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Rabbit help Experts needed2007-11-24 22:14:23

i had heard it was bad to bathe rabbits due to risk of hypothermia or pneumonia, and my little netherland dwarf girl is getting clumping fur around her butt (u know where) and its not alot but it is yellowish, and such. i dont want it to progress to much frther, i dont want anything to go wrong. can anybody tell me what to do?

Answers:

I've kept rabbits for over 15 years, including angoras which often need cleaning up.

Emersing a rabbit in water the way you would with a dog can be fatal, and is guaranteed to stress your rabbit in a big way! When my rabbits are dirty around the bottom, which is a common problem with angoras, so I have plenty of experience there, I wash mine in the kitchen sink as it's shallow. Only emerse the part of the rabbit that's dirty - it's bottom, and put the front paws up on the draining board, out of the water. If you set the temperature to be as close to body warmth or a tiny bit warmer, the rabbit will not really notice it and only make the water a few inches deep, so the rabbit's tummy doesn't end up all wet any higher than it needs to. I've had some rabbits eat treats while being bathed, they are so relaxed, and don't seem to notice what's going on, so give that a try as well. Place the treats where the front paws are placed.

Then, soak the dirty part under the water, and pour some small animal or rabbit shampoo into the water. Rub the dirty area with your hands or a cloth gently, until it's as clean as you can get it. Once you're done, empty the sink with the bunny still in place, and use some clean water of the same temperature that you've set aside in a container, and after replacing the plug, pour that slowly into the sink to rinse.