So how do you bathe a rabbit? From the very first day you bring home a pet rabbit, your primary responsibility would be to give it the utmost care. You will provide it with a properly balanced diet and adequate shelter. Most importantly, you will groom it from time to time. However, grooming is another ball game entirely. You will be asking questions like: Can a pet rabbit be bathed or simply given a good brush?
Is it okay to apply soap or shampoo to your rabbit’s furs while grooming it? To simplify things a bit, you should go ahead to find out the best grooming practices suitable for a pet bunny. Questions like this will help you in your quest whenever you need to give your rabbit a thorough clean-up.
In this article, we will try to understand a few dos and don’ts when it comes to bathing and grooming your rabbits. We will set the facts straight and debunk some old held practices as it concerns the subject matter. To make the process a whole easier, we will cover the following topics:
- Do Rabbits Die If You Bathe Them?
- How Do You Wash A Bunny?
- How do you bathe a rabbit at home?
- Why should you not bathe bunnies?
Continue reading to learn a few of these pet bunny bathing tricks.
Do Rabbits Die If You Bathe Them?
Rabbits just like humans and other animals for that matter need to be groomed regularly. Although they are wild animals, it becomes highly necessary that they are given special care once they become domesticated. This is because rabbits lose most of their primal instincts as soon as they are taken out of their natural habitat in the wild. They, therefore, become reliant on their humans for almost everything.
When we say everything, we mean EVERYTHING. Pet bunnies become dependent on their owners for their meals, for shelter, and for regular grooming. But grooming a rabbit is no small walk in the park. It is not the same as grooming say a dog. Dogs are a lot more adapted to common routines that even humans engage in themselves.
It is perfectly normal to give your pet dog a full-body bath in a tub, using your regular bathing soaps and shampoo if so wish. Dogs are particularly known to enjoy having a bath and even look forward to the experience. But can the same be said for a rabbit? The simple answer is NO.
Rabbits cannot afford to get wet. So a full-body bath is an absolute no-no when it comes to rabbit grooming. You may begin to ask why dogs or even cats can be given a bath and not rabbits. The answer is very simple. Rabbit body systems are very weak and least resistant to stress management, so handling them will require some special skill and treatment.
This is nowhere more evident than when trying to groom or bathe them. So to answer the question: Do rabbits die if you bathe them? The answer is YES. Rabbits cannot handle water on their skins, whether warm or cool. It can send them into shock which can ultimately result in their death.
How Do You Wash A Bunny?
As you should have already known by now, giving your pet bunny a bath is completely wrong. But does this mean rabbits shouldn’t be cleaned or groomed? No. Rabbits still require occasional grooming from time to time. They may be generally neat animals from the way they conduct themselves, but they can still get dirty.
Rabbits just like dogs play and jump around in all kinds of odd corners. And through no direct fault of theirs can get stuck in crooked edges which can ruin their beautiful furs. They can get grease stains from going in places with heavy industrial activity. But most importantly, rabbits may require cleaning especially from their poop and urine stains, and to get rid of foul odor.
So back to the question: how do you wash a bunny?
You can wash your rabbit by giving it a dry bath. This kind of bath does not require water. All you require when you need to give your pet bunny a dry bath is unscented baby cornstarch. You can find unscented baby cornstarch in the baby corner of any convenience or departmental store. Unscented baby cornstarch can also be sourced from your local pharmacy.
The reason we emphasize “unscented” is scented baby cornstarch is potentially harmful to a rabbit’s delicate skin.
So how do you begin?
- If your bunny has stained fur, begin first by applying the cornstarch to the stained areas.
- Then gently work the powder through the fur unto its skin
- In the event of stubborn stains or debris, you can use wait till the powder is settled.
- With the help of a flea comb, you can gently comb the debris gradually.
- Avoid pulling hard on your rabbit’s fur in case the debris doesn’t come off easily. You can tear your bunny’s skin, leaving him exposed to infection.
- It is always better to leave the powder on for as long as it takes the debris to come off naturally.
- Lastly, make sure your pet bunny does not inhale the powder, so avoid applying the powder so close to its head region.
How Do You Bathe A Rabbit At Home?
Rabbits can go months without being groomed at all. They do not require the same grooming practices as other animals do. Rabbits also react very poorly to being submerged in water. So as a pet rabbit owner, you must make sure that you never attempt to give your bunny a full-body bath.
However, they are times when you may want to improve on your rabbit’s hygiene. Rabbits sometimes may have what is called “poopy butts,” a situation where poops are visibly seen stuck on their butts. This is a minor condition that can be treated with a few home remedies. But you will still need to clean the mess created from this condition.
Secondly, you may need to intervene if your rabbit’s fur traps some visibly stubborn stains. In these two instances, your rabbit may require a bath to get it clean. Since they are completely averse to water, how then can you go about bathing a rabbit? There are two ways you can go about this.
What Can I Do?
In the two examples given above, if your rabbit has some stubborn stain stuck on its fur, you can try what is called spot cleaning. This is a process of concentrating only on the area where the stain is most pronounced. You can dap this area with a wet rag or small kitchen towel and dry properly using a blow-drier.
Where the stain is much tougher, again dip only the stained area in lukewarm water and remove immediately. Then set your pet bunny on your lap and with the help of some rabbit shampoo, work your way into the affected area. Make sure you do this quickly, then rinse off immediately. Then use a blow drier to dry the wet area.
Remember not to bring the blow drier very close to your rabbit’s skin so it doesn’t get burnt. Set the heat to medium and position it a few inches away from your rabbit while you blow. You can always use your hand frequently to check and confirm when the air gets too hot.
Why Should You Not Bathe Bunnies?
We have discussed on numerous occasions what makes rabbits particularly unique pets than most other domesticated animals.
A rabbit, though well-adapted for the wild, is a very fragile and sensitive animal. Scientists have for years tried to understand why rabbits are essentially this way. One popular theory proposed by some wildlife specialists is that rabbits know that they are prey animals. Not only this. Rabbits also understand quite well that they are at the bottom of the food chain when it comes to being preyed on.
Rabbits are fragile and do not possess any particular defense mechanism if they come under attack in the wild. This has made them extremely sensitive and would simply dock for cover once they notice any threat. Rabbit’s systems as a result cannot withstand stress and surprisingly, something as harmless as water can trigger a reflex reaction in a rabbit which can lead it to shock.
It doesn’t matter the temperature, rabbits simply do not do well when dipped in water. Here are few reasons why you should not bathe bunnies:
- Rabbits are generally neat animals. They groom their bodies themselves and do not need to take a bath.
- A rabbit may think that you are trying to drown it if you suddenly immerse it in water and have a panic attack.
- A panicked rabbit can injure themselves (limbs and spine) while scampering for safety if they think they are drowning.
- Rabbits can get an infection if water gets trapped in their ears.
- Water causes irritation to a rabbit’s skin.
- Since they don’t get dry easily, rabbits can develop a fever if they get wet.
- Water can actually cause a rabbit to go into shock which leads to a heart attack. Heart attacks are known to kill rabbits more often than other health complications.