How to Clean a Pet Rabbit

Rabbits are naturally clean animals who do a good job of self grooming. They should not be bathed in a traditional soap and water bath. Rabbits do not respond well to baths, physically or emotionally. Emotionally, a traditional bath causes a rabbit extreme stress. Physically, a traditional bath can cause illness to develop in a rabbit because a rabbit's fur dries very slowly, leaving them prone to respiratory distress and skin irritation. Brushing and spot cleaning is a more appropriate and safer method of cleaning a pet rabbit.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Rabbit brush
• Rabbit comb
• Unscented baby wipes
• Blow dryer

1. Remove loose dirt and loose hairs by gently brushing or combing your rabbit. Use a rabbit brush for short hair rabbits or a rabbit comb for long hair rabbits. Short hair rabbits should be brushed once a month. Long hair rabbits should be combed once a week. During shedding seasons, both types of rabbits should be brushed or combed daily. Removing loose hairs helps to prevent fur ball blockages in your rabbit from fur ingestion.

2. Untangle knots by gently brushing or combing matted areas of fur. Start at the bottom of the tangle and work your way to the top. Work slowly and gently so you do not cause any pain for your rabbit.

3. Clean any dirty spots of fur by rubbing the area gently with an unscented baby wipe.

4. Dry your rabbit's fur using a hair blow dryer set on the low setting, if your rabbit's fur becomes wet during cleaning or some other reason. Hold the blow dryer far enough away from your rabbit so that it does not burn their skin. Regularly check the temperature of the blow dryers air by placing your hand on your rabbit, underneath the blow dryer.

5. Clean your pet rabbit's cage or habitat regularly. An unclean living environment will make your rabbit's fur dirty.

Tips & Warnings

• Speak to your rabbit using a gentle soothing voice and handle your rabbit calmly and gently while grooming. In time, as your rabbit becomes accustomed to regular handling and grooming, he will calm down.
• Your rabbit may become afraid during grooming, especially when a blow dryer is used. If your rabbit shows signs of fear or distress, discontinue the grooming and try again on another day. It may take many grooming attempts before you can successfully complete a full grooming session. It is better to leave your rabbit uncleaned than it is to cause it stress. A clean cage will minimize loose shed hairs, which will minimize fur ingestion.

Resources

• Rabbit brush
• Rabbit comb