Rabbits are small mammals that have unique long ears, beautiful fur, whiskers, and small tails. A baby rabbit is called a kitten. There are over 30 species of rabbits around the globe. Rabbits are very social creatures, and they are excellent to keep as pets. A rabbit can quickly get sad if you keep it in isolation from other rabbits. The skin of a rabbit is susceptible to water; that is why you should always keep its skin dry if you have one as a pet.
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Are you a rabbit owner that is wondering if you can use dog shampoo on your rabbit? I will tell you. It would be best if you did not use dog shampoo on your rabbit because it contains poisonous chemicals that are not healthy for your rabbit. If you must use any shampoo, make sure it is gentle and rabbit-safe. Rabbits have their special shampoos that you can get from any pet store. Their shampoos are fur cleaning and care products that are made to handle their sensitive skins. You’re not supposed to bathe your rabbit, but sometimes, you need to clean their feet or butt. And in situations like this, you will need a rabbit shampoo to help you remove unnecessary specks of dirt from any part of its body. This rabbit shampoo protects the skin of your rabbit and prevents the stripping away of essential natural oils from its sensitive skin.
Can you use human shampoo on rabbits?
No, you can’t. You shouldn’t be caught using human shampoo on your rabbit. It would be best if you instead used your rabbit shampoo. This is because some chemicals in human shampoo are not healthy for the delicate skin of your rabbit.
What shampoo is safe for rabbits?
Rabbit shampoos are safe for rabbits. They help to keep their furs clean. Rabbit shampoos do not contain harsh ingredients that can affect the skin of your rabbit.
What can I wash my rabbit with?
Rabbits are naturally clean mammals. Don’t ever try immersing your rabbit in water because you want to bathe it. You can practice other safer forms of cleaning the debris and mud off its skin. Your rabbit can die if you attempt putting it inside cold water. Only sick rabbits find it challenging to clean their body when they are dirty.
If you want to wash your rabbit, you can fill your bathtub with some warm water, place a towel at the bottom of the bath so your rabbit can be comfortable, then use some baby-safe shampoo on its skin. You can also use baby cornstarch or baby wipes to clean your rabbit.
Why do rabbits die when they get wet?
As a rabbit owner, you should do all you can to make sure your rabbit doesn’t get wet. Where a situation occurs for you to clean your rabbit with water, ensure you use the safest way possible to prevent your rabbit from getting damp and eventually dying.
Your rabbit can quickly get wet, and it takes a long time for its skin to get dry. The skin of the rabbit repels only a tiny amount of water. When your rabbit gets wet, it can lead to distress or shock and, finally, death.
If you are a very observant rabbit owner, you must have noticed how your rabbit behaves when it gets wet, it will kick, bite, flail around, and act weird. These are things your rabbit does to show that it is trying to fight for life.
Your rabbit does when it gets wet because its body is made to get wet and dry slowly quickly. They are not very good at regulating heat, thus making them get cold quickly. This will make your rabbit get hypothermia if it is exposed to water.
Your rabbit’s skin is naturally soft and delicate. When it becomes wet, it gets softer and more sensitive. This will expose your rabbit to wounds that will take a long time to heal.
Hypothermia, distress, shock, stress, or spinal injury are the possible reasons that could lead to the death of your rabbit.
How often should you bathe a rabbit?
Bathing your rabbit often is not necessary. Instead of washing it, you can practice dry bathing, spot cleaning, cornstarch, or butt bathing. Bathing your rabbit frequently can strip it of its natural oils, and it can also be very stressful for it. This is because rabbits are clean mammals that can clean and groom themselves.
How to bathe a rabbit
You should not just wake up one morning and start bathing your rabbit without consulting your veterinarian. If you consult your vet and he approves of you cleaning your rabbit, then get someone to assist you in bathing your rabbit so that the person can help you position your rabbit comfortably while you do the bathing as recommended by your vet.
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Place a towel at the bottom of the bowl, bath or sink you are using to bath your rabbit. This will help your rabbit not to panic as you bath it.
Use warm water for bathing your rabbit and checking the hotness or coldness of the water often to make sure it is not extreme. Please don’t use the shower for washing your rabbit because of the noise and force of the water that comes out from it; a jug of water would do.
Begin your cleaning from the rump of your rabbit by wetting its fur gently and its skin. Please don’t soak the head, ears, and eyes of your rabbit with water or shampoo as you bath it.
Always make sure the bowl you are bathing your rabbit in is getting emptied as you wet your rabbit.
When you are done bathing your pet, raise your rabbit and wrap it in a warm towel.
Be very fast in bathing your rabbit so that they don’t get cold.
How to dry a rabbit
It would help if you dried your rabbit whenever it gets wet so that its fur doesn’t clump together, thereby making the drying process difficult. Please don’t allow your rabbits to go into their cage damp; it can kill them.
Do not bathe your rabbit during the winter season.
To dry your rabbit, towel dry it by gently rubbing its fur to remove excess water from it. You need to carefully do this so you don’t end up tearing the rabbit’s skin.
After that, use a hairdryer to dry your rabbit carefully. When using the hairdryer, make sure you handle it with care so you don’t end up burning your rabbit’s skin. Always check the temperature with your hand to make sure it is not too hot for your rabbit. After doing this, allow your rabbit to go for a break. Ensure you keep it warm while it’s on break.
Some rabbit owners try to dye their rabbit’s fur after drying it. It is not something you should try. Your rabbit’s skin is fragile, and its digestive system, too, so applying dye on its skin will lead to chronic health issues. Dyeing your rabbit’s fur does not benefit it in any way; that is why you shouldn’t do it.
How to clean your rabbit without bathing it
Instead of putting the life of your rabbit at risk by bathing it, you can give it a bath that wouldn’t require you to bath your rabbit in a tub. Rabbits can quickly get cold, especially if the water you try to bathe them with is cold.
You should start cleaning your rabbit by spot cleaning with a baby wipe. And then, if there are still stains on the skin of your rabbit, you can give your rabbit a dry bath by using baby-safe cornstarch and then ensure you are not cleaning your rabbit and putting it back into a dirty cage, do well to clean your rabbit’s cage too so that you will have a clean rabbit occupying a clean cage.
Check out the different methods you can practice in cleaning your rabbit without bathing it.
Method One
- Using baby wipes
This is a simple and effective way of cleaning your rabbit without bathing it. What kind of baby wipes should you use? Use the ones without fragrance, alcohol-free, and baby wipes that contain vitamin E and are hypo-allergenic. Also, ensure the wipes are very soft for the delicate skin of your rabbit so that you won’t end up tearing your bunny’s fur.
- Place your rabbit in a comfortable position.
Please sit down, place a towel on your lap, then place your rabbit on the towel with its belly held up. Putting your rabbit in this position will help you clean the dirty parts of its body faster. You can switch the status of your rabbit as you continue to tend to help you get access to all the messy details of its body.
- Use the baby wipes to clean the soiled parts.
Use the baby wipes to carefully clean any mud, dirt, or remnants from your rabbit’s fur. You can wash your rabbit’s butt, feet, and other parts of its body that got stained with urine. Ensure you do all of these gently, so you don’t tamper with your rabbit’s tender skin. After cleaning all the specks of dirt with the baby wipes, use another clean baby wipes to rub its body gently.
Method Two
- Buy baby cornstarch powder
Locate the baby supplies section of any grocery store around you and buy baby cornstarch powder. It would be best if you only purchased a baby-safe cornstarch powder that doesn’t contain talc, so you don’t end up irritating the respiratory system of your rabbit. And then, avoid using pesticides or commercial flea powders too. They’re unhealthy for the general well-being of your rabbit.
- Position your rabbit properly for bathing.
You need to properly position your rabbit while you bathe it to try to run away. Keep a towel on your laps, then place your rabbit in a way that its belly is turned up. Look out for the comfort of your rabbit as you position it on your laps. This position will help your rabbit stay calm while you bath it.
- Use the baby cornstarch powder.
While using the baby cornstarch powder on your rabbit’s skin, put more attention on the soiled areas. For example, if the bottom of your rabbit is very messy, apply more cornstarch around it. Whisper to your rabbit while you use the cornstarch powder gently on different parts of its body. This act will make it feel more comfortable.
- As you apply the cornstarch powder, use a fine-tooth comb on the fur of your rabbit. As you do this, the first will be falling off. Be very careful while doing this. Use a flea comb, preferably because its teeth are perfect for your rabbit’s fur. Make sure you loosen any matted hairs, don’t try to tug in it. It is not safe for your rabbit.
- Gently pat the areas you applied cornstarch powder on when you are done. Doing this will help clear the soiled regions, loose furs, and too much cornstarch. Usually, the cornstarch bath doesn’t take long, and your rabbit will be clean again. And your rabbit will stay quiet while you do this because they are comfortable with it.
To clean up the excess mess that was created while bathing your rabbit with cornstarch, use a vacuum cleaner to do that
Method Three
You shouldn’t focus on just cleaning your rabbit and leaving its cage out. Clean your rabbit and its cage. The steps below will help you clean your cage correctly.
- Your rabbit may be smelling terrible because its cage is dirty. Wash your rabbit’s cage at least once a week with vinegar and water. Remove droppings from its enclosure and old toys. And then remove old beddings.
2. Dispose of old beddings. Please take out the old beddings of your rabbit and replace them with new ones. Pellet-shaped bedding with a newspaper at the bottom is great for your rabbit. Don’t use cedar or pine shavings as beddings for your rabbit; it will lessen your rabbit’s recovery process when it’s on medication. Use plastic or metal cages for your rabbit instead of wood because wood depreciates over time.
3. Use a brush to scrub your rabbit’s cage thoroughly. Don’t use Lysol or any disinfectant that its remnants ok your rabbit’s cage will pose harm to your pet. Ensure the cleaning agents you use are mild. Use a gentle vinegar-water mix. After scrubbing, allow the sun to dry the cage. The sun is a very natural way of disinfecting your rabbit’s cage.
Practice cleaning your rabbit’s cage monthly using water with dissolved bleach. It’s very vital for the health of your rabbit pet.
Can I use baby shampoo on my rabbit?
You should not use baby shampoo on your rabbit. Baby shampoo is not recommended at all for your beautiful bunny. This is because baby shampoo contains harsh ingredients that can affect your rabbit’s skin and strip your rabbit’s skin of its natural oils. Use your rabbit’s shampoo instead. It has all your rabbit needs to maintain healthy skin.
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Also, don’t use pet shampoos that have pyrethrins, herbal, or insect-killing ingredients in them. The fact that they are herbal products doesn’t make them perfect and safe for your rabbit. They can tamper with your rabbit’s delicate skin.
How to clean rabbit’s feet
Sometimes, your rabbit can get its feet dirty by placing it directly on its feces in its litter box or when it reaches its feet muddy from hopping around the garden. When this happens, you will need to clean it using a damp cloth.
It would be best if you did not try to bathe your rabbit instead of spot clean it because it is healthier and less stressful.
To clean your rabbit’s feet, do this.
- Mix an equal amount of white vinegar and water in a spray bottle.
- Place a towel on your lap before keeping your rabbit directly on the towel. This will prevent your clothes from getting soaked.
- Soak a piece of cloth in the water, and a white vinegar mixture, then use it to wipe dirt off your rabbit’s feet gently.
- Allow your rabbit to get dry.
Where the stains refuse to go off after cleaning it the first time, repeat the process to get maximum results.
Is cornstarch safe for rabbits?
Baby cornstarch powder is safe for rabbits, and you can buy it in the baby supplies part of any grocery store. Any cornstarch that is not baby cornstarch should not be used on your rabbit. Make sure the baby cornstarch you buy doesn’t contain talc because if it does, it can irritate its respiratory system. Also, avoid using commercial flea powders or pesticides for your rabbit.
Conclusion
Now that you are aware that using dog shampoo, human shampoo, and other harsh shampoos is not healthy for your rabbit, avoid using it for your beautiful rabbit pet.
There are safer ways of cleaning your rabbit other than immersing it in cold water to bathe it. Your rabbit’s skin is very delicate; that is why you should always handle your beautiful pet with care. Your rabbit can quickly die of hypothermia if you allow it to stay wet for a long time.
Practice those tips on how to keep your rabbits clean, so you don’t lose your precious rabbit. Where you need guidance on other ways of keeping your rabbit clean, consult your veterinarian.
Also, to protect your rabbit from potential diseases, always ensure you get it regularly vaccinated. You must gbring your rabbit routinely vaccinated; this will help it stay healthy.