How to Bathe a Rabbit

Rabbits are clean animals and will usually not need your help with cleaning. The truth is that exposing rabbits to water is extremely dangerous, as it can lead to hypothermia or shock. Instead of bathing your rabbit in the traditional way, you should only clean the necessary fur, clean the scent glands, and kill fleas without dipping your pet in the water.

Table of Contents

Hygiene for Rabbits

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Brush the rabbit to remove dirt. Most rabbits love to be brushed, and it’s a great way to keep their coat clean. Buy a rabbit-specific comb (usually with smaller, tighter teeth than a dog comb). Every few days, hold the rabbit gently and brush the coat. Focus on areas that are covered with grass or dirt. Once done, wash the brush and let it dry.

The rabbit should be kept gently still. Not all rabbits like to be groomed. If your rabbit is startled or scared while brushing, you should stop and try again later.
Long-haired rabbit breeds require more intensive care. It is recommended to trim the hair short until it is about 3 cm or a little more to avoid tangles. This will help reduce shedding and keep the coat cleaner.

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Locally clean the rabbit when necessary. If your rabbit has just jumped into a puddle, you can clean it up by cleaning the dirty spot. Fortunately, you can clean a separate area of hair for your rabbit without using water. This is more appropriate, as many rabbits go into shock when they get wet. Sprinkle a little cornstarch on the dirty spot and use a bristle brush to brush away the dirt. Continue repeating until the hair is completely clean.

Even if the rabbit is completely submerged in mud, you should still use this dry bath method instead of submerging the rabbit in water. Proceed in sections, carefully removing the mud mass, combing, and using cornstarch to remove small dirt particles.
If absolutely necessary, you should only use water to clean a small area of hair. Moisten the washcloth with warm water and dab it on the rabbit’s fur; You should not let the water get to their skin. Once that hair is clean, you can use a hair dryer, turn on the lowest heat setting and dry the hair gently. Normally, the body temperature of rabbits is between 38-39 degrees Celsius. Because rabbit skin is very thin, and rabbits themselves are sensitive to temperature, you should never use a dryer with a temperature higher than that.” warm”, and continuously check the heat of the air blowing from the dryer onto the rabbit’s skin.

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Use a mat splitter if the rabbit’s fur is tangled. If the rabbit’s fur is tangled, the best tool to solve the problem is a hair remover. This provides gentle debugging without harming the rabbit. Avoid using scissors; Rabbits often wiggle, and you may accidentally injure them while using scissors. ^{[1] X Research Source}

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Trim the rabbit’s nails. This step is necessary if your rabbit spends most of its time indoors. When rabbits do not have the opportunity to shorten their claws by digging in the soil, the claws can grow long and pointed. Use nail clippers or scissors to care for your rabbit’s nails, or ask your vet to do this during your next visit.

The rabbit’s nails should not be cut off. Rabbits are very susceptible to infections and the loss of their claws will cause the rabbit’s paws to become infected. ^{[2] X Research Source}
You need to make sure the rabbit’s living space is always clean and dry to promote the health of the feet.

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Do not immerse the rabbit in water. It is worth repeating over and over again that the act can cause hypothermia or shock, both of which lead to death. Some bunnies have special personalities and don’t mind getting wet; Some rabbit owners are even surprised to find that their pet rabbit loves to swim. However, if your rabbit doesn’t show any signs of liking water, it’s best not to get it wet. Rabbits are very sensitive and even a single bath can leave permanent damage. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

Sanitize the Scent Gland

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Clean around the anus with a cotton ball dipped in water. Rabbits have scent glands near the anus, where waste can stay and start to smell after a while. To clean the area, simply dip a cotton ball or cotton swab in warm water. Rinse the area to remove any residual waste. If you repeat this cleaning on a regular basis, you won’t have to resort to more intensive or complicated methods. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

Your rabbit may become tense and startled while you clean the area. You should get help by holding and petting the rabbit while you clean the scent gland areas.
Rabbits also have scent glands under their chin, but they don’t smell bad and don’t need to be cleaned.

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Buy rabbit-safe shampoo at a pet store. The product is safe for rabbits and especially safer than regular soap.

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Only use soap if absolutely necessary. If the waste is left to sit for a long time, you may need something besides water to clean it up. Pour warm water into a small bowl and add a few drops of mild baby shampoo or Castile soap. Soak a cotton ball in the solution and gently clean around the rabbit’s anus, taking care to only wet the areas that need to be cleaned. Repeat until the area is free of any traces of secretions. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

You should not leave any soap stains on the rabbit’s body. This may cause skin irritation.
Do not use cold water; you should use warm enough water instead. Otherwise, the rabbit may hypothermia and go into shock.

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Blow dry on the lowest heat. You shouldn’t let your rabbit’s fur dry naturally, as the longer the rabbit stays wet, the more likely it is to have health problems. Use the dryer on a gentle, low heat setting (don’t set it to cool or hot) and blow a few lines over the wet back of the rabbit. Continue until the hair is completely dry.

Note that rabbits can panic when they hear the noise of the hair dryer. If this happens, prepare a soft, absorbent cotton towel. Use a towel to dry the rabbit.

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Use this method to clean dry urine (or urine residue). Some rabbits suffer from urinary incontinence, an inability to regulate urine. Rabbits that are old and have health problems often have this problem. Dried urine can stick to the fur, causing odors and discomfort to the rabbit. If this happens to your rabbit,

Dip a cotton ball in water and wipe off the urine-stained hair.
Blow-dry the fur with low heat and gentle wind.
- Similarly, if your rabbit is afraid of the hair dryer, use a cotton towel to wipe instead of drying.
Take your rabbit to the vet to find out the medical cause of urinary incontinence.

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Trim your rabbit’s fur so they don’t get wet. The long hair around the rabbit’s anus and underside can make the rabbit’s body prone to getting wet. You should cut the hair short so that the skin underneath dries faster and cleaner. You should ask your veterinarian for instructions on how to care for a particular breed of rabbit. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

Kill fleas

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Choose a flea control solution for rabbits. If you notice that your rabbit has fleas, you should talk to your veterinarian about how to use a flea solution on your rabbit. Advantage, Program and Revpution are all specially designed to kill fleas on rabbits without damaging the skin or affecting internal health. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

Do not use a solution intended for cats or dogs, even if it says safe for use on rabbits. It’s best to only use one made specifically for rabbits.
Never wet a rabbit in any flea control solution, even if it says it’s safe to do so on the packaging.

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Apply the recommended dose to the center of the rabbit’s shoulder blades. Follow your veterinarian’s instructions or on the package to apply a small amount of liquid solution to the area between your rabbit’s shoulder blades. This is the safest place to use the product because rabbits cannot turn around and scratch or lick the solution.

Most flea solutions require a one-month period.
If you are unsure about the right dosage, you should consult your veterinarian before doing so.

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Use a comb to remove fleas and eggs. If you want to use a natural solution, the traditional brushing method will work. To apply this method, it is important to have a good relationship with the rabbit, as combing for fleas and eggs can be quite time consuming. You can have your rabbit sitter sit still while you meticulously comb their fur to remove fleas and eggs. You should not miss any area of the rabbit’s body.

Check the rabbit again in a few days. In most cases, you’ll need to repeat this process two or three times to prevent new eggs from hatching. After a few weeks, the fleas and eggs will be gone.
Between cleanings, disinfect your flea comb by boiling it in water for about five minutes.

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Clean the rabbit’s living area thoroughly. If you find fleas on your rabbit, they may also be living in the rabbit’s (and yours’) space. Clean the cage and change the bedding several times during the treatment period. Boil rabbit food and toy dishes for five minutes to get rid of fleas, and wash linens in hot water. If fleas are multiplying on your carpet, you can do the following:

Coat the carpet with DIATOMITE powder or baking soda. Let stand for eight hours or overnight. They have a drying effect on flea eggs.
Swing the vacuum cleaner to remove the powder and discard the dust bag.
Repeat this process every few days until all fleas are gone.
Once your rabbit is safe in its cage, you can also catch live fleas by placing a night light near the floor. Put a bowl of soapy water under each bulb, and fleas will jump in. Put the water bowl away before letting the rabbit out to play.

Advice

If for some reason the rabbit is wet to the skin, it is important to dry it off as quickly as possible to avoid hypothermia. You can use a dryer, but you have to turn it on to the lowest setting and move it back and forth so you don’t focus the heat on one area for too long. Test the heat by placing your hand in the direction of the airflow. Rabbits are also very sensitive to heat, and prolonged extreme heat can cause heat stroke and death.
Speak to your rabbit in a pleasant and gentle tone as you clean the rabbit.
Bathe your rabbit only when absolutely necessary. Rabbits, like cats, know how to lick themselves and swallow their hair, so you don’t need to clean them too often.
When bathing/washing rabbits, it should be done low, preferably under the surface, this will prevent the rabbit from getting injured by trying to jump.
Talk to your rabbit in a slow and gentle voice as you brush your rabbit.

Warning

Being touched is extremely stressful for nearly all rabbits because they are predators in the wild. You should clean and brush quickly so they can soon stand on all fours on the ground and have a sense of self-control again.

Steps

Hygiene for Rabbits

Sanitize the Scent Gland

Kill fleas

Advice

Warning

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