Bunny Bath

Hi, is it safe to bath a Lionhead bunny?
If so what's the best way to do this?
Snow Cloud has fleas and I've tried everything, I put flea spray on him, I clean his cage regularly and I've used a flea comb on him, nothing is working.
I really think a bunny bath would benefit him but I am unsure if its okay to bath rabbits?

It really isn't advised, unless in extreme circumstances (and I personally wouldn't consider fleas to be one of them).

The best product to use is Advantage, when treating fleas (not Xeno 450, not Xenex, not a spray, not anything else) and then, when you treat Snow Cloud (which is a gorgeous name), you also need to treat the whole enviroment (and keep him out of it). That needs to be any areas he has access to, all areas inside (carpets, beds, etc).

Is he an inside or outside bunny?

ETA- you will also likely need to treat all other animals that are in the household or that can access him too.

Ashleigh said:

Hi, is it safe to bath a Lionhead bunny?
If so what's the best way to do this?
Snow Cloud has fleas and I've tried everything, I put flea spray on him, I clean his cage regularly and I've used a flea comb on him, nothing is working.
I really think a bunny bath would benefit him but I am unsure if its okay to bath rabbits?

Click to expand...

It is not really advisable to bath Rabbits. Rabbits are very prone to hypothermia and many Rabbits would find a bath to be extremely stressful. Basic Flea treatments bought from Pet Shops seldom work, if that is what you have been using. You be better buying Advantage Spot On Treatment .

https://www.thehayexperts.co.uk/advantage-spot-on-40.html

If you have other Pets they would need to be treated for Fleas too x

ETA-Cross posted with Sky-O !!

I agree with Sky-O and Jack's-Jane.
A good flea treatment such as advantage and threat the environment.

Indorex is a good household product to kill fleas in the environment (RIP is good for asthma sufferers).

You'll need to hoover thoroughly first to encourage as many eggs to hatch as possible and spray into all areas and rooms (even on wooden floors), under beds, behind TV etc. You'll need to leave all windows and doors shut for half hour, then go in and open the windows for half hour before using the room as normal. Remove any fish tanks/animals from the room you're treating (if you can't remove the fish tank use a very think blanket over the top to prevent the fumes and spray getting into the water).

Pet blankets, sheets etc need to be washed as hot as possible.

The animals can continue using the room, but wait until all fumes have gone before allowing them access again.

And again, treat all pets in the house. Even if they don't come into contact with each other/aren't showing signs of fleas.

Sent from my SM-G903F using Tapatalk

But I gave him flea treatment a few weeks ago so when is it safe to give him more?
All my cats had flea treatment which was the same brand I used on Snow Cloud, it worked on the cats but not on Snow which I really can't understand?
I used the advantage house hold spray all around the house too and our house is spotless.
He's also had maggots in his cage which is seriously worrying me, I was cleaning him out once a week but now I'm cleaning him out twice a week yet we're still getting maggots, I have no idea where we're going wrong?
Snow Cloud is a house rabbit and uses his cage to eat, sleep and toilet in, he hops in and out of it throughout the day when were here to supervise him (which is almost every day).
He's brushed regularly and I check his bum about 3 times a day.
We keep the house clean and hoovered so I don't know what more I can do?
The fleas and maggots are making me feel like a really bad owner and it's really upsetting me, this is another reason I thought about bathing him.
The cats have been hunting a lot and in recent heat we've left our kitchen door open so we have had dead mice and birds near to his cage, I think that must be the cause
I really don't know what else to do.
Snow Cloud is up to date with flystrike spray and all his injections and he seams perfectly healthy and happy.

Ashleigh said:

Hi, is it safe to bath a Lionhead bunny?
If so what's the best way to do this?
Snow Cloud has fleas and I've tried everything, I put flea spray on him, I clean his cage regularly and I've used a flea comb on him, nothing is working.
I really think a bunny bath would benefit him but I am unsure if its okay to bath rabbits?

Click to expand...

It's probably not a good idea to bath unless you really have to.

Is Snow Cloud an indoor bunny? You will find that any long haired bits may get matted and take an age to dry out.

That said, in rescue we've had to bathe rabbits, and you need to keep them warm for quite a while afterwards as their fur takes a long time to dry

ETA just noticed we cross posted

Its likely it is the cats bringing in dead bodies and leaving them in the house that it attracting flies. I know this isn't something you can stop but try to keep a close eye and remove any bodies they bring in straight away. (I'm assuming you've not found any maggots on Snowcloud)

In case of what you can do - I'd spot clean his cage daily. This means you'll clean his tray daily, any poo's, damp blankets etc get removed from his environment and cleaned/thrown away. You can then do a full clean twice a week where everything gets removed & cleaned/disinfected.

With the flea treatment it depends on which one you used as to when you can reapply it. I'd advise a call to the vets to discuss it with them as they can check the data sheets & also contact the companies to check which products can be used with what.

Sadly, flea infestations can take months to tackle. You'll need to retreat the house every two weeks.

Yeah I do remove them the second I see them.
I haven't seen a single maggot on Snow Cloud it's just been in his cage.
Thank you for the advise I did wonder if it was worth calling the vets.
Also the one I used is called something like beaphar?

Ashleigh said:

Yeah I do remove them the second I see them.
I haven't seen a single maggot on Snow Cloud it's just been in his cage.
Thank you for the advise I did wonder if it was worth calling the vets.
Also the one I used is called something like beaphar?

Click to expand...

That's an over the counter product and can be dangerous & is pretty much useless. Find the packet as the vets will need to know the ingredients before they can advise on when its safe to use advantage. (You can use advantage on the cats & rabbit so worth treating them all).

Up how often you clean his cage and that should help.

Have you tried litter training him? Then you can change that daily (which will remove the potential for maggots) and give the rest of his cage a good clean once a week.

Is he neutered?

That will also help.

What medication did you use on him? How long does it say it is effective for?

Has he been checked by a vet?

Sorry to jump in, but like others have said, can you not clean him out every 2-3 days or sooner? Rather than a week, I personally think that's quite along time to have smelly and soiled poo in the house, surely it smells?

I have 2 house bunnies, currently separate and both have their litter trays cleaned daily, and also Hoover daily. I would never dream of leaving it more than that, as with it being warmer we do have flies in the house the odd days but keep them clean as a whistle.

I can see snow cloud is a fluffy boy bless him, is there any chance you can possibly get his bum shaved slightly so he wouldn't be at such a risk of getting any poo matted?

Also in regards to his fleas, yeah I think you might be best contacting the vets as surely they have some stronger stuff? I know it's different but when my bunny had mites instead of adding stuff on their skin, my vet would inject this instead so it had a higher affect of working, could this be similar with fleas? As surely it must be driving him mad bless him xx