Who knows about rabbits?

Question

My boyfriend just came home with two rabbits that a neighbor didn't want anymore. They are filthy. Apparently the woman and her daughter were too afraid of the rabbits to take care of them as they should...my question? how do you clean rabbits...I mean can you just dunk em in water? I am not a pet person...obviously...but if they are gonna have to be here...they are gonna have to be clean...

Answer 1

First, when ever you have a new pet, you must take it to a knoledgable veterinarian.

Some cat/dog vets might not be rabbit knoledgable, you might want to try and "exotics veteterinarian".

They will be able to assist and answer to your questions.A check-up will need to be done to see if animals are healthy.

If they are not neutered/spayed its best to get them done, specially if you have a male and female, they would constantly have litters!(also females can be having problems with tumors)Also it prevents them from having sexual behaviour such as spraying and marquing the territory.

Rabbits need to get their nails trimmed, like cats/dogs/ferrets, when you take them to the vet thell them to teach you how to do it.

Bathing
Ferrets can have baths, there are specific shampoos in the market, but if they are not used to them they can get stressed.
personally I´ve never bathed my bunny, I brush him and if he gets into something I use a damp cloth with warm water.

Here are some tips for new rabbit owners:

Lifespan is 6-10 years

USING LITTER BOXES
If they are not already, you can teach them to use a litter box, rabbits are very clean animals.
You can place them a litter box in the cage and a couple in the area where they exercise.

Remember that not all litters are safe.

Types of recommended litters:
shredded newspaper
litters made of Aspen bark
recycled newspaper besed litter like Yesterday's News

Litters that you shouldn´t use:
Clumping cat litter/corn cob litter/crystal pearl litters may cause blockages if ingested
Cedar and pine wood shavings have toxic oils; prolonged exposure will cause respiratory
problems and liver damage.



DIET
Rabbits need a diet with hay, veggies and pellets, changes in diets have to be done gradually,a fast food change can upset their tummies.

Water
Fresh water must be available at all times.Water must be changes daily, you can use a bottle or an attachable bowl, personaly I prefer bolws for ferrets and rabbits rather than water bottles, it´s easier for them to drink from them; the attachable E- Z lock crocks work great.

Hay
Its very important in their diet, it contains high amount of fiber, which helps them keep their diagestive tract moving.
Hay (Timothy, Brome, Orchard, etc) must be available at all times

Veggies
Since they might not be used to having veggies as part of their diet introduce them slowly and in small quantities.
Wash and dry them really well before offering it to them, dont leave them for too long if they dont eat them.
they shoul have several types of green daily

you can give them
Beet greens (tops only)
Carrot tops
Cilantro
Dandelion greens
Endive
Mustard greens
Parsley
Romaine, Red and Green Leaf lettuce,
Spinach
Watercress.
(among others)

Dont feed them:
Iceberg Lettuce
cabbage/coliflour
chocolate
sugary drinks
human food

Pellets
A good pelleted diet must contain a minimum of 18% fiber and must be low in protein and calcium.

Fruits: they like bananas, apples, blueberries, peach, papaya, strawberies, pineapple, melon, plums...

Treats
Limiting treats will prevent your rabbit from developing a sweet tooth and ignoring his healthy foods.
Be careful with store-bought treats, many of them are not healthy or recommended for them.


PLAYTIME AND INTERACTION
You have to provide them with toys to play with and chew, baby plastic toys (like , hard plastic baby key rings with no removable parts....) can provide great inexpensive toys for them to toss around.

there are many free/cheap toys to provide: cardboard boxes you can cut different holes for them to get in and out, you can also fill them with sreaded paper or hay.
cardboard tubes, toilet paper/paper towel rolls, paper grocery bags...

They will need interaction to learn to social.

HOUSING
Its very important to provide them with a large place if caged, some rabbits can be used to fee roam (I had mine caged at first and now he has it open 24/7, he´s free-roam and the are he chose is completely bunny-proofed; sometimes it´s imposible to allow free roam).

Don´t use aquariums as cages, they dont provide enough ventilation
If you decide to make your own cage dont use chickenwire, bunnies chew it, wood would have to be treated with safe products, if not urine will be absorbed and it will be smelly.
If the cage has several levels and the foor is wired, they must be covered, as it will injure their feet.

The cage will have to be big enough for the rabbits to strech and have litter box, bows of food and water, hay and toys.But when I buy a cage for an animal, I always get the biggest I can afford make, the biggest=the better.

Its better to have a cage with a from door so bunnies can hop in and out freely when they have their daily playtime.

There´s a product used to make shelving units of 14x14 inch square metal panels called "Neat Idea Cubes" or similar names that can make great and big inexpensive cages!They are sold in stores like CostCo, Walmart,
To put the cage together you can just use zip-ties and doors can be made by leaving three sides of a cube detached and using two ties on the remaining side as "hinges."

Here are plenty of links for this type of cages:

http://princessblackie.homestead.com/
http://members.aol.com/bunrabtoo/neatcubs.html
http://www.hometown.aol.com/jrebmann/Addie.html
http://sprowtybun.tripod.com/nic.html
http://www.cavycages.com/rabbits.htm
http://www.valeehill.com/condo.html


RABBIT PROOFING
You will need to rabbit-proof the areas where they will be allowed to have their daily playtime.
Keep houplants out of reach, most are toxic for animals.

Use some material to block access from areas that your rabbit can squeeze behind, especially refrigerators, stoves, underneath couched and beds...you can use something like plywood, linoleoum, cardboard, neat idea cubes or small animal playpen pannels.

You have to be careful for the bunny not to have in reach dangerous materials(carpet fibres, styrofoam, insulation, drapes etc....)

Electrical cords can be very dangerous if you cant put them out of reach you can cover them with plastic tubing for wires (at hardware stores) and spray a product called "bitter apple" on them or any other thing to prevent chewing.


UP-KEEP
Nails must be trimmed as necessary
Depending on the length of fur some breeds require more bushing tha others.
Rabbits shed every 3/4 months, you need to brsuh them with more regularity during shedding season, when done you can pass them a damp cloth.

A good informative site:
http://www.rabbit.org/

Other sites:
http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=pets_rabbitcare

http://www.peteducation.com/category_summary.cfm?cat=1803
http://www.petplace.com/small-mammals/caring-for-your-rabbit/page1.aspx

Answer 2

There is not THAT much to taking care of rabbits. There is no reason for rabbits to be "filthy". Do not just "dunk 'em in water". The other answer here is extensive and many good points but some I don't agree with. Give a rabbit a clean place to be and they will clean themselves much like a cat. They prefer to be clean.
Bowls are the least recommended option IMO for water. Rabbits will grab and tip it, then play with the bowl. This means of course they are out of water until you get back. On a hot day that may be too late. A large bottle attached outside their cage is better.
I also disagree with the use of baby toys - things a rabbit can chew up are not good. A cage is not cruel - rabbits are low on the food chain and it is their protection. Also it protects them from getting in to things...left unattended too long many rabbits have met with fatal results. :-(

Answer 3

First of all, Don't dunk the rabbit in water. Rabbit's don't like to be submersed in water. It's surprising they were dirty in the first place because they lick themselves like many other animals to keep clean. Take a cloth and dip it in mild water (not cold, and definatly not too hot) and wipe the rabbit off. Be sure to afterward wipe the rabbit with a dry cloth, and leave him/her in a warm place untill he/she is compleatly dry. If the rabbit is sick it will usually show in there eyes (although this dosent always work). The eyes will be cloudy and appear as though the rabbit is stairing into the distance. If this is the case take the rabbit's to the vet imidiatly. Another indication of poor health is their fecal matter. If it's not in small dry round balls, something's bad wrong. Rabbit's can't handle a whole lot so if you care about them, don't press your luck.

Answer 4

Rabbits normally keep themselves clean by licking their fur, but when there fur is stained it is a good idea to clean the fur. It is not a good idea to wash or bathe the rabbit.

I've been raising and showing rabbits for 24 years. There are two different methods for grooming a rabbit. One is for removing stains and the other is for removing loose fur.

For removing stains, lightly dampen a cloth with white vinegar and rub the cloth over the stained area. Lightly dampen another cloth with water and rub over the same area to help rinse out the white vinegar then dry the fur. The process may need repeated a couple of times to fully remove the stain.

For removing loose fur, place the rabbit on a sample carpet pad (can normally get for free from a carpet store) and lightly dampen your hands with water and stroke your rabbit's fur from front to back. The fur will stick to your wet hands. Rub your hands together over a waste basket to remove the fur from your hands. Continue doing this for about 3 minutes. It's good to brush your rabbit like this a couple times a week, more if it is molting. A brush is harsher on the fur and tends to break the hair follicles.

If your rabbit is able to be kept in a cage with a wire floor without its feet getting sore, it will be much easier to keep the rabbits clean. This will mostly depend on the breed and weight of the rabbit. It is not a good idea to place larger breeds in wire cages, because they can develop sore hocks. A good measurement is if the rabbit is over 10-11 pounds at adult weight then it should probably not be on a wire floor.

It might also be a good idea to make sure the rabbit does not have ear mights or fur mites. Ear mights can be checked for by looking in the ears for a dark scab-like substance. Fur mites can be checked for by looking around the rabbit's neck for scabs.

Another person mentioned about water bowls. Rabbits do have a tendency to tip their water bowl, but water bowls are a lot easier to fill than water bottles. If the rabbit is tipping its water bowl, a heavy crock can be used or there are plastic bowls that mount to the side of the cage that can't be turned over. I recommend against using water bottles because there can be a tendency not to give fresh water as often since there may be plenty of water left in the bottle. Also, water bottles are harder to clean. Fresh clean water and a clean water container are very important to keeping the rabbit healthy. I use water bowls and dump the water out daily to make sure that fresh clean water is provided at least once a day.

Answer 5

Naturally, all kind of animals like to clean its self, and rabbit does that too. But rabbit more sensitive than other animal, especially docile rabbit. Wild rabbit stands for bad weather better than docile rabbit. That is why you should be more careful when you handle them.

Rabbits need water to drink but not for bath, they use their spittle to wash them self. So if you want to wash your Rabbit clean, you have to handle them gentle, and not to dunk them in water. they will get cold and die.

Take a bath towel and warm water to wash their body, brush them gently with love and care. I believe they will like the bath so much.

Answer 6

Well, if she is she'll have the babies soon. It's really very hard to tell with rabbits unless you can palpate them, and even then you have to know what you're feeling for.

Answer 7

Ask your husband to take over. My mom is just like you. She likes animals, from a distance only.

Pets-Mart, if you have one nearby, charges $10 to bathe a pet. Perhaps you can take the bunnies there.

And if your hubs aint gonna be home to take care of them, from broom insults etc...lol...please give them to someone who loves animals and have no kids.

Answer 8

just take a piece of cloth dip in water and then use it to bath your rabbit because rabbit are sensitive to water!!!

Answer 9

I suggest bringing them to a vet to make sure they don't have fleas or any diseases. While your there, you can ask him/her all of your questions. Good luck, I hope you and your new friends live happily ever after!

(I don't suggest keeping them in a cage, it's an extremely cruel thing to do to any animal)

Answer 10

follow other peoples advice but be sure not to get water in the rabbits ears....trust me...it goes strait to there brains..not good.