Friday, July 31, 2009

cleaning my pet rabbit?

ok i heard that it is bad to give your pet rabbit a bath and she is really dirty
Does anybody know how you are suppose to clean a rabbit
i tried a baby whipe but that did not help
Answers:
Bunnies don't usually need to be bathed, in fact, bathing them can make them sick, because they're not accustomed to being wet and cold - it's very bad for them.

If you occasionally need to wash your bunny's fur, for example if she has had diarrhoea, the best idea is to place a clean towel on the ground, say in the kitchen or bathroom, and saturate the towel with luke-warm water (not hot and never cold water - cold water can put a bunny into shock) and then place your bunny on the towel, let the water soak into her, and massage her grubby areas gently but firmly with the wet towel until she's clean.

If that isn't getting her clean enough, in unusual circumstances, you can also give her a 'mini' bath, but only in about one inch, two centimetres of luke-warm water (not hot and never cold water). It's also best to do this in a container on the floor, because rabbits hate water, and she will probably try to jump out of the water. So be VERY careful that she doesn't jump out suddenly and injure herself, don't take your eye off her for one second while she's around the water.
Although some bunnies grow up swimming in the family pool and going on camping trips where they paddle around in the lake, most rabbits are not used to this routine and would find even an occasional bath quite stressful. NEVER-unless your veterinarian advises it to bring down a fever-should you give a sick rabbit a bath. Because seemingly healthy rabbits can have undiagnosed problems, it's best not to subject them to the stress of a bath. If your rabbit is very badly infested with fleas, there's a good chance that he is already compromised and may go into shock when bathed. Also, a thoroughly wet rabbit takes a very long time to dry, so spot cleaning the dirty area is better than an overall bath. Normal rabbit body temperature is 102. Since they are subject to heat stress, use a warm dryer, not hot.
We have a rabbit that is almost 3 and he has never needed a bath. They are very good at cleaning themselves. Occassionally , however, we have had to clean his behind, and paws. We did this by putting a couple of inches of water in the bottom of a deep bucket-- so he couldnt hop out. Use a little bit of baby shampoo , or rabbit shampoo and swish him around. You may have to let him sit for awhile if his behind is really dirty, or even work out the debris with your hands. Make sure you rinse him with clean water----maybe in another bucket, or after you've dumped the soapy water in the same bucket. You could give him a full bath that this way too. Just soap up his entire body. Avoid getting water in his face or ears. Dry him good with a towel and comb out the loose hair.
Try not to let him get so dirty. Make sure you clean his cage at least 1x per week, maybe even 2x and that he has plenty of bedding or litter to absorb the urine that stains their feet. He wont get so dirty. Have fun.
i used to have bunnies and i gave them baths once in a while. they have special bunny bath shampoo. it's around $5. just put your bunny in the sink and make sure you use warm water (not hot, not cold), make sure the shampoo doesn't get in it's eyes, although i think the bunny shampoo is tear free, but just to be safe don't get it in it's eyes. towel dry the bunny.. if it's a outdoor bunny then make sure he is completley dry before he goes outside. don't want him catching a cold, plus dirt will stick better to a wet animal.i wouldn't bathe him more than once every week or two. it could dry out his skin and fur. email me if u have any other questions.
Rabbits are typically fastidiuously clean animals, and spend a good deal of time grooming themselves. While this means they usually do not need baths, regular brushing helps keep their coat in good condition and help prevents hairballs.
Rabbits do not need baths and generally find them very stressful. If absolutely necessary it is better to just do a "spot cleaning" of the area that is dirty rather than subjecting a rabbit to the stress of bathing. If it is absolutely necessary to bathe your rabbit, keep in mind that it takes rabbit fur a long time to dry and it is a good idea to use a blow dryer (on a warm, never hot, setting) to speed the process. Rabbits are prone to overheating, so be cautious. It is best to avoid baths if possible.
While it is not the best idea to clean your bunny, it can be done if she is absolutely filthy. There are a few different products you can use, that are readily available for a small price at most petstores. There are powdered baths that you can get where you just sprinkle the bath powder on the bunny and usually brush them really well after (works wonderfully for problems like mud!) There are bunny shampoos that you can get that have special moisterizers in them just for a bunny's delicate and sensitive skin that work just like any other shampoo (just make sure to stay away from bunny's eyes, and make sure you get all the soap rinsed off). What is it that she got into? e-mail me at kbviolin_98@yahoo.com.I might be able to come up with a better suggestion depending on what she got into!
My pet rabbit is free roaming in the yard. Occasionally I give him a bath against lice and mites. Our outdoors sink (next to washer) is high enough, so that when I bathe my rabbit there it's no problem at all. I use luke warm water. .and I make sure to stand back whenever he starts shaking the water off. It's more stressful for me actually. I dry him thoroughly after that. He then stays where he can dry completely first, before I let him roam around freely again.
For my guinea pigs I use foam wash, which I apply to the fur and work it through the entire fur with a small dry towel (no water). You can use that for bunnies, too.
I guess if it is necessary, you should be able to bathe your rabbit. they do sell shampoos and moisturizers and fresh smelling body spray at the pet stores for the bunny. The question will be if he is gonna let u take him a bath..
u can give it a bath but u have 2 dry it really well cuz if there belly is wet they could get sick
cuz thats what we do with our rabbit we just dry him really well
You can find articles on http://www.rabbit.org If your rabbit is not wiggly try picking him up and just running some warm water over his rear and using a paper towel.
i'm alergic to my bunny when she is dirty i can't kiss her hug or snuggle with her dumb *ss i call her dumb cuz her bday is april fool, she fights wit u 1 sec and next she loves u no matter what i do to this bunny she always forgave me. but here is the thing i wash her up every weekend so i put her in the bathroom sink and run luke warm water put her under and use a regular bar of soap and wash her up. but make sure u hold her properly b/c the bunny will jump and scratch ur skin so have some 1 hold her and then u put soap on her. if u want wash her head wit alittle soap but make sure it dosen't go in her eyes. when done wrap the bunny wit a large tick towel and dry her off alittle put her in the cage cover her and let her do the rest 3 hours later or more dry, clean, smellin' good and ready to play wit.

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