Put weight on my rabbit and bathing.

Hi,

My rabbit has been suffering badly with his dental issues and was close to being put to sleep but after switching vets he is back to his normal self and they seem to have it all under control. However during this period of him being unwell he lost a lot of weight. He is a medium sized rabbit and weighs about 2.3kg, I'm unsure if this is good? If this isn't good what are ways to put some weight back on him. He shares a cage etc with his brother tho so it's not always easy to monitor how much he eats.
Lastly while being unwell he was unable to go to his normal potty, he is well trained and goes there to pee and poo however he was unable to do this as he was so lethargic, therefore he pee'd on his tail etc and he's a bit messy down there. This can't be nice for him and it's defo not nice to look at and it really doesn't smell good. I looked online about bathing him and people said never to put rabbits in water? Is it ok to just put him in a very shallow amount of warm water and give him a little bit of a scrub (not too hard of course) then give him a gentle blow dry. I've tried using wipes but just can't get rid of smell. Surely a shallow bath would be ok?
Thanks for help. :wave:

NikkiGrant_17 said:

Hi,

My rabbit has been suffering badly with his dental issues and was close to being put to sleep but after switching vets he is back to his normal self and they seem to have it all under control. However during this period of him being unwell he lost a lot of weight. He is a medium sized rabbit and weighs about 2.3kg, I'm unsure if this is good? If this isn't good what are ways to put some weight back on him. He shares a cage etc with his brother tho so it's not always easy to monitor how much he eats.
Lastly while being unwell he was unable to go to his normal potty, he is well trained and goes there to pee and poo however he was unable to do this as he was so lethargic, therefore he pee'd on his tail etc and he's a bit messy down there. This can't be nice for him and it's defo not nice to look at and it really doesn't smell good. I looked online about bathing him and people said never to put rabbits in water? Is it ok to just put him in a very shallow amount of warm water and give him a little bit of a scrub (not too hard of course) then give him a gentle blow dry. I've tried using wipes but just can't get rid of smell. Surely a shallow bath would be ok?
Thanks for help. :wave:

Click to expand...

Hi there :wave:

Yes it's quite OK to put a rabbit into about an inch of warm water and swish it around to clean him. Much more effective than baby wipes, and also healthier. Don't use any shampoo - just the water and a warm towel afterwards. Or you can gently blow-dry

To put weight on, you could add a few more pellets, or try to give them just to him at times when his brother isn't looking? Other things that put weight on gradually are a pinch or two per day of porridge oats or sunflower seeds. Most people would agree these are very safe ways of putting weight on a bunny. Your vet would be able to advise you as to his 'ideal' weight and give you some idea if he's very underweight.

I am so glad your rabbit is now much better following his dental problems. He must be very precious to you :wave:

NikkiGrant_17 said:

Hi,

My rabbit has been suffering badly with his dental issues and was close to being put to sleep but after switching vets he is back to his normal self and they seem to have it all under control. However during this period of him being unwell he lost a lot of weight. He is a medium sized rabbit and weighs about 2.3kg, I'm unsure if this is good? If this isn't good what are ways to put some weight back on him. He shares a cage etc with his brother tho so it's not always easy to monitor how much he eats.
Lastly while being unwell he was unable to go to his normal potty, he is well trained and goes there to pee and poo however he was unable to do this as he was so lethargic, therefore he pee'd on his tail etc and he's a bit messy down there. This can't be nice for him and it's defo not nice to look at and it really doesn't smell good. I looked online about bathing him and people said never to put rabbits in water? Is it ok to just put him in a very shallow amount of warm water and give him a little bit of a scrub (not too hard of course) then give him a gentle blow dry. I've tried using wipes but just can't get rid of smell. Surely a shallow bath would be ok?
Thanks for help. :wave:

Click to expand...

I'm so glad that you found a Vet who is better able to help your Rabbit. If you need to clean his rear end then you can place him in a shallow amount of warm water. It's best not to use any shampoos as they can sometimes irritate a Rabbit's delicate skin. Also, if they create a lot of lather it can be a nightmare to get it all rinsed off. You may need to change the bathing water a couple of times until it runs off the soiled fur as clear as possible. Otherwise if the fur remains partly soiled it will cause more problems. You can dry him off with towels and then use a hair dryer on a cool low setting. Dont be tempted to use a warmer setting as this can burn the skin.

It's hard to say if 2.3kg is a 'normal' weight for your Rabbit. Has the new Vet commented on whether your Rabbit is underweight ? He may not be in which case feeding him up may not be necessary. Tamsin has a useful article about Rabbit Weights on her Rabbit House Site :

http://www.therabbithouse.com/diet/rabbit-weight.asp

If your Vet thinks that your Rabbit needs to gain some weight then I would start by feeding a bit more of his usual pelleted food, feeding him separately from his brother so you know exactly how much he is eating. You could also give him some readigrass (dried grass) which has a high protein content. It is better to try to achieve weight gain slowly and without introducing too many carbohydrates. A Rabbit's digestive system is not 'programmed' to cope with a high carbohydrate diet and feeding lots of this type of food can cause problems. Another thing you could try is to mix his usual pelleted feed in with some pelleted feed made specifically for growing Rabbits. As you probably know any new food needs to be introduced very gradually.

I hope that now his Dental problems are under control your Rabbit will feel much happier xx

Hi :wave:
Thank you very much. Was very unsure if it was okay to bath them in water, seen so many articles saying different things. I'll bath him asap so he's all fresh

Vet never really said he was underweight, all that was said was he lost quite a bit of weight during his illness, so might just go in and see what she says. Thanks for the tips.

He is a lot better now. At last vet he had to get his molars done nearly every 4 weeks and was making him really ill, and he got infections etc so they said it would be best for him to be put to sleep, but moved vets and he's happier than ever with his recent treatment and hasn't had to have his teeth done again in about 2 months so fingers crossed it's under control. His infection is gone and he's running around happy again.

Thanks again :wave:

NikkiGrant_17 said:

Hi :wave:
Thank you very much. Was very unsure if it was okay to bath them in water, seen so many articles saying different things. I'll bath him asap so he's all fresh

Vet never really said he was underweight, all that was said was he lost quite a bit of weight during his illness, so might just go in and see what she says. Thanks for the tips.

He is a lot better now. At last vet he had to get his molars done nearly every 4 weeks and was making him really ill, and he got infections etc so they said it would be best for him to be put to sleep, but moved vets and he's happier than ever with his recent treatment and hasn't had to have his teeth done again in about 2 months so fingers crossed it's under control. His infection is gone and he's running around happy again.

Thanks again :wave:

Click to expand...

Awww nice to have feedback from you :wave:

If he feels thin then I'm sure your vet will advise the best course of action. Oats and sunflower seeds have good amounts of B vitamins and Vitamin E, so they will help towards his appetite and also a shiny coat (as well as building back his immune system).

So good to hear he is happy and running around