Swimming Rabbits

[smileytownsam]

My bunny, Pickles, is a dwarf bunny, is a year and a half, and is pretty small for his age. I wanted to know if it is safe for him to swim. I looked at some other sites and some people said that their rabbits drowned, others said that their rabbits love to to swim. I took him in the bathtub today and he just kicking around trying to get back on dry land. Is that normal? Also, are there any ways of training a rabbit so it can swim for real? Pickles kicks both feet at the same time instead of alternating. I saw a bunny swim with alternating feet on a you tube video. It made me think pickles might be different.
Thank You.

[Genny]

HI, I have a rabbit and he doesn't like to swim. He can float on his back, but I never leave him when he does this--I'm ALWAYS there watching him. I also give him a bath, but very rarely since rabbits don't ever hardly get dirty...
From what I've heard and read rabbits can drown and don't like to swim so it's probably not a good idea for you to put yours in water or any water that is deep. If you want to see if he'll play in some water why not give him a plastic bowl/bucket and see how he likes it?

[critter crazy]

Rabbits dont generally like water. I would imagine placing a rabbit in water, is like trying to give a cat a bath. It is just going to freak out! But I am sure just like with cats, there are some exceptions to this rule. I would not put my rabbit in water. JMO

[Karen]

Some rabbits love to swim, some hate getting wet. Miss Hoppy gets very mad at me if I even mop the kitchen floor and her paws get a wee bit damp. I get "mad bunny" looks, and she feels she has to clean her paw at every step.

But some bunnies, like Zowie and Talbot obviously enjoy it!

[Marigold2]

From reading the House Rabbit Society it says to not give bunny a bath because it often stresses them out and it makes them cold. However if bunny likes a bath and it's nice and warm outside (no cold drafts) I see no reason not to.

[Karen]

From reading the House Rabbit Society it says to not give bunny a bath because it often stresses them out and it makes them cold. However if bunny likes a bath and it's nice and warm outside (no cold drafts) I see no reason not to.

Hee hee - other than the "look of death" one gets from certain bunnies - we've only had to give Miss Hoppy a couple baths in her lifetime, which took both humans - one to hold her in the water and keep her from escaping, the other to apply the shampoo, and I'll tell you - if looks could kill, I'd have been a smouldering pile of ash the minute she was out of the water.