A Bathing Adventure...

[Bunnicula05]

I bought this grooming mit from ebay and it works really well on my rabbits dry fur, but more fur ends up on the furniture and the floor than I get off my rabbits. So I thought it would work a lot better if my rabbits fur was wet. Well, Grey was the lucky one to go first. I put some warm water in the tub and gently and slowly put him in. He didn't like it very well. But I got the job done. After I drained the tub and dried him off really good so he won't get pneumonia. I cleaned all the fur out of the tub, put Grey back down stairs, and got Gypsee. Gypsee tolerated it a lot more than Grey. And Since Gypsee is mostly white it made her fur look white instead of yellow. I think it was satisfactory. I read somewhere you should groom your rabbits at least once a week to eliminate hair balls in their digestive tract. Should I give them a bath once a week too? Or would it be too much and they might get pneumonia? Please give me suggestions based on your opinions.

[Heather Wallace]

i think that bathing once every week might be to much, but stick with the grooming every week.

[Bunnicula05]

OK....so maybe a bath once every month?

[Heather Wallace]

I honestly don't think that they even need it that often, might just ruin their fur. remember rabbits probably don't have baths even when they ran free. Maybe about twice every year.

[luckies4me]

I think once a month is fine but they shouldn't really need it if they are indoor bun buns. I could understand if they were running aroung in mud and dirt all day but I assume they don't. You know that the more you wash a dog the dirtier they get. That is a fact. Ask any vet or groomer. The reason is because when you give them a bath it strips their skin of natural oil and if you wash them too often they will make to much oil. THis causes the dirt to stick to their fur making them dirtier. I don't know if it is the same for a rabbit but I think you shouldn't even have to do it once a month.

I wouldn't suggest it more than that though but once a month shouldn't hurt. You shouldn't have to worry about illness if you make sure to wash them when it is warm out, keep them away from drafts while they are wet (and if they aren't wet for that matter), and dry them really well. You can use a hairdryer made especially for small companion animals such as rabbits, dogs and cats. You might be able to get one at Petsmart or something like that. These dryers are not as hot as human dryers which can burn the skin of small animals.

I think you are doing a wonderful job with your bunnies. Keep up the good work!:) COntinue grroming them every day though.

[Bunnicula05]

Okay, but the only time they get really dirty is if I put them outside in their play pen and they dig in the dirt, especially Gypsee. Her white fur turns black. But I don't put them outside very often because we can't go out our back door until they put some new cement down. And I only put them outside if it's really nice out. Other than that, they stay pretty clean.

[Daisylover]

No, bunnies as a rule do NOT need a bath. Bunnies groom themselves constantly. The only time they should need a bath is if they are stinky or have a dirty bottom. Even if they're muddy that dirt wiull fall off or they will wash it off in due time. Bunnies are obsessively clean animals.

I would say even once a month is too often. You need to make sure their fur is as dry as you can get it after the bath in the cold/cool weather so they don't become sick. At the bunny sanctuary we never give them baths unless something truly, truly dirty or they can't take care of themselves.

I have a bit of experience with bunny baths at home too...I have one bunny that sits in her pee, I don't know why, but she's older so maybe that's it. She handles herself very well in he bath-she even likes the hair dryer. I think puts up with it because she's happy to have a clean back end for a few days. Who knows. :confused: