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Shampoo for Rabbits

Finn recently had fur mites which have now been cleared as negative after using Xenexs. However his skin is still very dry and needs shampooing as instructed by my vet.

Which shampoo is best for rabbits?

Thanks
 
I'll go out on a limb & say no shampoo is good for rabbits. Years ago I saw a vet who instructed me to shampoo my rabbit daily! I later saw a rabbit specialist who was disgusted at the advice. Good news Finns mites have cleared up. Personally I would look at providing him with good nutritional support & hope his skin got better with that & time. I#d certainly not go ahead with shampooing unless I heard a very good reason from one (possibly more) very rabbit savvy vets
 
I'll go out on a limb & say no shampoo is good for rabbits. Years ago I saw a vet who instructed me to shampoo my rabbit daily! I later saw a rabbit specialist who was disgusted at the advice. Good news Finns mites have cleared up. Personally I would look at providing him with good nutritional support & hope his skin got better with that & time. I#d certainly not go ahead with shampooing unless I heard a very good reason from one (possibly more) very rabbit savvy vets

Thanks for your reply. My vet is rabbit savvy, however his fur is in a mess from the Xenexs reaction and excess skin and dead mites. I can see it needs washing, although i know you don't normally shampoo bunnies as they are pretty clean themselves. There are times they just need a wash :lol:
He also has a sticky bottom now which is probably another after effect (his also on medication for that). His been through the mill and he dose need a clean to be honest with all the meds his been on.
 
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Thanks for your reply. My vet is rabbit savvy, however his fur is in a mess from the Xenexs reaction and excess skin and dead mites. I can see it needs washing, although i know you don't normally shampoo bunnies as they are pretty clean themselves. There are times they just need a wash :lol:
He also has a sticky bottom now which is probably another after effect (his also on medication for that). His been through the mill and he dose need a clean to be honest with all the meds his been on.

Did the Vet not suggest/prescribe a Shampoo ? Did the Vet try to ascertain the possible cause of the mites in the first place as they can occur when a Rabbit is 'under the weather' in some way and/or has some Dental problems. A mucky bum can occur as a symptom of Dental problems/lack of dietary fibre (hay) too.

To be honest I agree with J+B and personally I would prefer to address the problem by intensive daily grooming and just give him a bum bath using plain cooled boiled water.. Dry skin is likely to get worse if the Rabbit is bathed, given that your Rabbit has had a reaction to the Xenex (very nasty stuff..........) it is highly likely that his skin is still very sensitive. So again, any shampoo is likely to exacerbate this.

Of course the above is just an unqualified opinion, you may well prefer to follow the advice of the Vet if you are sure that they are very Rabbit Savvy and you trust them :)
 
Did the Vet not suggest/prescribe a Shampoo ? Did the Vet try to ascertain the possible cause of the mites in the first place as they can occur when a Rabbit is 'under the weather' in some way and/or has some Dental problems. A mucky bum can occur as a symptom of Dental problems/lack of dietary fibre (hay) too.

To be honest I agree with J+B and personally I would prefer to address the problem by intensive daily grooming and just give him a bum bath using plain cooled boiled water.. Dry skin is likely to get worse if the Rabbit is bathed, given that your Rabbit has had a reaction to the Xenex (very nasty stuff..........) it is highly likely that his skin is still very sensitive. So again, any shampoo is likely to exacerbate this.

Of course the above is just an unqualified opinion, you may well prefer to follow the advice of the Vet if you are sure that they are very Rabbit Savvy and you trust them :)

Thanks Jane

Finn has already had his teeth removed so it wont be dental. The mites occurred after his vaccinations which more then likely lowered his immune system. I have been grooming him but its not making any difference and i am worried around scratching his skin (Xenexs is nasty and so i don't want to punish his skin any more).
Finn has daily access to hay and is on a designed diet because of his lack of teeth. But his weight is normal and always had a good appetite (apart from recently). I am keeping him on his meds and going to take him back in if there is no improvement. I have seen signs of poops today (if not a little smaller then normal), its a better sign then it was. However he has been going from regular poops to "pasty" poops over the past few days. So I am just monitoring. If the positive dosen't stay the same by tomorrow ill take him back in.

But yes, dry skin since his mites. I thought he still had mites until the vet took a sample under the microscope.
 
Thanks for your reply. My vet is rabbit savvy, however his fur is in a mess from the Xenexs reaction and excess skin and dead mites. I can see it needs washing, although i know you don't normally shampoo bunnies as they are pretty clean themselves. There are times they just need a wash :lol:
He also has a sticky bottom now which is probably another after effect (his also on medication for that). His been through the mill and he dose need a clean to be honest with all the meds his been on.


What shampoo has the vet recommended?

I find that getting back to a good diet and good health again will restore their coat, although you may have quite a lot of 'combing out' to do. I had a rabbit recently who was very ill and his coat got into a real mess. I didn't wash him though, and eventually (with a lot of combing) we got it back to its former glory :)

Poor Finn!!
 
What shampoo has the vet recommended?

I find that getting back to a good diet and good health again will restore their coat, although you may have quite a lot of 'combing out' to do. I had a rabbit recently who was very ill and his coat got into a real mess. I didn't wash him though, and eventually (with a lot of combing) we got it back to its former glory :)

Poor Finn!!

Both of their diets are pretty good and always have been. Finn has just had nothing but issues since i got him. When he had his vaccinations that did make he quite poorly so I think that is why he got the mites.
His fur just looks very greasy at the moment, and his last Xenex treatment was 2 weeks ago (which has now been stopped).
 
Both of their diets are pretty good and always have been. Finn has just had nothing but issues since i got him. When he had his vaccinations that did make he quite poorly so I think that is why he got the mites.
His fur just looks very greasy at the moment, and his last Xenex treatment was 2 weeks ago (which has now been stopped).


If your vet has instructed you to shampoo him, you should ask him exactly what shampoo he recommends for rabbits :)
 
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