

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Not so sure about this I realise it won't be going in it's eyes but they use rabbits to test this kind of thing
Just warm water and try not to pull out any matted fur as it may make the skin sore, it is always best to cut it off. All these things are MUCH easier said than done:lol:

Silly 'bunny mummy'!!! said:

Hi, why don't you try Burts Bees cornstarch powder, you sprikle the area and work in well and the poo should be easy to remove due to the powder used. It's all compeltely natural ingrediants and does not contain any talc (very safe for babies so should be fine for a bunny). That way no water is used and it will make your bunny smell lovely too.

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This sounds like a good idea! Just rubbing it in & see if it works - may be nicer for bun if he gets stressed with water & being held like that - i know mine would hate it.....:shock: