Bathing rabbits

I want to give Bunny a bath as because of her white fur she can get a bit dirty at times,

Can anyone give me advice on what I sound use, is there a special bunny shampoo?

Sound I even consider giving her a bath?

I'll bet there's going to be a million different answers to your question...and some will probably conflict!

Yes, I do bathe Sophie but ONLY when she's shedding. I find that a bath and a good combing afterwards helps sooooo much more than brushing/combing alone! I've bathed Sophie since she was a wee one...so she's used to them and even seems to enjoy them a bit. (She *really* likes the hair-dryer as well :rolleyes: that's my glamour girl! ha ha! :D ) The shampoo I use is a bunny/cavie shampoo and is manufactured by Four Paws. It looks and smells like Johnson & Johnson's Baby Shampoo. (I wonder if they're not just marketing it under a different label?!)

As I'm sure you know, rabbits are typically very clean animals and don't need baths often...some will argue they don't need baths at all! Has Bunny ever had a bath before? If not, be sure to take special care so that she doesn't injure herself (or You!!) in the process!! Good luck!!

No Zippy, Bunny has never had a bath before. Like you I have found that she is very clean, but she has some staining on her bottom and since her fur is white it is quite bad now, so i thought it was about time she had one.

Thanks for the advice, I shall get some help at the petshop about shampoo.

"BATHING RABBITS"....... sounds like a great name for a rock band:p :D :rolleyes:

I find the best thing for bunny baths is Rabbit Magic. It is a shampoo that can be bought at any pet store. Make sure the water is warm (not hot not cold) and not very deep. If your rabbit has never had a bath he might freak out. If you find he hates the water I might suggest you get those Bath Wipes that they make for cat.

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Originally posted by lbaker
"BATHING RABBITS"....... sounds like a great name for a rock band:p :D :rolleyes:

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LOL
I'm getting a bad mental picture...
men in rabbit suits and Manson Makeup singing something along the lines of IRON MAN....

LOL Oh Laurie, you've done it now!! I'm not going to be able to bathe Miz Sophie without recalling "your" rock group! lol

That's only fair Tonya...every time I think of the crossword clue "buns on top of heads" I think of Miz Sophie instead of the "real" answer (up-do's):D :D Too bad you're unable to come to TX...no one would get any sleep from giggling so much but it sure would be fun:eek: :D Laurie

Thanks for the advice tigeress, I shall have to check out some products in the pet shop.

Also, Bunny was spayed recently and still has the bald tummy, is it ok still to bathe even if she is bald??

I would say bathing would be okay only as long as the wound is completely healed over, if it has, good luck, and let us know how it goes! Miss Hoppy has never had a bath, but is quite fastidious - and she even trims her own nails!

I'm late! I'm late! for a very important date!
NO TIME TO SAY hello, goodbye, I'm LATE I'm LATE .....AREN'T YOU WONDERFUL ! Laurie

LOL had completely forgotten about that!! HA HA!!!

'member this one?
Twinkle, twinkle little bat,
How I wonder where you're at...

(oppsy! I forgot the rest of it...gotsta dig out my Aly in wonderland books again!) :o

I'm very pleased to hear that you have had your rabbit spayed. It is the responsable thing to do! As long as the the cut is fully healed (to the point of scar) there is no problem with a bath. I suggest however that you don't rub soap into that area.

If you are just trying to get the yellow out of the fur around the tail I suggest Hydrogen Peroxide (I should have thought telling you this before!). This way you don't have to bath the whole rabbit and Hydrogen Peroxide is really good at 'bleaching' and removing stuff from fur. Pour the Peroxide onto the area you want cleaned, rub with a soft cloth (make sure the cloth is white or light coloured, Peroxide can draw dye out of cloth and then it will get on the animal), once the area is clean rinse with warm water.

Just as a tip if you ever want to get blood off fur for any reason Hydrogen Peroxide take it right out! Much better than water and not as drying as Rubbing Alcohol.

.....'member this one?
Twinkle, twinkle little bat,
How I wonder where you're at...

Up above the world you fly
Like a tea-tray in the sky
Twinkle Twinkle.........
then the door mouse went back to sleep :D

Aly in wonderland...how fitting :cool:

Bravo! Bravo, Laurie!


Tigress ~ Do you have bunnies? Tell us about them!! And who is that pretty kitty in your avatar?! :cool:

I think you've gotten some good advice here about bathing buns. Shallow, warm water is best, as is a good rinsing. Staining can be a problem and it's doubtful that pet shampoo alone will make the stain disappear. You might try the hydrogen perioxide but be sure it gets rinsed off well. NEVER use a rubbing alcohol on fur.

Miss Emma has a bad habit of getting her fanny wet and she does get a bath every so often. She was an adult when I started this and she really seems to like it. I get bunny kisses and she likes the hair dyer too. Daisy was seriously ill about 2 years ago and then only thing that got rid of the staining was...time. It took about 2 months for the stained fur grow out. So unless it really bothers you, Heather, you may not need to give her a bath at all. ;)

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Originally posted by Daisylover
NEVER use a rubbing alcohol on fur.

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Really? I haven't heard this before...what does the alcohol do to the fur? :confused:

Alcohol dries out the fur and tender skin underneath. My rabbit specialist vet says bunnies have exceedingly tender and thin skin plus lousey immune systems. The skin need the moisture the alcohol would take out.....can't exactly put body lotion on a bun ! :D

As a side note, the vet also said NOT to use the grooming brushes with the thin metal wires...she said the wires are sharp enough to cut the skin, and with their insufficient immune systems..it's a bad combination. She recommended the flea combs as the tips are rounded and there is only one row of them.