Bathing Rabbits?

Question

Should you give a rabbit a bath and if you should/could, how much? I know not to bath angora rabbits, I have reglar rabbits, Holland and a Dutch flop.

Answer 1

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.

Answer 2

It is not a good idea to give a healthy bunny a bath, not only because rabbits are very good at keeping themselves clean, but it can be very stressful.

This is from the House Rabbit Society website about bathing bunnies:
"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."
for complete aticle go to: http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/groom.html#Baths

If your bunny isn't eating properly (usually that means not getting enough hay or getting too many treats) or is ill, you may find your bunny gets a messy/stinky behind. Here is a link to how to give your bunny a dry bath:
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/buttbath.html

Hope this helps.

Answer 3

we bathed our rabbits. we would give them a bath before we went to a show so we gave them a bath only when they despretly needed it so like once a month or every 2 months depends on the size and how they respond to there first bath. use a special shampoo picked up at the pet store to give a rabbit a bath and make sure its warm water nto hot and not cold warm cause rabbits get sick VERY easily

Answer 4

I have bathed my rabbit many times (i still do). But what i do is i give her a bath whenever she needs it. Like when they stink, or if they are messy on their feet of tail. What i do i fill a sink full of water, and use any kind of soap (i prefer the pretty smelling soap so then they smell pretty) anyways, wash them as usual but when you all done, dry then off very good! Or else they could get a cold, and a lot of the times just a common cold can kill them.

Answer 5

I wouldn't bathe a rabbit at all...most do not like water very much....mine doesn't. Instead, I would get a special comb to brush the fur once in awhile. Rabbits like to stay clean so just let them do the job.

Answer 6

I never bathed a Rabbit, I think they similar to cats on this and take care of themselves. Unless they starting to really smell bad. Keep their home clean. I guess if I were to bathe them I would use a Baby Shampoo. Heck, they probably tested it on Rabbits to begin with.

Answer 7

rabbits shouldn't need bathing but you can if you really want to! the best thing to do is to just brush them with a baby hair brush.soft horse brush. also you can't bath rex rabbits (just some random info, lol) say hi to your rabbits for me, xx

Answer 8

okay there's a such thing as a "Holland Lop" but no such as a Ductch lop... is it a cross between a dutch and a holland lop? You really shouldn't bathe them... it causes undue stress on them and could kill them the best thing to do is to go to a pet store and get some waterless animal shampoo and use that to make them smell better...

Answer 9

Go ahead give it a bath, It wont hurt it. ( we had a rabbit and it loved getting wet so much it jumped in the pond. She didnt die, luckly we cought her in the act!) He always gave our rabbits baths!

Answer 10

I don't like giving rabbits baths. They can get cold very easily even in warm water/weather and can get sick VERY easily. Rabbits can get Pneumonia very quickly and do not always get over being sick..