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Phoebes bum not dry after bath

chareg96

chareg96

Young Bun
Hi all. Last night I had to give Phoebe a little bum bath as she had bits of matted fur and poo stuck down there and I managed to get it out (with a lot of struggle from Phoebe, she's very strong willed lol) but after she wriggled so much she managed to escape from my arms so I could dry her properly. She's a mini lion head so has long fur. I'm aware of the implications if she's not dried properly such as chaffing and phnemonia but I physically cannot dry her. It's been 16 hours since I bathed her and her actual bum is still a bit damp. She's an indoor bunny (with free range of the living room) so she's not out in the cold. ,I'm currently at work but could anyone offer any advice? I'm really worried about her skin chaffing and making her poorly :(
 
chareg96 said:
Hi all. Last night I had to give Phoebe a little bum bath as she had bits of matted fur and poo stuck down there and I managed to get it out (with a lot of struggle from Phoebe, she's very strong willed lol) but after she wriggled so much she managed to escape from my arms so I could dry her properly. She's a mini lion head so has long fur. I'm aware of the implications if she's not dried properly such as chaffing and phnemonia but I physically cannot dry her. It's been 16 hours since I bathed her and her actual bum is still a bit damp. She's an indoor bunny (with free range of the living room) so she's not out in the cold. ,I'm currently at work but could anyone offer any advice? I'm really worried about her skin chaffing and making her poorly :(
Click to expand...

Three things:

1. Only bath in about an inch of water - as little as you can get away with :D

2. You can dry with a hairdryer on a cool setting

3. Clip the fur around her bum with round ended scissors (or get the vet nurse to help you)

She's indoors, so not so worrying as outdoors in this weather, but she would still need to be dry for the sake of her skin.

Good luck xx
 
MightyMax said:
Three things:

1. Only bath in about an inch of water - as little as you can get away with :D

2. You can dry with a hairdryer on a cool setting

3. Clip the fur around her bum with round ended scissors (or get the vet nurse to help you)

She's indoors, so not so worrying as outdoors in this weather, but she would still need to be dry for the sake of her skin.

Good luck xx
Click to expand...

She won't let us anywhere near her at the minute so this is what is stressing me out :( we only bathed her in a couple of inches of water but it was less after the towel had soaked a lot of it up. Thank you for the tips, I will let my mum know! At the min she just scarpers any time we go near her, all trust has been lost :( haha
 
chareg96 said:
She won't let us anywhere near her at the minute so this is what is stressing me out :( we only bathed her in a couple of inches of water but it was less after the towel had soaked a lot of it up. Thank you for the tips, I will let my mum know! At the min she just scarpers any time we go near her, all trust has been lost :( haha
Click to expand...

Oh dear, I know what it's like trying to apprehend a bunny who has lost trust and just wants away :(

I think the fur clipping will be the most helpful :D
 
chareg96 said:
Hi all. Last night I had to give Phoebe a little bum bath as she had bits of matted fur and poo stuck down there and I managed to get it out (with a lot of struggle from Phoebe, she's very strong willed lol) but after she wriggled so much she managed to escape from my arms so I could dry her properly. She's a mini lion head so has long fur. I'm aware of the implications if she's not dried properly such as chaffing and phnemonia but I physically cannot dry her. It's been 16 hours since I bathed her and her actual bum is still a bit damp. She's an indoor bunny (with free range of the living room) so she's not out in the cold. ,I'm currently at work but could anyone offer any advice? I'm really worried about her skin chaffing and making her poorly :(
Click to expand...

I would not worry too much about her getting sore skin if the need to bathe her bum is just a one off. She could be in trouble re chilling if she were outdoors, but as she's indoors I expect she will be OK on this occasion.

Do you know why she had a mucky bum ? Perhaps it would help to get the fur around her rear end clipped. As she does not sound to be a very compliant Bunny I'd ask your Vet/Vet Nurse if they could do the clipping for you.

As I mentioned, trying to identify why the mucky bum occurred is important as if there is an underlying problem (teeth, mobility, over-weight) that would need to be addressed too.

I hope you return home to a happy Bunny with a nice clean and dry bum !
 
Their fur is like a sponge, if you get the undercoat wet it will soak up loads of water. You almost need to sort of squeeze it out before trying to dry.

Do you know why she was dirty? Usually there is an underlying issue e.g. diet or weight that causes them to need a bum bath and if you can resolve that you can avoid baths :)
 
I believe it's just because she had some matts of fur and the poo got stuck in there when she's wee'd or something but she's only 8 months old and isn't overweight, nor had any poo problems but think a trip to the vet for a clip will be happening! She will hate me even more as she hates the car, poor Phoebe :( thanks all for the help!
 
chareg96 said:
I believe it's just because she had some matts of fur and the poo got stuck in there when she's wee'd or something but she's only 8 months old and isn't overweight, nor had any poo problems but think a trip to the vet for a clip will be happening! She will hate me even more as she hates the car, poor Phoebe :( thanks all for the help!
Click to expand...

You're welcome :wave:

I know what you mean, a rabbit doesn't need to be overweight to get a mucky bum :D

Sometimes a fluffy bum just holds onto these things more than it should .. Also, you could experiment with different foods/cutting them out etc to see whether anything in particular causes a worse problem. It's not always to do with quantity of food, but the sort of food ...

Good luck xx
 
chareg96 said:
I believe it's just because she had some matts of fur and the poo got stuck in there when she's wee'd or something but she's only 8 months old and isn't overweight, nor had any poo problems but think a trip to the vet for a clip will be happening! She will hate me even more as she hates the car, poor Phoebe :( thanks all for the help!
Click to expand...

I'm sure that she'll forgive you, especially if it means not having to have any more bum baths !
 
The above advise is brill. I feel for you, going through a similar thing at the moment but with wee. My bun has been clipped and its a godsend. Your right Tamsin the fur is exactly like a sponge and it takes forever to dry. Im now only doing sponge baths and its loads easier. If shes not too messy maybe see if you can get away with a sponge bath. You can do this in an open top carrier or a box, When i have to do it on my own he jumps and runs everywhere and its stressful for him and me. When he is in a box with some special hay i think he feels more secure and doesnt jump. Hope you get things sorted.
 
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