Rabbit care?

Question

Do rabbits need to be bathed? If so, how regularly? I've seen my rabbits clean themselve's but does this do the trick?
Also, My rabbits have a nasty habit of scratching.....besides cutting their nails, is there ay other way I can e them to stop. Finally- is it o.k. for a rabbit to randomly, almost spastically hop? I'm worried..thanks.

Answer 1

No, rabbits don't need to be bathed unless they are very dirty. Bathing can actually be very stressful for them, so it should be avoided if at all possible. (Sometimes I use a warm washcloth to wipe their fur, if they've gotten something on their chin/paw/wherever. That works well.) They groom themselves like cats do and they are naturally clean animals, so yes, it does the trick. If you do need to bathe them, I would use either special rabbit soap (they should have that at any pet store) or just warm water.

These sites can give you further information about bathing/grooming:
http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/groom.html#Baths
http://www.mybunny.org/info/wellgroom.htm

Do your rabbits scratch you when you're carrying them? It may be that they don't feel secure enough. (It may be a matter of just holding them closer to your body.) Here's a site about how to carry a bunny:
http://www.rabbit.org/journal/3-11/lift.html

Yup! A spastic hop is a "binky!" That means your rabbit is very happy! Here are a couple of sites about bunny-speak:
http://www.rabbitga.org/Communication.htm
http://www.muridae.com/rabbits/rabbittalk.html

Sorry for all the sites, but they're all great!

Answer 2

I have two rabbits. 1)mystro- a mini lop and 2)catlyn- mini dwarf.I've never really bathed my rabbits and I've had them each for about a year.I usually wipe them down with a warm soapy(dove soap) cloth.The pet store says you can wash them with ferret shampoo.However, I do let them hop around in the bathtub w/ a little warm soapy h20 to clean the bottom of their feet. About the constant scratching i dunno. As far as the hopping that's perfectly normal. My rabbits do mid-air jumps and wild, quick turns.
Good luck with your rabbits. There's nothing to worry a/b. The only bad thing, depending where you live, not many vets care for rabbits.So just ask the local pet store.

Answer 3

I would not bathe a rabbit unless absolutely necessary, and then only in lukewarm water without soaps, as these can cause further skin irritations. If your rabbit is scratching a lot, check that it doesn't have fleas or mites, which can also cause it to suddenly hop (when getting bitten..) 'Advantage' flea control is apparently now avail for rabbits, but check with your local vet. Fleas and mites also breed in its surroundings, but the cycle is easily broken with a continued treatment such as 'advantage'. If you have other pets such as dogs and cats, ensure they are treated as well.

Answer 4

my vet said that you shouldn't ever need to bathe a rabbit, as they are very clean animals . If your rabbit is getting dirty then you should take it to the vets for a check up as it is normaly only when they can not clean thereselves that they don't. My rabbit also does mid air jumps/hops this terrified me at first but the vets says it's natural behavior
Hope this helps.

Answer 5

I raised Rabbits in my teen years,they were the solid white,
We never bathed them,they were outside.Rabbits love to hop,no problem.Don"t Worry about it.

Answer 6

You can bathe rabbits if they seem dirty. They won't like it though, so I wouldn't do it too much. If they are scratching when you carry them, carry them carefully to that they cannot struggle. Rabbits will randomly jump, its one of the ways they play.

Answer 7

DON'T BATHE YOUR RABBIT, IT CAN BE DEADLY FOR THEM!!!